Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Testing for Understanding SEO
Michael Briggs
My Mate Nick
My Mate Nick
“We used to Be Mavericks”
Not Like This!!!
We used to Spam at Scale
We used to Spam Creatively
Loser
Liar
Fake
Phoney
How we solve this?
• Scientific Method
• Build -> Measure -> Learn
• The accidental test
Scientific Method
Lets see how accurately I can get to an answer
Is Google Flights Hiving Off Traffic
It Must Be
Problem
• Obviously isn’t good enough
• I work for a billion dollar plus company
• Your clients probably need more as they work in the same way
• Need to get to a definitive answer– Or die trying
The Scientific Method
Google Flights Problems
• I hadn’t chosen to do the test
Google Flights Problems
• I hadn’t chosen to do the test
• Google was running the test
Google Flights Problems
• I hadn’t chosen to do the test
• Google was running the test
• Need to then fill in the blanks
Google Flights Problems
• I hadn’t chosen to do the test
• Google was running the test
• Need to then fill in the blanks
• Was looking backwards
The Real World Hypothesis
Google Flights launched and it’s changed the search landscape and is affecting my CTR
from Organic
My Real Thoughts on the Matter
Google Flights launched and it’s hiving off traffic because Google are a new
technological overlord.
If we don’t stop them they will take over the world.
Meh
• Problem
– Search Volumes are growing (and inaccurate)
–Google Webmaster Tools (I am not ever calling it a “search console”) is awful
– There is a wealth of data
–Where can I find something useful
–Where should I be looking
Hypothesis Development
• New Hypothesis– Google flights launched and it is hiving off traffic. If click through rate changes and
positions stay stable then there is a correlation between the launch of Google flights
Hypothesis Development
• New Hypothesis– Google flights launched and it is hiving off traffic. If click through rate changes and
positions stay stable then there is a correlation between the launch of Google flights
– If I have stable variables I can remove these from analysis
• I know on term set X my positions haven’t changed
– I’m lucky we’ve been number one for a range of things for a while
– And find the variables that change
• Traffic by device
• Search volume by device (error factor)
• Implied variable of CTR
The Graph
Problems
• Not enough data on the keyword set– Longtail
– Google Keyword Tool is crap
– Data gap
• There were multiple changes on the historical data set– Hummingbird
– SEM Changes - Ad extensions
– Listing had go site links added to it
– Site in position two changed
• Positional Data from rank tracking isn’t accurate– Personalisation
Conclusion
Forward Looking Test
I think, therefore I’ll test, so I know
Build Measure Learn
Build
Measure Learn
Forward Looking
• I think this to be true
• I will create a hypothesis
• I will test it
• I will make a conclusion (hopefully)
Accepted Truth
Unique Content
• Hypothesis
–If I add unique content to a page it will make me rank better in Google because Google loves unique content therefore I need unique content.
How do I build this as a significant test
• Take two sets of pages
–Test
–Control
• Change content on the test
• Measure the difference in the normalised traffic
Worlds Most Boring Graph
Test Results
Conclusion
Why
• Content writers weren’t good enough?
• Google is a liar and we’ve been lied to?
• The signal balance had changed in a way we didn’t understand?
• Something else?
Why
• Content writers weren’t good enough?
–Build new hypothesis
• Google is a liar and we’ve been lied to?
• The signal balance had changed in a way we didn’t understand?
• Something else?
We Rebuilt The Content
Test Outcome
Unique Content only helps if someone who knows wtf they are doing actually read the content and makes sure it is in the form it is meant to be in and is properly optimised.
Unique content isn’t enough.
The Accidental Test
Fail Forward
Web Engineering
What it really can look like
Sometimes it looks like this!
SEO’s Regress to This
Because Overnight
What this meant was some days of hell!
Failure is Always an Option
Direct got Similar Hit
90% of Direct Traffic on pages examined was really Organic
• Fail Hard
• Fail Fast
• Fail Frequently
• Learn from every failure
#failForward
![1 BRIGGS LAW CORPORATION [FILE: 1593.60] Cory J. Briggs](https://img.dokumen.tips/doc/110x75/62143d16500e7a03e6034c04/1-briggs-law-corporation-file-159360-cory-j-briggs-.jpg)
