SEO and content design: Integrating user-centered search strategy into your workflow

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SEO and Content Design C O N F A B | 2 0 1 9 INTEGRATING USER-CENTERED SEARCH STRATEGY INTO YOUR WORKFLOW

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@BEKAHBAGGS @CHRIS_CORAK

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I M A G E C R E D I T | A W W W A R D S . C O M

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SEO SEO and Content Design I N T E G R A T I N G U S E R - C E N T E R E D S E A R C H S T R A T E G Y I N T O Y O U R W O R K F L O W C O N F A B | 2 0 1 9

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Crawling + indexing Technology rendering content + nav Page speed URL handling Schema.org JSON-LD XML Sitemaps + robots.txt files Internal linking structure Canonical links Duplicate content PageRank + links But wait! There’s still a lot of technical SEO that goes on behind the scenes, outside of content design.

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TECHNICAL SEO CONTENT DESIGN our focus today C O N F A B | 2 0 1 9

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Work with what you’ve got

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Modern SEO A BRIEF UPDATE

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RankBrain An advancement in artificial intelligence

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Photo by George Baier Sites that have better UX and engagement are doing better in search results. - Rand Fishkin

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then why would we cater to algorithms instead of working harder to make users happy? If Google’s #1 goal is to give people what they want,

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✓ Website designed before real content is understood ✓ Writer writes web content to fit template ✓ Page template doesn’t quite work like how people intended ✓ Key features or functionality are missing ✓ Content modules explode, etc.

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✓ SEO is an afterthought ✓ We lose search visibility in the migration process ✓ Rewrite, or re-design or re-develop, or all three ... nobody’s happy

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No content

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Oops!

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There’s got to be A BETTER WAY

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In every practical sense SEO is part of content design, and content design is part of SEO.

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You can no longer “do” SEO without having an SEO lens throughout the entire web design process.

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L E V E L O F E F F O R T Research Planning Design Development Iteration 4 5 3 2 1 Research Design Planning and production Development Iteration T Y P I C A L O N W A R D

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Create a shared project roadmap Add a search lens to research Don’t let it get lost in development Add a search lens to content design –1– –3– –2– –4–

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1. Create a shared ROADMAP Photo by Jo Szczepanska

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Project steps (the work)

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Related tasks (and needs)

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Teams and people involved

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Project steps Tasks, teams + people CONTENT AUDIT Crawl the site to capture all pages Determine content grading criteria (include SEO factors) USER RESEARCH User interviews User intent analysis IA/SITEMAP Determine categories and nomenclature Slickplan diagram C O N F A B | 2 0 1 9

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Draw a line to connect cards. You can connect your cards. Add new connections as you go. C O N F A B | 2 0 1 9

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Typically each team has their own project plan. But how can you reach the same destination if you don’t have a shared roadmap?

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C O N F A B | 2 0 1 9 ✓ Bring UX, SEO, content, design and dev people together Create a shared project roadmap ✓ Understand shared areas of responsibility, timing and dependencies ✓ Map everyone’s steps in the whole project ✓ Create a culture of inclusion and collaboration

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Create a shared project roadmap Add a search lens to research Create development guidelines Add a search lens to content design –1– –3– –2– –4–

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2. Add a search lens TO RESEARCH Photo by Jo Szczepanska

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RESEARCH Stakeholder Interviews User Intent Analysis User Interviews Content Audit

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Stakeholder Interviews Add a search lens to reveal: § Priorities § Processes § Team structures § Opportunities Include questions that reveal search considerations, opportunities and challenges

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Landing pages, microsites and subdomains

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We needed to know Are there broken processes that lead to organic search problems or constraints? So we asked How do you use subdomains and microsites?

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We needed to know Does the executive team have realistic expectations? So we asked How do you envision organic search playing into the marketing strategy?

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Interview the SEO

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politics, people and team structures that impact SEO. Add a search lens to stakeholder interview questions to reveal C O N F A B | 2 0 1 9

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User Intent Analysis Analyze long-tail search data to understand: § How people search § What information matters most to them § What language they use to describe things Capture user intent, questions, tasks and priorities

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It’s all in the longtail

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Photo by Thos Ballantyne Active intent is the intent that is explicitly described by the query syntax…you must satisfy active intent immediately. @ajkohn

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Photo by Thos Ballantyne Passive intent is the intent that is implicitly described. @ajkohn

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Google Search Console

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On-Site Search History

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http://answertheclient.com/assets/atp-dark-inline-9dc08e1790f7273b9aee6bcfa16580e9dda179dbea01081599f7d9a04f9ab112.png C O N F A B | 2 0 1 9

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search term here

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read for themes

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Cost + Quotes

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Meaning

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Value

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Intent themes identified • Cost + Quotes • Validation • Taxes • Meaning • Local Agents • Value

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Out of 1.8 million monthly searches…

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can help you prove value and prioritize content. Summing up the search volume for each theme of intent

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It’s the most powerful tool we have to align SEO to real user needs and expectations. User intent analysis is more than just keyword research.

