Search Engine Optimization 101

Search EngineOptimization 101

John MaherDirector of Interactive Marketing

McDougall Interactive

What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

SEO is the practice of optimizing a web site by improving internal and external aspects in order to increase the traffic the site receives from search engines.

MyWebsite

Why is SEO Necessary?

Websites must be built to be read and understood by both robots and humans.

Increased traffic, combined with a well-designed site, means leads and sales.

Search Crawlers Have Limitations

Spidering and Indexing

Non-text Content

Matching Content to Search Queries

If A Tree Falls In The Forest…

Competition

#1

#2#3

How Does GoogleSee My Site?

How Does Google See My Site?

1. Search Google for your Company Name (hopefully you rank for this)2. Click on the “Cached” link next to your organic result


3. Click on “Text-only version” in Google’s header


The result is essentially how Google views your site

See if you can tell what the site is about using just the text

Keyword Research

Judging Value

Is the keyword relevant to the content on my website?Will users find the answer to their question?

Check to see if other sites are paying for ads on that keywordIf so, it is likely a valuable keyword

Test keywords with Google AdwordsUse the data to determine value per visit

Don’t Forget The Long Tail

Keyword Research Techniques

• Google Adwords Keyword Tool• Google Trends - http://www.google.com/trends• Google Insights - http://www.google.com/insights/search/• Google Suggest• Keyword Spy - http://www.keywordspy.com• WordTracker - http://www.wordtracker.com• Keyword Discovery - http://www.keyworddiscovery.com

Keyword Research TechniquesGoogle Adwords Keyword Tool

Search Google for “adwords keyword tool”

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

Select “Exact” underMatch Types

Click “Download” to export to Excel

Keyword Research TechniquesGoogle Trends

http://www.google.com/trends

Shows seasonal change in search volume

Compare volumes of one keyword vs another

Shows trends according to country / city

Keyword Research TechniquesGoogle Insights

http://www.google.com/insights/search/

Can filter by type of search (web, image, news), geo area, date range, & category

Shows related & “rising” search terms

Example: auto insurance

Keyword Research TechniquesGoogle Suggest

ProsFree & Quick

Huge Database

ConsLimited # of Keywords

Doesn’t show “broad match”

Keyword Research TechniquesRelated Searches

Search Google, then click “Related searches”


Searches that Google thinks are related are

displayed as links


Click on a link, then click on “More like this” to see terms related to that term

Keyword Research TechniquesOther Ideas

Use a thesaurus or dictionary to find new terms and variations

Perform interviews with actual people and ask them how they would search for what you offer

Do simple competitive research by typing your main keywords into a search engine and looking for words in the Titles of competitors pages

KeywordSpy.com – search by keyword or domain(also good PPC bid estimates)

WordTracker - wordtracker.comKeyword Discovery - keyworddiscovery.com(good for relative volumes, not actual volumes)

On-Page Optimization

On-Page Ranking Factors

Include Keywords in each of the following:

•Title Tag•Meta Tags (especially Meta Description)•Headings•Body Text•Alt Tags•URL

Title TagHTML: <title>This Is The Title</title>Appears Where?: Top of browser window, search engine results pages

Tips:•Up to 70 characters will appear in search results, so try to stick to that•Place important keywords first•Put brand at end•Consider user experience and conversion

Format:Primary Keyword - Secondary Keyword | Brand Name

Meta DescriptionHTML: <meta name="description" content="Description goes here."> Appears Where?: Search engine results pages

Does not directly affect Google rankings, however Google bolds searched keywords in the description

Can help to draw users to your search listing, increasing click-through rate, which does affect rankings

Can be any length, but Google cuts the description off at about 160 characters

Also Note: Meta Keywords Tag not used by search engines to affect rankings

HeadingsHTML: <H1>Heading Goes Here</H1> (H2, H3, etc.) Appears Where?: On page, visible to users and search engines

Tips:

•Use one H1 heading at the top of the page

•Use the page’s main keyword in H1 heading of the page

•Use headings to structure content, use CSS for visual effects (font size, etc.)

•Don’t skip heading levels (e.g. H1 to H3)

•H2, H3, etc. are sub-headings, connected by theme to the H1 heading

•You should be able to guess what the page is about by reading only the headings on the page

Making Cookies Cookie Ingredients Sugar Chocolate Chips

Cookie Baking

H1 H2 H3 H3

H2

BodyTips:

Use keywords at least 3X in the body copy on the page(maybe a few more times on long pages)

Including the keyword at least once in bold(either <strong> or <b>)

“Keyword Density” is a myth.Instead, also include “related” keywords in your text.Speak the language of your customers.

