The description we used to promote the webinar:

SEO doesn't have to be complicated. Join this session to focus on the basic strategies you'll need to see changes with Google and other search engines. Learn about how to use titles and descriptions, website content, as well as proper use of header tags to move from "SE-Oh-no!" to "S-E-Oh my goodness that was easy!"

SEO Basics for Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs

From "SE-Oh-no!" to "S-E-Oh my goodness that was easy!"

Goals for Today’s Session• SEO Basics• The Search Landscape• How Do Search Engines Work• The SEO Process• How SEO is Evolving• Additional Resources

SEO BASICS

SEO is…• “…the art and 

science of improving websites, web pages and other digital features so they are accessible, relevant, attractive and therefore highly visible to both users and search engines, thus improving the volume and quality of traffic coming to a website from natural search results for target keywords.”

Defining SEO

• SEO is carefully controlling variables (on‐page and off‐page) when creating or editing digital content (web pages/sites (desktop or mobile), apps, videos, local listings) for greater visibility in natural search (organic) results.

Fundamentals of SEO

Search Query Relevance

The relevance of page’s topical focus related to a targeted keyword phrase.

TechnicalPractices

Factors for regulating and improving the efficiency of natural 

crawls.

Search Crawler Visibility

The ability for a site or a page to be seen by search crawlers.

SEO VocabularyOn‐Page Factors: The Basics

• SERP: Search Engine Results Page • Meta Tags

• Title Tag (sometimes referred to as meta title): What shows up in a webpage’s browser bar and the first entry in the SERP 

• Meta Description: The one‐ or two‐sentence description underneath a title in a search result.  

• Keyword (or query): What people type when performing an organic search

• Alt tag: An alternative tag for images to help search engines understand which keywords images should be ranked for. Site Architecture (crawl stats, site speed, URLs)

• Header Tag: What is normally the biggest or boldest headline on a page 

Off‐Page Factors: The Basics• Backlinks: Links that are coming to your site 

from other sites.• Social Signals: Facebook Likes, Tweets, 

Google +1’s, shares and comments help search engines understand that the more people talk about a website, the higher it should be ranked. 

THE SEARCH LANDSCAPE

Search Landscape• Search Engine Market Share (US)

Most Search Traffic Goes to Organic

10%

55%

35%

Source: J. Jensen, Penn State

HOW SEARCH ENGINES WORK

How Do Search Engines Work

Search Engines use software called Bots or Spiders to scour the web

These Bots and Spiders find new websites and web pages by following links on a web page

Once they find a web page, they “read” the text‐based content…

…and the Search Engine stores this data into a huge library called an Index

What Google Does When You Search

When you search for something on Google…

…and before displaying a list of web pages it uses its Algorithm to calculate which ones best match your search query…

…the Search Engine reaches into its large Index…

…then it presents you with search results that are related to your query…in under 1 second

How Search Engines Rank Pages?hockey gearRelevance

Search engines pick content from their 

indices based on what they “believe” to be relevant for the search query (i.e. sites about hockey gear).

Authority / Trust

Standing out from other relevant sites based on what other sites or users think of your site (i.e. 

number of links – example link building).

Ranking is based on relevance

Ranking is based on authority & 

trust

Results 

How Search Engines Evaluate Relevance?

hockey gear

Relevant Results

Hockey retailers

Hockey how‐to articles

Fitness / Sporting goods

Search engines are able to 

understand a lot about 

semantic and thematic

connections between words and content. Based on this understanding 

they can evaluate relevance.  

How Search Engines Evaluate Authority?

hockey gear

Authority & Trust

Your site

Non‐topical sites or blogs

Search engines are able to evaluate 

authority based on the qualityand quantity of links pointing to your site as well 

as by understanding the proximity of your site to key 

& trusted content hubs 

(i.e.: BBC, News, etc.) . 

Business listings or directories

Social profiles

Government sites 

(trusted)

Other sites in your industry (relevant)

Hockey sites or blogs (relevant)

THE SEO PROCESS

Fine‐tuning titles and Meta descriptions (visible in 

search results)

How SEO Can Help Ranking Your Site Higher?

