1. Advanced SEO Techniques:Putting It In PlaySanger & Eby 29 June 2011

2. About Sanger & Eby Strategic design & technology firm focused on specializedbusiness communications Services Include: Strategic planning and research Social media strategy and execution User experience planning Print and interactive design Interactive and multi-channel marketing Content development Search marketing (SEO & SEM) Website development Custom business and web applications Mobile applications and sitesAdvanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 20112All Rights Reserved 3. Quick Facts about Sanger & EbyFounded in 1988 by Lisa Sanger & Donna Eby (certified WBE)All strategy, design, programming done in-house15 years experience creating websites700+ Sites designed and developed95% client retention rate year over yearClients include: Macys Fifth Third Bank Luxottica AT&T RotoRooter Crayons to Computers Childrens Hospital Turner ConstructionAdvanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 20113All Rights Reserved 4. How Important Is Search?57% of Internet users search the web every day46% of daily searches are for info on products or services20% of Google searches are for local companies50% of consumers start purchase with online research63% of B2B buyers start with online research85% of B2B buyers do online research during purchase cycleTo buy from you, they have to find you1 trillion websites and not counting any more75% dont look beyond the first page of resultsRankings 1-5 10 times more likely to be clicked on than 6 & 770% of links clicked on are on organic (natural) links Advanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 2011 4 All Rights Reserved 5. What Effective SEO Can Do for BusinessIncreased visibility and awarenessStrengthened credibility and leadership perceptionPowerful brandingLong-term visibilityIncreased targeted trafficIncreased conversion rates for call to actionDecreased cost per lead and cost per saleIncreased salesMeasurableAdvanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 20115All Rights Reserved 6. Defining SEO: What It Isand Isnt The process of improving the visibility of a website or specificpage in search engines through natural or organic search Uses search engine algorithms to elevate sites to top rankings Considers how search engines work and what people search for Thousands of criteria in algorithms, with constant change Trend toward more human-oriented results Key techniques include: Editing content and HTML within a site Increasing relevance for specific keywords and phrases Removing barriers to search engine indexing Building inbound links Related negative category: Black Hat SEOAdvanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 20116All Rights Reserved 7. How Do Search Engines Work?Automated site crawlers(AKA spiders or bots)Index content in search engine databaseReturn results from index based on user search queriesUtilize specialized algorithms to determine relevanceContinually adjust and refine algorithms Better user experience More relevant search results for users More traffic for search engines Level playing field for quality sitesAdvanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 20117All Rights Reserved 8. How to Get StartedDetermine your objectivesDetermine how search fits into overall marketing strategyDevelop a search strategy based on targeted objectivesIdentify strategic keywords (including long-tail keywords)Develop quality content featuring identified keywordsPromote itDont wear a black hat (more on that later) Advanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 2011 8 All Rights Reserved 9. SEO Techniques and Best PracticesWell-written, value-added contentStrategic keywords including long-tail keywordsURLsPage titlesHeadingsBody textAlternate text for images and interactive componentsAccessibilityMeta tagsSocial mediaInbound linksAdvanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 20119All Rights Reserved 10. How to Choose Keywords Relevant to your business Leverage for both PPC and SEObut in different ways Brand keywords What is our brand about? What is our equity? What products/services do we want to be known for? What are our business goals? Non-brand keywords Think like your audience Footwear v. shoes low fares v. cheap flights Advanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 2011 10 All Rights Reserved 11. Do Your Research!Relevant blogs and blog commentsNews sites, trade and industry sitesMedia contacts and press releasesDiscussion boards and forumsTrade associations and chambers of commerceSuppliers and partnersCompetitive sites and related category sitesGroups on social media sitesStart over (keep looking for new news!)Bookmark the links (well use them again later) Advanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 2011 11 All Rights Reserved 12. Building Your Keyword List Long-tail keywords: 44% of clicks are for 2-3 word phrases Keyword identification tools Google AdWords Microsoft AdCenter Labs Google Analytics WordTracker Think about intent: what is the user trying to accomplish? Dont forget frequently misspelled words Advanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 2011 12 All Rights Reserved 13. Writing Effective Content People buy. Search engines dont. Search engines are getting smarter about content The primary purpose of your content is to inform, inspire, andengage your audience Ensure your content adds valueunderstand target needs Write for the target audience and the search traffic will follow Advanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 2011 13 All Rights Reserved 14. Blogging and SEO ResultsSearch engines love rich, frequently updated contentCompanies that blog have 434% more indexed pages97% more inbound links55% more website visitorsBlogging B2C companies get 88% more leads per monthBlogging B2B companies get 67% more leads per month Advanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 2011 14 All Rights Reserved 15. Domain Names and Page URLs Work the keyword into the URL when practical Domain name and subdomains macysdiversityleadership.com ecommerce.macysjobs.com Individual page URLs macysjobs.com/districtplanner macysinc.com/aboutus/sustainability/socially-responsible- products-at-macys.aspx Advanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 2011 15 All Rights Reserved 16. Page Titles If the keyword isnt in the title of the page, it is going to betougher to rank for that