1. The document discusses how SEO "best practices" often fail and recommends taking a user-centric approach and testing changes instead of blindly following best practices. 2. It provides examples of SEO tests conducted where changes thought to be beneficial based on best practices actually had negative or no impacts, such as changes to meta descriptions. 3. The document advocates working with product teams to satisfy user needs rather than just focusing on traditional ranking factors, as user signals now impact rankings more for large brands.

1. Your SEO Experience is
Holding You Back
Emily Potter
@e_mpotter

2. ?
Where we get our data &
some SEO A/B Testing 101

3. Meta-CMS function to make on-the-fly changes

4. We split large groups of pages into two groups
CatsH1
Intro copy
Featured image
BearsH1
Featured video
Control template Variant template

5. Positive test result - organic traffic increases
Control template Variant template
Organic traffic changeCats Bears

6. Negative test result - organic traffic drops
Control template Variant template
Organic traffic changeCats Bears

7. Inconclusive test result - no measurable impact
Control template Variant template
Organic traffic changeCats Bears

8. Here’s a selection of things our platform accounts for:
● Seasonality

9. Here’s a selection of things our platform accounts for:
● Seasonality
● Unanticipated spikes in demand

10. Here’s a selection of things our platform accounts for:
● Seasonality
● Unanticipated spikes in demand
● Algorithm updates

11. Here’s a selection of things our platform accounts for:
● Seasonality
● Unanticipated spikes in demand
● Algorithm updates
● Unrelated sitewide changes

12. Here’s a selection of things our platform accounts for:
● Seasonality
● Unanticipated spikes in demand
● Algorithm updates
● Unrelated sitewide changes
● Competitor actions

13. Tom Anthony
● Created SearchPilot platform

14. Dominic Woodman
● First SearchPilot consultant

15. ● 35% conclusive
● 65% inconclusive
Test result breakdown before 2019

16. Emily Potter
● Joined as consultant February 2019

17. Test result breakdown after 2019
● 43% conclusive
● 57% inconclusive

19. ?
Why did this happen?

20. Year entered the SEO industry:
2013 2005 2018

21. And if you want to learn more...
Follow us @SearchPilot
Sign up at bit.ly/sp-email-list for our latest case studies
Visit www.searchpilot.com to sign up for a demo

22. Is “best practice” best?1.
Ranking factors need not apply2.
...but some things don’t change3.
Takeaways and Q&A4.

23. Is “best practice” best?1.

24. Most “best practice”
SEO tactics fail
@e_mpotter

25. The Meta Description

26. SEO Technical Audit
How often have you recommended this?

27. How often have you recommended this?
SEO Technical Audit
[Opener] + [Description with primary and
secondary keywords] + [CTA]

28. 91% of meta description
changes had no
detectable impact

29. Meta tag
Google generated
Meta tag
Google generated
Google generated
Google generated
We’re seeing
this more and
more

30. Why don’t we just
remove them?

31. Removing meta descriptions on pharmacy store website
*Disclaimer: Identifying details have been changed to protect client privacy

32. Removing meta descriptions on pharmacy store website
*Disclaimer: Identifying details have been changed to protect client privacy

33. Result
POSITIVE
*Disclaimer: Identifying details have been changed to protect client privacy

34. Old school
Writing an enticing meta
description will drive more
clicks to your website

35. Satisfying user intent will drive
more traffic to your website
New school

36. Swap “best practice”
for a user approach

37. Except users are really
hard to predict

39. What if we used
FAQ schema
instead?

40. FAQ schema

41. What if some SEO at IMDb wanted to do this?
*Disclaimer: Identifying details have been changed to protect client privacy

42. You can only have 1:
Rating/Price or FAQ
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43. What if some SEO at IMDb wanted to do this?
*Disclaimer: Identifying details have been changed to protect client privacy

