diagnosing & solving technical seo challenges
TRANSCRIPT
March 5, 2015
Diagnosing & Solving Technical SEO Challenges
Corey Morris
Digital Strategist, Voltage
@coreydmorris
searchmarketingexpo.com @coreydmorris#SMX #32a
Decade of SEO client experience includes: Construction Equip. Parts National Restaurant Chain Boxing & MMA Brand
Commercial Paints Mfg. Hearing Centers Chain Hospital Beds Mfg.
Retirement Community International Logistics Firm Professional Sports Team
Gourmet Coffee Company Natural Products Company Law Firms
Banks, Credit Unions, & Mortgage Companies
National Chain of Kid Entertainment Centers
National Chain of Career Colleges
Compliance & Risk Management Firms
Leading Brand of Flowers & Shrubs
About Corey Morris, Digital Strategist
searchmarketingexpo.com @coreydmorris#SMX #32a
• Branding, Web Design/Development, Online Marketing
• Clients range from NFL teams to one-person start-ups
• Distinctive strategy planning & documentation process
• Based in Kansas City, Missouri – emerging tech hub and capital of the “Silicon Prairie”
About Voltage (VoltageKC.com)
searchmarketingexpo.com @coreydmorris#SMX #32a
• SEOs• Agency Marketers• In-house Marketers• Web Publishers• Webmasters
Engineers & Developers: Please don’t tune out, but feel free to submit questions for these guys (Eric & Ehren)
Who I’m Talking To
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SEO MEMES!!!
Not really, but would be a fun topic
Tweet your favorites & use hashtags #SMX #32a
(but please don’t tune out)
What I’m Going to Cover
Used with permission by creator: Elisa Gabbert. Source: http://www.searchenginejournal.com/matt-cutts-meme-monday-mattcutts/47728/
searchmarketingexpo.com @coreydmorris#SMX #32a
Technical SEO Risks
Uncovering Problems
Go-to Tools
Solving Technical SEO Problems
WINNING
What I’m Going to Cover
searchmarketingexpo.com @coreydmorris#SMX #32a
Technical SEO Risks
searchmarketingexpo.com @coreydmorris#SMX #32a
I Have Large-Scale Content:• Tens of thousands of product pages that I can’t
optimize individually• Dozens or hundreds of location pages• Hundreds of pages of standardized industry
content and references• Multiple corporations, brands, and/or sites under
one umbrella
Technical SEO Risks
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I’m Duplicate and I Know It:• Selling the same products as others• Industry standards and feature parody• Regulated Industries (standards & limits on
details that can be shared)• Corporate multi-unit owner• Franchisee• Ecommerce website with products in
multiple categories
Technical SEO Risks
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I Have Technology Challenges:• I don’t fully understand my infrastructure• My team doesn’t know or care about SEO• I inherited this website/system• I know we’re a mess• I don’t want to talk about it (someone took
shortcuts, bought the cheapest option, we used to be black hat, etc.)
Technical SEO Risks
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Other Risks & Issues (Known or Unknown):• 302 redirects• Errors in XML Sitemaps• 404s, 500s, and other crawl errors• Missing and/or duplicate tags• Multiple H1s and improper h-tag hierarchy• Flat URL structure and/or hierarchy problems• URL tracking parameters without canonicals• Mobile, printer-friendly, and feed pages• Mirrored and iframed content
Technical SEO Risks
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Uncovering Problems
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Some Indicators:• Drops in organic traffic• Drops in visibility in SERPs• Drops in organic conversions relative to total• Webmaster Tools data alarms
(not always a message from WMT)• Error reporting in audit tools• Changes in organic quality scoring
Uncovering Problems
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Validation of problem(s):• Duplicate page content (tags, copy)• Not all content indexed• Lots of “omitted” pages in SERPs• Canonical tag problems• WWW vs. non-WWW with no global redirect• XML sitemap not accurate (enough)• Holy crap…I made URL updates without 301s!!!• I have 47 products with 95% same detail
Uncovering Problems
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Go-to Tools
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Some Examples:• Google SERPs and search operators ($0)• Google & Bing Webmaster Tools ($0)• Moz Pro ($99/mo. & up)• Raven Tools ($99/mo. & up)• Bruce Clay’s SEO Toolset ($30/mo. & up)• Copyscape (credit based/cheap)• Internet Officer Redirect Checker ($0)• Google Analytics ($0)• DNSStuff ($0)• Screaming Frog ($0)
Go-to Tools
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Solving Technical SEO Problems
searchmarketingexpo.com @coreydmorris#SMX #32a
Understand the Current Situation:• What technology is in place for my website?• What questions do I have about how it works?• What is required from a content standpoint?• What can be programmatic versus manual?• Do I have CMS control over SEO elements?• What resources are at my disposal?
Solving Technical SEO Problems
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Work it out:1. Review sitemap & find areas that can follow
templates for URL structure, tags, headings, & copy2. Build formulas for the planned dynamic items in plain
English for each template section3. Consider content strategy: merge content & address
need for unique content including user generated content (reviews, tips, comments, etc.) & other ways to build at scale
Solving Technical SEO Problems
searchmarketingexpo.com @coreydmorris#SMX #32a
Work it out (continued):4. Determine areas where canonicals are needed &
document (could be a big project)5. Review pagination & develop plan for canonicals and/or
single page solutions6. Determine options for the Robots.txt and XML Sitemap
files & develop recurring audit plan7. Bring in the UX & Dev teams to review details the plan
& elicit feedback
Solving Technical SEO Problems
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WINNING!
searchmarketingexpo.com @coreydmorris#SMX #32a
Building Dynamic Content for 54k+ Pages for Tractor & Construction Equip. Parts Retailer• No choice but to scale and use database• Developing formulas and ensuring that even data-
driven content has unique sources and aspects• Testing new ideas and techniques on single
section of content before going global
WINNING!
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Overcoming Duplicate Content Challenge for Restaurant Chain with ~100 Locations• Writing of custom blurb for each location• Use of user generated content including reviews,
social media interactions, and local specials• Development of formulas for tags and headings
to utilize database• Utilize local specials and calendar information
WINNING!
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Identifying Hidden Problems for Boxing & MMA Equipment Brand• Recent Magento upgrades and MOM integration
query development• Could not identify cause of drop in organic traffic &
sales seen in Magento and Google Analytics• Found drops & increases in traffic to URLs in GA and
determined that URLs had changed without 301s• Tracked down thousands of 404s
WINNING!
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National Chain of Career Colleges with Hidden Problem Not Found with Tools• Awesome optimization and custom content for all
locations and programs & no problems in WMT or intelligence tools
• Pattern of rankings stuck on page 2 and held back from where expected on page 1
• Duplicate mirrored site on different domain name found in page 70 of SERPs via manual review
WINNING!
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Advice for Success• Prioritize activities and have patience• Explore all options and trust best practices and
your experience• Educate your team and get their buy-in• Balance costs and resources with potential impact• Don’t cry wolf and don’t give up
WINNING!
searchmarketingexpo.com @coreydmorris#SMX #32a
Source: http://www.bloggersideas.com/internet-best-memes-can-help-marketing-business-grow/
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