the race to the top of search rankings - getting ahead with seo

Race to The Top of the

Search RankingsGetting ahead with SEO

Welcome

Byron Hardie

Director of SEO @ G/O Digital and 18-year digital strategist

Mike Blumenthal

Nationally Recognized Authority on Local Optimization and

Co-Founder of Local U

Summary

• Introduction

• What is SEO

• Evolution of Search

• Optimizing for Google in the Modern Search Era

• SEO Truth from Fiction

• 5 SEO ‘Must Do’s’ and Best Practices

• Using Customer Feedback to Boost Your Rankings

• How Local SEO can open the door for small businesses

Common Questions

• What is SEO?

• How do I increase my ranking?

• Why are my competitors ranked higher?

• How long will it take to get my site ranked?

• I am a small local business. How can SEO help me?

• Do I need to submit to Directories?

• What keywords do I choose?

What is SEO?

“Search Engine Optimization”

The process of affecting the visibility of a website in

organic search results by helping search engines to find,

index, and rank a site for relevant search terms.

What is SEO?

“Search Engine Optimization”

The process of affecting the visibility of a website in

organic search results by helping search engines to find,

index, and rank a site for relevant search terms.

No, Seriously… What’s SEO?

What is SEO?

• The tactics used to increase your search visibility

• The optimizing of a site’s code around target keywords

• Building value in a website through the creation of

great content and the acquisition of inbound links

• The techniques of manipulating Google’s ranking

formula

What is SEO?

SEO = Google Rankings

What is SEO?

What is SEO?

What is SEO?

What is SEO?

What is SEO?

What is SEO?

#1

#2

#3

What is SEO?

Just find a Search Engine Genie

Simple. Right?

What is SEO?

SEO Secrets

• Shortcut to internet riches

• Find an unknown tactic

• Find the right SEO hacker

Founded in Truth

From 1995 – 2010 = Classical SEO Era

• Take advantage of Loopholes in the formula

• Strategy: Trick Google into thinking a site is

more valuable than it actually is.

Founded in Truth

Sergey Brin & Larry Page

(founders of Google)

Founded in Truth

Page Rank

Founded in Truth

Page Rank

Founded in Truth

Page Rank

Founded in Truth

Page Rank

Founded in Truth

Want More Keywords? No Problem!

- Keyword Stuffing

SEO Tactics

Founded in Truth

Want More Keywords?

- Keyword Stuffing

Want More Pages? No Problem!

- Scraped Content

- Massive Directories

- Public Domain Info

- Quote Databases

- Photo Galleries

- Content Chopping

- Content Templates

- Google Scraping

SEO Tactics

Founded in Truth

Want More Keywords?

- Keyword Stuffing

Want More Pages?

- Scraped Content

- Massive Directories

- Public Domain Info

- Quote Databases

- Photo Galleries

- Content Chopping

- Content Templates

- Google Scraping

Want More Links? No Problem!

- Reciprocal Linking / Link Exchanges

- Link Farms

- Link Wheels

- Link Networks

- Pyramid Link Schemes

SEO Tactics

Founded in Truth

SEO Tactics

Want More Keywords?

- Keyword Stuffing

Want More Pages?

- Scraped Content

- Massive Directories

- Public Domain Info

- Quote Databases

- Photo Galleries

- Content Chopping

- Content Templates

- Google Scraping

Want More Links? No Problem!

- Reciprocal Linking / Link Exchanges

- Link Farms

- Link Wheels

- Link Networks

- Pyramid Link Schemes

Modern Search Era

From May 2010 – Present = Modern SEO era

• Google began closing Loopholes through a series of search filters

• MayDay, EMD, Panda, Penguin, TopHeavy

• Their technology was finally catching up with their vision

Modern Search Era

What matters now?

• Quality, Trust, Authority

• Content & User Experience

• Number of Articles vs Content Value

• Number of Links vs Quality of Links

Modern Search Era

SEO now encompasses many other disciplines

• Social Signals: Impact Trust & Popularity

• Web Design: Site Speed, Conversion Rates:

Good User Experience

• Maps & Reviews: Affects Trust & Credibility

• Content: Adds usefulness and Authority

The Audit

Current Ranking

Site

Factors

Domain

Factors

Content

FactorsBrand & Social

Factors

Linking

FactorsPage

Factors

The Audit

• Site Architecture

• URL format

• Keyword Distribution

• Overall Site Relevancy

• Site Authority

• Compatibility

• Accessibility

• Usability

Site

Factors

Current Ranking

The Audit

• Page Authority

• Social Engagement

• Page Titles

• Meta Description

• Header Tags (H1, H2 etc)