44. Results
NEGATIVE
*Disclaimer: Identifying details have been changed to protect client privacy

45. Results
NEGATIVE
POSITIVE
*Disclaimer: Identifying details have been changed to protect client privacy

46. Be sure to test which
schema is most valuable
for your site

47. What if IMDb did this and hadn’t tested?
NEGATIVE
*Disclaimer: Identifying details have been changed to protect client privacy

48. Big brands win by not
making mistakes

49. Fixing broken breadcrumb schema
https://www.searchpilot.com/people/e-potter
Add schema for
breadcrumbs

50. Fixing broken breadcrumb schema
https://www.searchpilot.com > About > People
Add schema for
breadcrumbs

51. Fixing broken breadcrumb schema
*Disclaimer: Identifying details have been changed to protect client privacy

52. Fixing broken breadcrumb schema
*Disclaimer: Identifying details have been changed to protect client privacy

53. Fixing broken breadcrumb schema
NEGATIVE
*Disclaimer: Identifying details have been changed to protect client privacy

54. Even previously beneficial
changes can turn bad

55. So what the f*** happened?

56. Before After
*Disclaimer: Identifying details have been changed to protect client privacy

57. Before After
*Disclaimer: Identifying details have been changed to protect client privacy

58. Competitors had it
*Disclaimer: Identifying details have been changed to protect client privacy

59. Old school
Adding breadcrumb schema
improves organic CTRs

60. Users may think this link won’t
take them to a swimwear page
New school

61. Before After
*Disclaimer: Identifying details have been changed to protect client privacy

62. Takeaway
Don’t blindly follow “best
practice” approaches
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63. Takeaway
Implement a user centric
approach instead
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64. Takeaway
Accept you don’t always
know what the results will
be and test
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(especially if you’re a big brand)

65. Is “best practice” best?1.
Ranking factors need not apply2.

67. “For high volume queries,
traditional ranking factors
matter less in top 5 results
”
-Tom Capper

68. In other words…

69. For top ranking brands,
we don’t know what a
ranking factor is anymore

70. Implementing new product page template
$60
Shop our over 600 different styles of women’s shoes to complete your
wardrobe. We have heels, boots, trainers, and any other type of shoe you
could imagine. All our shoes come with free shipping and handling.
Dresses Jackets Shoes Activewear Accessories
Women's Shoes
654 results
New In!
Red heels
$55
Teal heels Black heels
$65

71. React is a JavaScript
framework that is
popular with developers

72. It can create beautiful user experiences

73. But it can also go wrong...

74. For this test, nothing visible on the page changed
*Disclaimer: Identifying details have been changed to protect client privacy

75. Just some parts of the the page now utilised React
Now loads
in React
*Disclaimer: Identifying details have been changed to protect client privacy

76. Just some parts of the the page now utilised React
Now loads
in React
POSITIVE
*Disclaimer: Identifying details have been changed to protect client privacy

77. Two important points

78. First, the page was server side rendered
Now loads
in React
POSITIVE
*Disclaimer: Identifying details have been changed to protect client privacy

79. *Disclaimer: Identifying details have been changed to protect client privacy
First, the page was server side rendered
Now loads
in React
POSITIVE

80. Second, the JavaScript made the page load faster
Now loads
in React
POSITIVE
*Disclaimer: Identifying details have been changed to protect client privacy

81. Takeaway
JavaScript changes made
with both users and SEO
in mind can be winners
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82. Takeaway
Testing allows you to work
with, instead of against,
product teams
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83. Moving the search widget to top of the page
*Disclaimer: Identifying details have been changed to protect client privacy

84. Moving the search widget to top of the page
*Disclaimer: Identifying details have been changed to protect client privacy

85. Moving the search widget to top of the page
NEGATIVE
*Disclaimer: Identifying details have been changed to protect client privacy

86. Old school
Changes to content need to be
made to impact rankings

87. Improved user signals can have
subsequent benefits for SEO
New school

88. Takeaway
Things that previously used
to not impact SEO, now do
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89. Takeaway
Work with your product
teams, to make sure you
both of you don’t screw up
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90. Is “best practice” best?1.
Ranking factors need not apply2.
...but some things don’t change3.