•Search engines try to figure out phrase relationships•Pages can rank just because they contains lots of related phrases•Pages that are too focused on one phrase tend to not rank as well•Pages focused on related keywords tend to rank better for the main keyword and also rank for other keywords

Alt TagsHTML: <img src=“/images/name.jpg” alt=“Alt Text">Appears Where?: Pops up on mouse-over in some browsers

Also readable to the site-impaired on listening devices

Tips:

•Include keyword at least once in the alt attribute of an image on the page(helps with web search, but also image search)

Alt text displayed

URLhttp://www.mcdougallinteractive.com/services/social-media-marketing/Appears Where?: search engine results, browser’s address bar

1. URLs in search results impact click-through-rate and visibility, and URLs with keywords also impact rankings.

2. URLs appear in the web browser's address bar, which doesn’t affect ranks directly; however unstructured URLs can result in poor usability.

http://www.mcdougallinteractive.com/services/social-media-marketing/3. URLs can also sometimes be used as incoming link “anchor text”, especially in blog posts, articles, etc.

Which would you click if you searched for “bunny pictures”?www.bunnyworld.com/cute-bunny-pictures.htmlwww.bunnyworld.com/cat135/page.html?p=49

On-Page Optimization Summary

seomoz.org

Site Structure

Beware Orphaned / Dead-End Pages

Home Page

Orphaned Pages

Orphaned PageA page without any incoming links

(can’t be found by the search engines)

Dead-End PageA page without any

outgoing links(forces users to use the

“back” button)

Dead-End Page•No navigation•No links•Maybe not a logo

Beware Orphaned / Dead-End Pages

Dead-End Pages

Often created accidentally by:•iFrames•Pop-up Windows (images, text pop-ups)•Server errors - 404 (File Not Found)

Even Harvard can make this mistake

If it has a separate URL, it can get

indexed by the search engines

Internal Site Structures

Anchor Text

<a href=http://www.worldofwidgets.com.htm>Blue Widgets</a>

Anchor Text tells users (and Google) what toexpect on the page being linked to

Match the anchor text to the content it links to

Blue WidgetsBlue Widgets

Internal Site StructuresContent Silos

Home Page

Categories

Products / Details

Reflect your content structure in your URLs:http://www.worldofwidgets.com/blue-widgets/fuzzy-blue-widgets.htm

Custom 404 Error Page

Your 404 (File Not Found) page should have your website design & navigation, and include one or

more of the following:

•Notification that the user has reached a page that does not exist

•A search box

•A link to the site's site map

•A link to the home page

URL ConstructionPut yourself in the mind of the user:Can you guess what the content of the page will be by looking at the URL?

Use keywords, but don’t go overboard:Bad: http://www.worldofwidgets.com/widgets/widgets-again/widgets-widgets.htmlGood: http://www.worldofwidgets.com/blue-widgets/pricing.html

Use static URLs rather than dynamic if possible:Dynamic: http://www.fluffybunnies.com/blog?id=123Static: http://www.fluffybunnies.com/blog/why-you-should-own-bunnies.html

Use real words:Bad: http://www.breadstore.com/cat-123/product-342Good: http://www.breadstore.com/loaves/sourdough

Use hyphens to separate wordshttp://www.fluffybunnies.com/blog/why-you-should-own-bunnies.html

- some engines don’t interpret underscores & spaces correctly

CanonicalizationA single page can have multiple addresses:

/cheap-widgets/ /cheap-widgets/index.htm /products/123

Problem:Creates duplicate content

Incoming link “juice” is divided

Solution #1 (The Best One): 301 Redirect

Pick one “real” URL, and “301 Redirect” all other versions ofthe same page to the “real” URL.

CanonicalizationA single page can have multiple addresses:

/cheap-widgets/ /cheap-widgets/index.htm /products/123

Problem:Creates duplicate content

Incoming link “juice” is divided

Solution #2: rel=canonical (Canonical URL Tag)

Add the following to the HTML header on all versions of the same page:

<link rel=“canonical” href=“http://www.worldofwidgets.com/blog/”>

Take-Aways

• View your website how Google sees it. Will Google see your site’s “theme”?

• Do Keyword Research first – use Google Adwords Keyword tool, Google Trends, Insights, Suggest, and Related Searches.

• Include Keywords in the Title Tag, Meta Description, H1 Heading, at least 3 times in the body, and in at least one Alt Tag on an image.

• Design the structure of your website to include category and details pages with proper URLs that include keywords where appropriate.

• Create a Custom 404 (File Not Found) error page that guides users back to the site to find what they were looking for.

• Be sure to only have 1 URL per page of content, or use 301 Redirect and/or rel=canonical to tell Google which URL is the “real” one.

www.mcdougallinteractive.com

www.gillin.com

Technology

Search Engine Optimization 101