• Micro-formatting (Schema Markup)

• Image & Video Optimization

• Content to Code Ratios

Page

Factors

Current Ranking

The Audit

• Domain Age

• Hosting Location

• Shared or Unique IP

• TLD (.com, .net, .biz)

• SSL (secured site)

• Privacy Policy & TOS

• Site Speed

• Response Errors (404, 301, etc)

Domain

Factors

Current Ranking

The Audit

• Overall word Length

• Number of sentences per

paragraph

• Number of words per

sentence

• Readability Score

• Uniqueness

• Freshness

• Relevance

Content

Factors

Current Ranking

The Audit

Brand & Social

Factors

Linking

Factors

Current Ranking

The Audit

How do you measure up?

• Immediate Fixes: Code issues, 404 issues, etc

• Target Topics: What should be targeted?

• Content Inventory: What content exists and

what is needed?

• Competition: Is the goal realistic?

SEO Truth From Fiction

Common SEO Myths

• Meta Keywords: They help you rank for target keywords.

• Keyword Density: You need to use the keyword “x” number of times

in the body content.

• PPC: Improves organic rankings.

• Ranking: You must be ranked first!

• Keywords: The keywords must have search volume.

SEO Truth From Fiction

Common SEO Myths

• Meta Keywords: They help you rank for target keywords. FALSE

• Keyword Density: You need to use the keyword “x” number of times

in the body content.

• PPC: Improves organic rankings.

• Ranking: You must be ranked first!

• Keywords: The keywords must have search volume.

SEO Truth From Fiction

Common SEO Myths

• Meta Keywords: They help you rank for target keywords. FALSE

• Keyword Density: You need to use the keyword “x” number of times

in the body content. FALSE

• PPC: Improves organic rankings.

• Ranking: You must be ranked first!

• Keywords: The keywords must have search volume.

SEO Truth From Fiction

Common SEO Myths

• Meta Keywords: They help you rank for target keywords. FALSE

• Keyword Density: You need to use the keyword “x” number of times

in the body content. FALSE

• PPC: Improves organic rankings. FALSE

• Ranking: You must be ranked first!

• Keywords: The keywords must have search volume.

SEO Truth From Fiction

Common SEO Myths

• Meta Keywords: They help you rank for target keywords. FALSE

• Keyword Density: You need to use the keyword “x” number of times

in the body content. FALSE

• PPC: Improves organic rankings. FALSE

• Ranking: You must be ranked first! FALSE

• Keywords: The keywords must have search volume.

SEO Truth From Fiction

Common SEO Myths

• Meta Keywords: They help you rank for target keywords. FALSE

• Keyword Density: You need to use the keyword “x” number of times

in the body content. FALSE

• PPC: Improves organic rankings. FALSE

• Ranking: You must be ranked first! FALSE

• Keywords: The keywords must have search volume. FALSE

Common Mistakes

Small Businesses often make these mistakes:

• I don’t need SEO!

• I just redesign my site – what about SEO?

• Multiple Header Tags

• Auto-Generated or Copied Content

• Keywords over Topics

• Targeting Cities they are not located in

Local Optimization

How does a Local Business succeed?

• Listing Claiming

• NAP Consistency

• Top Directories & Internet Citations

• Address Located in Target City

• Number of Reviews

Mike Blumenthal

Local Search Marketing Expert

Co-Founder of Local U

SMX Speaker & Conference Speaker

www.blumenthals.com

Mike Blumenthal

(likes to bike to work)

www.blumenthals.com

Local Search Marketing Expert

Co-Founder of Local U

SMX Speaker & Conference Speaker

Mike Blumenthal

Q. How has Local SEO evolved in the last

couple of years, particularly Google’s

changes to Google Local and local search?

www.blumenthals.com

Mike Blumenthal

Q. How has the Pigeon update impacted

local businesses?

www.blumenthals.com

Mike Blumenthal

Q. How can local businesses take advantage

of the Knowledge Graph?

www.blumenthals.com

Mike Blumenthal

Q. How does customer feedback and

reviews on Google and other sites affect

Local Search?

www.blumenthals.com

TAKE AWAY

Don’t mess with Pandas & Penguins

Get Your Free Digital Audit Today!

http://www.godigitalmarketing.com/loc

al-businesses/local-marketing-

playbook/