91. Internal linking between main and sub-category pages
Mammals Reptiles AmphibiansBirds
Cats DogsBears Snakes TortoisesLizards Owls DucksFinches Frogs NewtsToads

92. Typical A/B test, we change the pages that are impacted
CatsH1
Intro copy
Featured image
BearsH1
Featured video
Control template Variant template

93. Internal linking impacts
changes being linked from
and being linked to

94. Our example has main categories and subcategories
Mammals Reptiles AmphibiansBirds
Cats DogsBears Snakes TortoisesLizards Owls DucksFinches Frogs NewtsToads

95. Our example has main categories and subcategories
Mammals Reptiles AmphibiansBirds
Cats DogsBears Snakes TortoisesLizards Owls DucksFinches Frogs NewtsToads

96. But -- this is an A/B test so we can only change half
VariantControl
Mammals Reptiles AmphibiansBirds
Cats DogsBears Snakes TortoisesLizards Owls DucksFinches Frogs NewtsToads

97. We want to know what happens here
VariantControl
Mammals Reptiles AmphibiansBirds
Cats DogsBears Snakes TortoisesLizards Owls DucksFinches Frogs NewtsToads

98. And here...
VariantControl
Mammals Reptiles AmphibiansBirds
Cats DogsBears Snakes TortoisesLizards Owls DucksFinches Frogs NewtsToads

99. And the combined effect
VariantControl
Mammals Reptiles AmphibiansBirds
Cats DogsBears Snakes TortoisesLizards Owls DucksFinches Frogs NewtsToads

100. Adding subcategory links to main category pages
VariantControl
Mammals Reptiles AmphibiansBirds
Cats DogsBears Snakes TortoisesLizards Owls DucksFinches Frogs NewtsToads

101. Website #1 - Fashion e-commerce
*Disclaimer: Identifying details have been changed to protect client privacy

102. NEGATIVE
POSITIVE
Main categories
Sub categories

103. Net result
VariantControl
Mammals Reptiles AmphibiansBirds
Cats DogsBears Snakes TortoisesLizards Owls DucksFinches Frogs NewtsToads
NEUTRAL

104. Website #2 - Online groceries

105. POSITIVE
Main categories
Sub categories
POSITIVE

106. Net result
VariantControl
Mammals Reptiles AmphibiansBirds
Cats DogsBears Snakes TortoisesLizards Owls DucksFinches Frogs NewtsToads
POSITIVE

107. Website #1 had more links than website #2
+15 links
*Disclaimer: Identifying details have been changed to protect client privacy

108. Website #1 had more links than website #2
+6 links

109. Old school
Link equity!!!!!

110. Old school
Link equity!!!!!

111. Some other theories

112. Website #1 was keyword stuffing
*Disclaimer: Identifying details have been changed to protect client privacy

113. Website #2 improved relevancy signals

114. Website #2 created new pathways for users

115. Website #1 already had links in faceted navigation
*Disclaimer: Identifying details have been changed to protect client privacy

116. User signals!!!!!
New school

117. Takeaway
Internal linking is
complicated, but getting it
right can have big benefits
@e_mpotter

118. Takeaway
No two websites (or tests)
are the same
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119. Final takeaways

120. Don’t blindly follow
“best practice”
approaches, most fail
Test it.
@e_mpotter

121. Test it.
Instead, follow a
user-centric approach
to SEO
@e_mpotter

122. For big brands,
ranking factors need
not apply
Test it.
@e_mpotter

123. Big brands win by not
making mistakes
Test it.
@e_mpotter

124. Thank you!
Follow us @SearchPilot
Sign up at bit.ly/sp-email-list for our latest case studies
Visit www.searchpilot.com to sign up for a demo
@e_mpotter