The document outlines the evolution and importance of search engine optimization (SEO) in 2017, emphasizing its shift from keyword-heavy tactics to focusing on user experience and content relevance. It discusses key components of SEO, including keyword research, link building, social proof, and analytics, while highlighting various Google algorithm updates. The author, Sean Hecking, offers insights on implementing effective SEO strategies for improved organic search results.

1. SEARCH ENGINE
OPTIMIZATION
2017

2. Hello!
I am Sean Hecking
Consultant & Owner of Interactive Cleveland
You can find me at:
Twitter: @seanhecking
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanhecking/
Email: sean@interactivecleveland.com
Web: www.interactivecleveland.com
Interactive Cleveland

3. SECTION 1
What is SEO?

4. SEARCH ENGINES

5. SEARCH ENGINE
A web search engine is a
software system that is
designed to search for
information on the World Wide
Web. The search results are
generally presented in a line of
results often referred to as
search engine results pages
(SERPs). The information may
be a mix of web pages,
images, and other types of
files.
Place your screenshot here

6. 3.5 Billion… searches on Google on an average day (s. Google 2017)
51%… of consumers shopped online during the 2016 holiday (s. comScore & UPS 2016)
1.15 Billion… active users on Facebook on an average day (s. Facebook 2017)

7. GOOGLE INDEX
A database of information
Google’s web crawler has
found and stored about your
website HTML, copy, images,
videos, and more.
GOOGLEBOT
Googlebot is Google's web
crawling bot (sometimes also
called a "spider"). Crawling is
the process by which
Googlebot discovers new and
updated pages to be added to
the Google index.
Place your screenshot here

8. SERP
A search engine results page
(SERP) is the listing of results
returned by a search engine in
response to a keyword query.
FREE
Natural listings that appear from
Google’s web crawler index.
PAID
Sponsored listings companies pay
Google per-click based on auction-
like bids.
Place your screenshot here

9. PAID - Text
Paid listings usually appear in the
top 3-4 text positions and in the
bottom 2-3 listings on each search
page. Google recently removed the
right column listings.
PAID - Shopping
A product listing with images,
reviews, and pricing.
PAID - Maps
Paid local search listings began to
appear in local pack results in early
2017. Paid local results do not
appear on all local searches.
Place your screenshot here

10. FREE ORGANIC
Free listings appear after the paid
listings, usually in positions #4-10 or
#4-12 depending on the search
performed.
FREE MAPS
Local pack listings can appear for
searches Google things are more
local in nature.
Example: “Pizza shops near me”
KNOWLEDGE GRAPH
Typically brand searches for specific
companies or places will appear to
the right or under the search box
with few if any paid listings.
Place your screenshot here

12. WHAT IS SEO?
2007 vs. 2017

13. “In contrast to PPC or Pay-Per-Click Advertising,
Search Engine Optimization is the art and science of a
strategy aimed at placing web pages at the top of
organic search results for their targeted keywords.
Keywords are the phrases people search for to find
what they are looking for.”
What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

14. SEARCH ENGINE MARKET SHARE 2017
Yahoo!
6%
Bing
7%
GOOGLE
80%

15. WHAT SEO WAS IN 2007
Find Δ Keywords
Fill Pages w/ Keywords
$$$

16. 2017 is...
➜ Research Keywords
➜ Relevant Copy
➜ HTML Improvements
➜ Building Relationships
➜ Earned Links
➜ Usability Improvements
➜ Mobile Experience
➜ Social Proof
➜ Conversion Rates
➜ SERP Bounce Rates
➜ Evergreen Content
“SEO in 2017 is less about optimizing for high volume and getting #1
rankings. SEO is now about improving the browsing experience and
generating very relevant, high converting information.”
- Sean Hecking, Interactive Cleveland Inc.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in...
2007 was...
➜ Research Keywords
➜ Keyword Rich Copy
➜ HTML Improvements
➜ Link Requests
➜ Paid Links
➜ #1 Rankings
➜ Pages, pages, pages
➜ Tricks and Secret Tactics
➜ Fooling Google
➜ Fooling Yahoo!
➜ Fooling MSN/Bing

17. GOOGLE ALGORITHM

18. For a typical query, there are thousands, if not
millions, of web pages with helpful information.
Algorithms are the computer processes and
formulas that take your questions and turn them
into answers.
Evolution of Google (Video: 6 minutes):
http://youtu.be/mTBShTwCnD4
“Pet Supplies”
102,000,000 RESULTS

