what is seo and how is it a career?
Post on 08-May-2015
284 Views
Preview:
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
WHAT IS SEARCH ENGINE
OPTIMIZATION?
And How is it a Career?
Mike Hanson
Defining Search Engine Optimization
• Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in natural search results.
• Content is more visible in search engines when a website:
– can be efficiently crawled and indexed
– contains content users desire
– is properly marketed to users through link building and content distribution
Anatomy of a SERP (Search Engine Result Page)
35%
Paid Listings
(SEM)
Paid
Listings
(SEM) Organic
Listings
(SEO)
17%
11%
#1 position
averages 35% of
all clicks from 1
search query.
Top 3 positions =
63%. Ads on top
average 22% total.
By The Numbers
Google offers detailed data insight into search volume for free.
Yahoo and Bing do not offer insights to search volume.
Google owns approximately 66% of the search engine market share, while Bing has
16% and Yahoo has 12%.
ABCs of SEO
Search engines use advanced algorithms to determine the order and placement of
websites for keywords that are submitted on search engines.
While complex and continuously evolving, the practice of SEO can be categorized into
four core pillars (Architecture, Backlinks, Content, Social Media). Continued focus in these
fundamental areas are critical for sustained performance and incremental success.
ARCHITECTURE
Technical optimization to ensure
search engines can easily “crawl”
content and understand page
elements.
Platform / CMS / Templates
URL Structures, Source Code
Site Migrations, Retiring
Content
A
BACKLINKS
Link building to ensure external
websites and 3rd party sources
relevant to a particular query are
linking to BAC.com pages.
Press Releases, Partners /
Sponsors, Articles, Directories
Viral Content & Infographics
B
CONTENT
Content optimization to ensure
“readable” text includes relevant
keywords and themes that reflect
consumer voice and need.
Product / Service pages
Education and engagement
Relates to search engine and
consumer, drives conversion
C
SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook, Twitter, Google+,
YouTube are influencing content
discovery through sharing, voting
and social commenting signals
On-site social sharing buttons
Content creation, promotion,
sharing and voting in social
spaces
S
Search Engine Ranking Algorithms
Search engine spiders have to
crawl and sort the web, and
then select and rank the
content that is considered
the most relevant and useful to
a searcher based on the
search query.
To do this, search engine
algorithms apply a complex
set of rules, or a series of
unique formulas, to determine
the significance of any
particular web document.
Each search engine has its
own set of ever changing rules.
Content
• Determines the relevancy of a
page to a query
• Quality content affects Off Page
factors, which in turn can affect
rankings
• Keywords
– Terms which can be included
within content and are
relevant to the nature of the
page
– Can be included in various
elements of website
On Page SEO Factors
On Page SEO Factors
• Meta (Page) Title
– One of the most influential elements of on-page SEO
– Informs the search engines about the subject of a webpage
• Meta Description
– Concise description of webpage
– Not a ranking Factor but important for click-through rate within SERPs
Meta
Description
Meta
Title
• Heading Tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.)
– Distributes the value of content within a hierarchy, whose topic reflects the title of the
page.
• Internal Linking
– Embedding links to other website pages within the page content.
On Page SEO Factors
H1 H2
H3
H3
• URL Structure
Complex URL
http://www.example-1.com/br904/kw=4316?&item-photo1
– Very difficult to determine the nature of the page
– Crawlers have a hard time deciphering
Clean URL
http://www.example-2.com/brand/keyword
– More comprehendible
– Improves user experience
– Improves crawlibility
On Page SEO Factors
• Site Architecture - Where and how long does it take to get to a page?
– Authority and value are disbursed based upon level and location
– Spiders see lower level pages as less valuable
On Page SEO Factors
11 / ©2012 , Inc. All rights reserved.
Authority
Off Page SEO Factors
• Link Building
– Securing inbound links to website
from high quality and topically
relevant sources
– Links need to have relevance,
authority, trust and diversity to
help with SEO efforts
– Search engines place more
value on particular pages and
websites
– Increased referral traffic
Off Page SEO Factors
• Content worth sharing
– Videos
– Articles
– Widgets/Tools
Social Media
– Social Signals
– Community Engagement & Sharing
Bad neighborhoods
– Groups of bad links
– Authority
– Trust
Misconceptions of SEO
• Google Adwords & Paid Listings
– Organic v. Paid
• Developers and Designers
– Coding guru and Photoshop extraordinaire
• Simplicity
– Keyword stuff and submit links to
thousands of sites
• Spammers
– Manipulators v. Influencers
• SEO is Dead (R.I.P)
– More competitive and evolving
Common Job Responsibilities
Research & Analysis
Keyword Research
Site Obstacle Analysis
Competitive Assessment
Backlink Analysis
Strategic Planning & Execution
Keyword Selection
Page Optimization
Backlink Strategy Development
Backlink Strategy Execution
Reporting & Analytics
Visibility Reporting
ROI Reporting
Status Reporting & Presentations
Where You Can Be Employed
Agency - A company that provides SEO services to another organization.
Entry level opportunities
Ability to work across multiple clients and multiple industries
Knowledge sharing/support from other SEO experts and proprietary tools
Room for professional growth
Narrow job focus
In-house - Many companies employ in-house SEO strategists.
Choose the brand you represent
Ability to execute recommendations easier
Gain experience/knowledge in other online areas
Become an expert in a specific industry
Independent – Work as an independent contractor or start your own company.
Flexible
Work with small businesses
Very risky financially
Is SEO Right For You?
PROs of SEO
Not Specific to a Certain College Degree
Entry Level Opportunities
High Demand for Jobs
Jobs Available in Most Geographical Locations
Competitive Salary
Ability to Work Remotely (Job Specific)
Flexible Hours (Job Specific)
Caters to a Variety of Skills & Personality Traits
Can Work in Any Industry
Can Lead to a Number of Other Online and/or Marketing Careers
CONs of SEO
• Dependent upon Search Engines
• Rapid Industry Changes
• Long Hours
• The Internet is 24/7
• Requires Patience to see SEO Results
• Can Get Repetitive
• Lack of Understanding of Role from
Industry Outsiders
• Mostly Heads Down Work
• Constant Screen Time
End
http://www.linkedin.com/in/mikehansonseo/
top related