Ignition Search - "Demystifying SEO"

De Mystifying SEO – More Traffic More Business

By: Dan Kavanagh & Jon Colegate

Date: October 2014

?De Mystifying SEO – More Traffic More Business

Why We Are Doing An SEO Seminar:

1. Everybody wants free traffic from , but how to get it is shrouded in mystery.

2. There has been a knowledge gap in the local area since Business Link ended.

3. There are a lot of people selling the service but their methodology and experience is

questionable.

We want to address these issues by giving free, quality information to get people started

AN INTRODUCTION TO SEO


1. Google is the market leading search engine in the UK with an 89% share.

Bing is next with 6%, then Yahoo with 3% (source: statistica.com October 2014).

2. Google is NOT the internet.

3. Google is a business; it delivers a service to its customers.

4. Google is complex. But always adheres to general marketing best practice.

5. SEO now heavily includes Mobile & Tablet. The traffic share has over taken desktop for the

desktop for the first time this year.

?De Mystifying SEO – More Traffic More Business

WHY SOME SEO STRATEGIES FAIL

De-Mystifying SEO – More Traffic More Business


• Everyone is an expert right?? No one SPAM’s either…

- Honest.

• SEO companies often ‘pile ‘em high and sell ‘em cheap’.

• Approached as a technical exercise.

• Resources can be scarce.

• People provide SEO services to keep clients happy.


• Outdated ‘spammy’ tactics may work for a while

but, they are a ticking time bomb…

• Various updates at Google can take you out

automatically at any time.

Or, you may get on the wrong side of a Google employee…


Things to avoid…

Low Quality Directories

Aggressive Anchor Text

Writing ‘thin’ content

Poor site usability & readabilityNot linking to other useful content


Bigger brands get hit too…

HOW GOOGLE WORKS

De Mystifying SEO – More Traffic More Business -


• Google is a citation* engine, or, at least it has been traditionally

- some things are changing.

• It also uses the content on your site to assess

your relevance to a search term.

• It also looks at users location, past browsing

habits, social connections etc. to form rankings.

* quotation or reference tool


• As more people understand this basic relationship, more people try to ‘game’ Google.

• This game of cat and mouse has been played for

a decade or more.

• SPAM has proved successful in the past but comes

with significant risks attached.

In 2014, it is more risky than ever to try to out wit Google.


• Google only really cares about its’ users (and making

money from AdWords!)

• It actively wants to reward websites that commit to

its’ users through:-

• It measures both using links, user behaviour, social sharing, content quality & SPAM assessments.

HOW GOOGLE MONITORS SPAM &

MALPRACTICE



• Google fights SPAM much harder than it used to.

• It is now prepared to actively punish

low quality SEO.

• This is a major change in approach.

• It doesn’t always get it right!


• Google’s Penguin Algorithm actively punishes over aggressive attempts to manipulate rankings – mainly links.

• Updates occur periodically so websites will get hit and

recover periodically.

• You have to wait until the next update to get back in…

…It can be a long wait.


• Panda assess your page quality and user experience.

• ‘Thin’ content, duplicate content pages with ads etc. are all in the firing line.

• Poor UX can damage rankings.

• E-commerce sites are especially vulnerable to Panda.


• A Google employee may also look at your web content, links and shares.

• They might decide that they don’t like what you are doing and

that you’re not complying to the EAT* quality guidelines.

• And that’s bad news…

** Expertise, Authority, Trust


What a ‘Google Update’ can look like for your traffic:-

BASIC BUILDING BLOCKS OF A SOLID

STRATEGY



• Make your website accessible to search engines.

• Fix technical problems.

• ‘Optimise’ Key HTML Tags.

• Create a solid Content Plan.

• Write on subjects that matter to your audience.

• Network and build citations, shares and tweets.

WHY CONTENT, EXPERTISE & TRUST ARE IMPORTANT



• Leaked quality guidelines provide clear indications as to how site owners should

create and present their content.

• Expertise, Authority, Trust (EAT)

are signals that Google is trying to reward algorithmically.

• Is your content ‘high quality’ or ‘nothing special’?

• Or worse – low quality?!


• Content should focus on users needs and problems. It will vary

depending upon your target audience.

• This content should show you as an EXPERT in your field.

• It can be in the form of:-

ARTICLES

VIDEOS

GUIDES

INFOGRAPHS

PDF’s

BLOG POSTSCHARTS


• It goes wrong when content is made specifically for .

• This often means:

- It doesn’t cover the topic in depth

- It doesn’t address users needs

- It creates a high bounce rate

- It isn’t easy to read

- There are no links to other useful pages

- It is produced quickly and contains errors

- The focus is on quantity NOT quality


• Getting recognised in your industry is important. You need to establish yourself as an

AUTHORITY on your subject.

• This helps search engines to view you as an industry leader.

• In order to achieve this you need to get quality, relevant links

and social shares within your specific ‘niche’.


• Can your links, shares and content be trusted?

• YES if you are marketing your

content and networking.

• NO if you are spamming the

search engines and faking this.

THE KEY ROLE OF MARKETING YOUR

BRAND & USP’S



• In order to be successful online you need to commit to ‘outreach’.

• Make use of Twitter, Linkedin, Networking events, Exhibitions, Trade Associations, and don’t forget your contact book!

• You can enhance your brand by: Creating useful & informative content

Connecting with your audience online

Making pages loads quickly

Making your pages easy to read

Erasing any technical errors

Keeping your users safe

Keeping users interested

• Links, citations, trust and rankings will follow.

CONCLUSION



1. If you have a website you MUST have a strategy to market that website.

2. Apply best practice marketing techniques and build your authority.

3. Get the basics right - Analytics, E-Commerce tracking etc. to give you intelligence.

4. Experiment.

5. Set goals i.e. number of conversions.

6. Monitor Cause & Effect.

7. Utilise social media and other FREE TOOLS.

Marketing

Ignition Search - "Demystifying SEO"