Improving the site’s copy to make it more 

relevant 

Optimizing internal & 

external links

On page(40% impact)

Off page(60% impact)

Optimizing images

Building links to your site

Distributing online press releases

Building & optimizing local business listings 

for your property 

Helping to optimize your social presence

Search Engine Ranking Factors

• On‐Page Factors:– Content (quality, freshness, keywords, enagement)

– HTML (title tags, meta descriptions, header tags)

• Off‐Page Factors:– Links (quality, number of links, age of link)– Social signals (number of shares, reputation)– Trust (authority, history)

What are the Key Elements of SEO?On‐Page Off‐Page

Technical

Web design and development aspect

Content

Unique and relevant information

Reputation

Quantity and quality of links or mentions 

to a site

KEYWORD RESEARCH & STRATEGY

Accessability Relevance Attractiveness

ON GOING PROCESS

Keyword Research

•Constant innovations from search engines

•Increasing SEO activity from your competitors

•The searching behavior of your audience

•Figuring out which keywords to focus on

Keyword Focus

Searcher Behavior

Search engine 

innovation

Competitor Activity

Challenges

The Search Demand Curve

High Competition

Low Competition

High Probability of Conversion

Low Probability of Conversion

“marketing”

“search engine marketing”

“search engine optimization marketing”

• Top‐level keywords (1 word phrases) have high search volume, high competition, and low conversion rates 

• Long‐tail keywords (descriptive phrases) don’t have much search volume, but have less competition and are much more likely to convert 

Factors in Choosing the “Best” Keywords/Phrases to Target

Competition Level(difficulty in achieving top rankings)

Search Volume(quantity of queries per month)

Value of Visitor(performs desired action/converts)

Paid Search Objectives(Improve Quality Scores, Lower CPCs)

Technical Factors

MetaSite

Titles Content

LinksPages

• Google Webmaster Tools screenshot

Content Optimization

CopyImages

Headings

Site links

Links

Page Title& 

Meta Tags

Amplify Core Page Relevancy with Semantic Markup

• Search engines are better able to determine the pageʹs topical relevancy when heading tags correctly outline the flow of content

• Heading tags define the hierarchal structure of the page content and are a key component in writing semantically correct and standards‐compliant HTML

• Heading tags add SEO value by:– Giving stronger keyword relevance to tagged phrases– Providing a focus for a given body of text

• One H1 tag per page should summarize the entire focus of the page. Good H1 tags answer the question: “What is this page about?”

• H2‐H4 tags should be used for headline content that introduces subsections of the page

Highest Topical PriorityBroadest Topical Focus

Lowest Topical PriorityStrictest Topical Focus

H1 – Defines Entire Page

H2 – Defines Sections

H3 – Defines Subsections

H4 – Defines 3rd Level Sections

H5 – Defines 4th Level Sections

H6 – Defines 5th Level Sections

Highest Topical PriorityBroadest Topical Focus

Lowest Topical PriorityStrictest Topical Focus

H1 – Defines Entire Page

H2 – Defines Sections

H3 – Defines Subsections

H4 – Defines 3rd Level Sections

H5 – Defines 4th Level Sections

H6 – Defines 5th Level Sections

Title Tag Best Practices

• Title tags are the most important on‐site element to influence rankings

• Each title tag should be descriptive, relevant & unique for each page

• Although engines weigh the entire title tag, they only display the first 66‐70 characters

• Title tags should help searchers & spiders understand the focus of a page

Meta Descriptions Best Practices

• Meta data is no longer used in ranking factors; however, the meta description is displayed on the SERPs

• Therefore, relevant & optimized descriptions can enhance CTR (click‐thru rate)

• Meta descriptions should be between 150‐160 characters with relevant keywords

What You See is Not Always What You Get

• Only text in HTML can influence SEO relevancy

• Images, videos and other rich media are not visible to search engines

• Terms you’re trying to optimize towards should be used as HTML text (ideally)

What the End User Sees

What the Search Engine Sees

What Makes a Quality Link• How does a search engine determine quality of a link? 

That too is based on a mathematical formula: Trust + Relevance

QualityRelevanceSites that focus on a singular topic are more relevant than a site that focuses on everything

For example, GunzosHockey Headquarters would be seen as a more relevant site than Sports Authority for hockey gear keywords

TrustA link from reputable sources such as .edu, .gov, or .mil is treated with greater importance and weight than a link from poker‐viagra‐cheapest.info

Links from publications like – The New York Times – are treated as more reputable & trustworthy than NatesWineReviews.com

High Quality Site linking to your site helps you rank 1st

QualityRelevanceSites that focus on a singular topic are more relevant than a site the focuses on everything

For example, Boing Boing would be seen as a more relevant site than The Metromix for Sportchek

NOT ALL LINKS ARE TREATED EQUAL

TrustA link from reputable sources such as .edu, .gov, or .mil is treated with greater importance and weight than a link from poker‐viagra‐cheapest.info