20. GOOGLE UPDATES

21. Google is constantly updating their computer
programs that manage search engine listings.
Smaller and less noticeable changes happen every
week. Less frequent major updates typically happen
a few times each year.
➜ “Possum” Aug. 2017: Local pack results
➜ “Fred” March 2017: Low value content sites hit
➜ “Penguin 4.0” Oct. 2016: Links
➜ “Possum” Sept. 2016: Local pack results
➜ “Mobile Friendly” May 2016: Mobile SEO
GOOGLE UPDATES (2016-2017)

22. MOZCAST.com
Moz.com micro-site designed
to update daily based on how
many changes take place in
Google’s SERPs.
The warmer and stormy, the
more changes in Google. A
high degree of change over a
few days is often a signal of a
major update.
Place your screenshot here

23. KNOWLEDGE & TOOLS

24. ➜ Basic graphics skills
➜ Word processing, spreadsheets
➜ Content management skills (WordPress)
➜ Basic HTML
➜ English (other languages a big plus for
translations)
KNOWLEDGE NEEDED

25. ➜ Programming (PHP, Javascript, JS libraries)
➜ Hand markup HTML
➜ Server setup (DNS, security)
➜ Analytics background
➜ Graphic design
➜ Creative writing
KNOWLEDGE NEEDED (ADVANCED)

26. ➜ Google Drive
➜ Microsoft Office $
➜ Google Analytics
➜ Google Analytics 360 $
➜ Google Adwords
➜ Google Webmaster Tools
➜ Google Tag Manager
➜ SEM Rush $
➜ Moz $
➜ Screaming Frog $
➜ Majestic SEO $
TOOLS NEEDED (paid = $)

27. PROCESS

28. PROCESS OVERVIEW
PERSONAS
KEYWORDS
ROAD MAP
STRATEGY
KPIs
GOALS
AUDIT
ANALYTICS SETUP
REPORTING TOOLS
REPORTING
TREND ANALYSIS
ALGO ANALYSIS
BRAINSTORMING
CONTENT PLANNING
WRITING
SOCIAL MEDIA PROMOTION
HTML OPTIMIZATION
IMAGE OPTIMIZATION
LOCAL SEARCH
SOCIAL MEDIA OPTIMIZATION
Months 1-2 Months 2-12+

29. ➜ Technical - HTML, tags, scripts, speed, servers,
page errors, security, mobile, etc.
➜ Content - Quality, depth, links, keywords,
layout, mobile, ad space, SERP bounces, etc.
➜ Promotion - Brand mentions, shares, link
authority, social proof, etc.
PAGE RANKING FACTORS

30. SEM Rush 2017 Ranking Factor Report
Validates SERP performance, links, HTTPS, content depth

31. SEM Rush 2017 Ranking Factor Report
Validates SERP performance, links, HTTPS, content depth

32. SECTION 2a
Pyramid

34. ACCESSIBLE, QUALITY CONTENT
“Getting your web pages found and
indexed in Google (and Bing/Yahoo) is
the first step in optimization.”
➜ Is Googlebot finding your site?
➜ Are all internal links working?
➜ HTML clean?
➜ Webmaster Tools added?
➜ HTML & XML sitemap created?
➜ Robots.txt setup correctly?
➜ Deep crawl tested?

35. KEYWORD RESEARCH & TARGETING
“SEO starts with keyword research.”
➜ What’s your business and industry?
➜ Who are your top competitors?
➜ Do you offer services locally or nationally?
➜ What does your company offer?
➜ Who are the influencers in your industry?
➜ Do you have a list of core search keywords?

36. LINK BUILDING (a.k.a. Inbound Marketing, Content Marketing)
“The best link building is to build
shareable content.”
➜ Have you reviewed your link profile?
➜ What types of sites are linking to yours?
➜ Who are you linking to?
➜ Is anyone sharing your pages or content?
➜ Are you losing potential traffic due to broken links
or lost referring traffic hitting 404 pages?

37. SOCIAL PROMOTION
“Getting your content shared is key to
increasing links and influence.”
➜ What type of content is shared most?
➜ Do you use topics that educate, entertain, or drive
engagement?
➜ Do you have any thought leaders?
➜ Can you offer any free expertise to customers?
➜ Are you using video or downloadable media to
promote your company?