keyword Content in the tag near the beginning of the code Displayed by search engines as the headline for your site Inbound links often utilize titles as well Should be written for users and designed to engageAdvanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 201116All Rights Reserved 17. Page Title Example Advanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 2011 17 All Rights Reserved 18. Search Engine Headline Example Advanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 2011 18 All Rights Reserved 19. Headings or Header Tags Section headings within a page Range from to , in descending priority H1 H2 H3 H4 Signal priority and content organization For search engines For users Write for the human audience Advanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 2011 19 All Rights Reserved 20. Headings ExampleAdvanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 201120All Rights Reserved 21. Body CopyBody copy is the text content on a page visible to usersDoes not include graphics, Flash, or functional codeIf the keyword isnt on the page , it isnt going to rank wellOptimize for one keyword or phrase per pageKeyword density and keyword stuffingAntonyms and synonymsSearch engines include a brief excerpt in resultsYour homepage has the highest priority for search enginesThe homepage is not always the entry pointAdvanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 201121All Rights Reserved 22. Body Copy Excerpt in Google Results Advanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 2011 22 All Rights Reserved 23. Alternate Text & Anchor Text Search engines cant read images so copy contained in animage has no search relevance Alternate text (AKA alt text) Text associated with an image Displayed on mouse rollover Displayed when images arent shown Used extensively in accessibility compliance Should meet both SEO & accessibility needs Anchor text Visible, clickable text within a link Must link to something relevant to the keyword Advanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 2011 23 All Rights Reserved 24. Example of Text in Images Advanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 2011 24 All Rights Reserved 25. Meta Tags Informational tags describing the content of a page Description meta tag brief summary of page content 155 characters or fewer (shorter than a Tweet) Used by Bing and Yahoo! Used by Google in related: query Often displayed on search engine results page (in place of content excerpt) Keyword meta tag Listing of keywords relevant to a given page Less relevant as it was often used for spamming Included as a just in case tactic Advanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 2011 25 All Rights Reserved 26. Inbound LinksNumber of external websites that link to your siteBuilding your inbound links boosts search engine visibilityDevelop linkable content and promote itAsk for links (make it easy, and give back)Put your keywords in your inbound links (link popularity)Track your efforts and resultsCheck your inbound links: Google search Linkto: yoursite.com Advanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 2011 26 All Rights Reserved 27. Building Your Inbound LinksExisting site check (fix 301 and 404 redirects)Search engines for relevant keywords and topicsRelevant blogs and blog commentsNews sites, trade and industry sitesMedia contacts and press releasesDiscussion boards and forumsTrade associations and chambers of commerceSuppliers and partnersSurvey the competitionGroups on social media sitesStart over (keep looking for new news!)Advanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 201127All Rights Reserved 28. Social Signals and Search Search engines are indexing social media content Facebook Twitter (most influential) LinkedIn (particularly Groups and Answers)Increases visibility and inbound linksImpact is increasing, fastGenerates multiple and unique listingsNew category: social search Google +1 Initiative Bing Facebook Social Graph Tie-In (Universal Like Button) More personalized search results Shows users content friends have liked From page 89 to page 1 Optimized video and images are less competitive, good targets Advanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 2011 28 All Rights Reserved 29. Black Hat SEO (What Not to Do)Using unethical techniques to improve search engine rankingsPresents content differently to search engines than to usersCreates a poor user experienceViolates search engine rules and policiesAdvanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 201129All Rights Reserved 30. What Not to Do Black Hat SEO Hidden text & Hidden links: written content not visible to users e.g, white text on a white background Cloaking: presenting content differently to spiders and users Spamdexing: long lists of keywords without other content Doorway pages: little content, many keywords Often includes click here to enter site Link Farms: long lists of unrelated links that artificially boostinbound links Link Spamming: Posting your URL on unrelated sites Mirror sites: the same site with a different URL Presenting another sites branding or content as your ownAdvanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 201130All Rights Reserved 31. Well, if it workswhy not?Advanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 201131All Rights Reserved 32. Black Hat SEO According to DilbertAdvanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 201132All Rights Reserved 33. Why Not to Use Black Hat SEO Black Hat SEO techniques are your Golden Ticket to thatinfamous Google blacklist. Lin Wright Sites are penalized or even delisted when caught Short-sighted solution to a long-term problem JCPenney link buying case study BMW doorway pages case studyAdvanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 201133All Rights Reserved 34. SEO & Accessibility Accessibility makes websites usable for those with disabilities Visual impairment Auditory impairment Cognitive disabilitiesScreen readers and voice browsersIncreasingly relevant for mobile devicesMost SEO techniques also help achieve accessibility complianceSome techniques conflict with accessibility Use of alt text for SEO versus image description Screen readers read every wordAdvanced SEO Techniques Copyright 2011 Sanger & Eby29 June 201134All Rights Reserved 35. Want to Know More?Kat JenkinsVice President of Strategic Planningkjenkins@sangereby.com513.784.9046Twitter: sangerebyLinkedIn: Sanger & Eby 35