Links from publications like – The New York Times – are treated as more reputable & trustworthy than nateswinereviews.com

High Quality Site linking to your site helps you rank 1st

How does a search engine determine quality of a link? That too is based on a mathematical formula: Trust + Relevance

Local SEO

List title

Reviews

Images

Flag on map

Business address & Description

Increase Visibility across More Digital Assets (with SEM & SEO)

• SEM= TrueView promotion• SEO = Channel & video‐level optimizations

• SEM = PPC, Promoted Posts, FB ads• SEO = Target Keyword/URL promotion in posts

• SEM = Promoted Tweets• SEO = Target Keyword/URL promotion in tweets

• SEM = TBD per future Google announcement• SEO = Circle Strategy influence, Cross-Channel Promotion

Guidance, Target Keyword/URL promotion in posts

• SEM = Mobile apps• SEO = functional keyword research to optimize

both apps and mobile ads

HOW SEO IS EVOLVING

SEO Goes Beyond Ranking a WebpageShelf Space Domination with enhanced organic search results

To dominate the ‘earned’ piece of the shelf, sites need to be optimized to deploy rich snippets and sitelinks to capture more page real‐estate than a traditional organic listing. 

Social media signals will play a bigger and bigger role in how engines assign rankings

Engines use social behavior as a way to understand and categorize search intent. This data should inform  non‐branded keyword optimization strategy 

All digital assets must be treated as  opportunity to dominate resultsSearch engines understand that some users/queries are best served with video content.  Our strategy is to identify these instances and ensure we are there with a  video in organic results

36

Customization is the New Frontier• Google analyzes searches 

for “intent” and organizes search results accordingly

• Search Engines determine which keywords have local intent and change the SERP to display local results

• For “lawn mower”, Google factors the location of the searcher to deliver localized results, optionsfor buying a lawn mower as well as general information on lawn mowers to capture intent

• Helps Google identify patterns in content that appears to be ‘over‐optimized’

• Eliminates pages that ‘farm’ content in search results

• Makes it more difficult to engage in unethical SEO

• Rewards marketers that appeal to a user first (and then the engine) 

• Enhances Google’s already‐robust spam detection

• Reduces ‘credit’ given to directories and poor quality sites 

• Effectively puts ‘link brokering’ out of business 

Algorithms are always evolving!Panda Penguin

How to Avoid the Wrath of the Penguin

39

• PR Initiatives

• Engaging with Bloggers

• Social Media Sites (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter)

• Setup Link Relationships with Partners/Vendors (Lowe’s, Home Depot).

• Q/A Sites (Yahoo Answers)

• Information Sites (Wikipedia)

• Reputable Directories

• Off Line Marketing Initiatives

• Pay for Links

• Participate in Link Farms

•Participate in Content Farms

• Participate in Link Exchanges

• Build a websites for the purpose of Link Building

• Place excessive links within “Comments” sections of websites.

• Anything that doesn’t directly market your product or spread relevant information

Do These NEVER EVER do these

The Perfectly Optimized PagePage Title: Widgets at Example Site: Blue Widgets & More

Meta Description:Browse our fine, high quality blue widgets at Example Site. Shop our line of blue, red, and green widgets today!

• URLs, page titles, meta descriptions, H1 tags, and body text should all include targeted keywords

• This helps to increase traffic to the page and keyword rankings

H1 Headline:Great Blue Widgets

Photo of a Widget (with Alt Attribute):

Blue Widgets

Image Filename:blue-widget.jpg Body Text: _________________

__________blue widgets___________________________________blue widget_______________________our products, including blue widgets,____________________________________Check out our selection of high quality blue widgets_______

Page URL: http://www.examplesite.com/products/blue-widgets

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Recommended Books• The Art of SEO: http://www.amazon.com/The‐Art‐SEO‐Mastering‐Optimization/dp/0596518862

• Everything I Know about Marketing I Learned from Google: http://www.amazon.com/Everything‐about‐Marketing‐Learned‐Google/dp/0071742891

• Recommended Websites & Blogs• SEOMoz.org : http://moz.com/• SEOMoz.org Blog: http://moz.com/blog• Google Webmaster Tools Blog: http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/• Search Engine Land: http://searchengineland.com/• Google SEO Starter Guide:

• http://static.googleusercontent.com/external_content/untrusted_dlcp/www.google.com/en/us/webmasters/docs/search‐engine‐optimization‐starter‐guide.pdf

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO HELP YOU OUT

Q&A

Thank you!