38. Content Management

39. “A content management system (CMS) is a
computer application that allows publishing, editing
and modifying content, organizing, deleting as well
as maintenance from a central interface. Such
systems of content management provide procedures
to manage workflow in a collaborative
environment.”
➜ Easy to use without programming
➜ Help manage content and contributor roles
➜ Help sell products and manage web pages
Content Management Systems (CMS)

40. Good CMS Options
To be found on the internet,
you’re going to need a basic
website. There are several
CMS options available for
small businesses, large
corporations, and everything
in-between.
● WordPress.org
● Magento
● Drupal
● Umbraco
● Shopify

41. SECTION 2d
Social Proof

42. “Pages with lots of shares also tend to have links.”
- Busszumo
#7 in Google
#1 in Google

43. “Social proof (also known as informational social
influence) is a psychological and social phenomenon
where people assume the actions of others in an
attempt to reflect correct behavior in a given
situation”
➜ Shares = more shares
➜ Likes = more likes
➜ Positive social engagement = Brand growth
➜ More shares = more links
Social Proof = Better SEO

44. SECTION 3
SEO Setup

45. ➜ Interview sales team and key stakeholders
➜ Research customer demographics: Age, gender,
salary, job role, likes, dislikes, etc.
➜ Review Google Display Planner
➜ Review Google Analytics
➜ Review search demographic trend reports
➜ Write down feedback and create a model
BASIC PERSONAS

46. ➜ Prepare a competitive analysis
➜ Identify 10-20 core keywords as a starting point
➜ Use AdWords CPC as an indicator of how
competitive the market
➜ How far are your from your competitors in
search engines?
➜ Determine how much effort may be required or
how much budget you will need for paid search
KEYWORD DISCOVERY

47. Competitive Analysis

48. SEO Audit
“Hand” review of several best
practices for organic search. A
crawl report by itself isn’t an
audit.
● Technical SEO
● Accessibility
● Content Optimization
● Social Proof
● Analytics Review
● Duplicate Content
● Penalty Review
● Goals/KPIs

49. Build A Road Map
Plan of activities for the first 3-
6 months of work. May include
feedback from client and
based on resources.
● Scope of tasks
● Ownership
● Priorities

50. Analytics Setup
Getting the right metrics in
place to measure campaigns.
Without proper KPIs, clients
can only focus on keywords
and traffic (YIKES!)
● Google Tag Manager
● KPIs
● Goals/Funnels
● Downloads
● Orders

51. Reporting Tools
To analyze competitors and
research keywords, you will
likely need more robust tools
as your campaigns get more
sophisticated.
● Moz
● SEM Rush
● Majestic SEO
● A Hrefs
● Hootsuite
● Google Analytics 360

52. ➜ Quarterly review of performance
➜ Review any changes in your industry or
seasonal opportunities
➜ Review competitors
➜ Discuss budget and resources needed
ONGOING STRATEGY

53. SECTION 4
SEO Reporting

54. SEO Reporting
To report your progress back
to management or clients, you
will need reporting data. Below
are a few data points to
consider:
● # of keywords
● Core keywords
● Links
● Social proof
● Brand mentions
● Content engagement
● Organic conversions

55. ➜ Avoid focusing on top keyword rankings
➜ Shift discussion to conversion goals, keyword
growth, and content engagement
➜ Rankings ≠ Results
➜ Rankings can increase awareness and lead to
audience growth
➜ Discuss page visibility vs. rank
SEO REPORTING TIPS

56. Algorithm Changes
Keep tabs on changes to
search engine algorithms
using the following tools:
● Algoroo
● Mozcast
● SERPmetrics
● Panguin
● Google Analytics

57. Search Trends
Monitor trends in searches for
groups of keywords. If
searches are going up, it’s
generally good.
● Seasonality changes
● Growth/decline of
products
● Growth/decline of
industry
● Trends can influence
navigation and keyword
focus

58. Analytics & KPIs
Monitor key performance
indicators. These are a true
measurement of performance.
● Brand searches
● Non-brand searches
● Sales/Orders
● Leads
● PDF Downloads
● Website calls

59. Dashboards
Use templated dashboards to
help measure campaign
performance. Customize as
needed.
● Google Data Studio
● Google Drive

60. Thanks!
Sean Hecking
Consultant & Owner of Interactive Cleveland
You can find me at:
Twitter: @seanhecking
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanhecking/
Email: sean@interactivecleveland.com
Web: www.interactivecleveland.com
Interactive Cleveland