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bit.ly/understandingintent Start analyzing user intent C O N F A B | 2 0 1 9

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User Interviews Add a search lens to user interviews to reveal: § How they search and the terminology/phrases used § What results they follow and why § Where search fits into their journey Include questions that reveal search habits

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We needed to know What their search journey looks like So we asked Tell me about the last time you searched for (product) or (service) or (problem) online?

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Hotel site vs. booking engine

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We needed to know What language they use to describe things So we asked What words or search phrases did you use?

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and what language they use to describe things. Interviews uncover the reasons behind what people search for, how they search C O N F A B | 2 0 1 9

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Content Audits SEO, UX, and content are intertwined: § Avoid duplicate work and conflicting recommendations by considering UX, SEO and content in one audit § Invite SEO and UX teams to co- create audit when possible § Content audits need a technical SEO and UX lens in order to be effective Audit content holistically

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Don’t just check the SEO box

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✓ Use analytics to understand top performing and under- performing pages in organic search, audit accordingly C O N F A B | 2 0 1 9 ✓ Audit against active and passive intent identified in user intent analysis, use this to identify gaps in content ✓ Pay attention to internal linking structures, forward paths to related information, and ensure links are crawlable Key SEO audit criteria

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We need each other in order to be successful. Content audits without an SEO lens (and vice versa) don’t tell the whole story.

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bit.ly/SEOmyaudit Add an SEO lens to your audit C O N F A B | 2 0 1 9

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C O N F A B | 2 0 1 9 ✓ Stakeholder interviews ✓ User interviews ✓ User intent analysis isn’t just SEO, it’s user research ✓ Holistic content audits that account for SEO factors Add a search lens to research

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Create a shared project roadmap Add a search lens to research Create development guidelines Add a search lens to content design –1– –3– –2– –4–

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3. Add a search lens to CONTENT DESIGN

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DESIGN IA/Nomenclature Core Modeling Structured Data Content Production

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IA + Nomenclature Use search intent to help you: § Identify top tasks and topics that need representation in the IA that aren’t there now § Prioritize how high in the IA that content should live § Use nomenclature that aligns to language people use to describe things Should be influenced by search intent and semantics

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Photo by George Baier Look for the words (especially the verbs!) that people use when interacting with your site or product, then mirror their language back to them. - Lisa Maria Martin

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Photo by George Baier Category labels and navigation structures are not the place to socialize corporate lingo or experiment with affordances. - Lisa Maria Martin

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Content for special circumstances

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Content for special circumstances

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Easy to find in the IA (not buried)

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Core Modeling § Align page content to user intent § Provides a shared framework to consider UX, content and SEO input at the same time § Allows for compromise and discussion around priorities Align page content to search intent

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B U S I N E S S G O A L S U S E R T A S K S I N W A R D P A T H S F O R W A R D P A T H S C O R E C O N T E N T C O R E M O D E L C R E D I T | A R E H A L L A N D Page name

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Content for special circumstances

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User tasks and priorities

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Page name B U S I N E S S G O A L S U S E R T A S K S F O R W A R D P A T H S C O R E C O N T E N T A C T I V E I N T E N T P A S S I V E I N T E N T Page titles, main headlines, intro copy, and sub headers Subheadings, page content, video, imagery, and other content should address a mix of active and passive intent I N W A R D P A T H S Links from high priority pages Meta descriptions and markup Links to next steps & related intent Links to external sites A C T I V E I N T E N T + P A S S I V E I N T E N T C O R E M O D E L C R E D I T | A R E H A L L A N D

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Satisfying passive intent in content

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Featured snippets

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Answers given in paragraph, lists, and tables

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28%- in bounce rates 22% + organic traffic 53%+ in people asking for a quote

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Content Production § Help web writers and SEOs have visibility into each other’s work early in the process § Be clear about how to address user intent in web writing § Align voice and tone standards to search intent when possible Incorporate SEO into the writing process

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What users want Questions Expectations Priorities Keywords & search terms Search volume & popularity How users describe things

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Voluntary vs. Supplemental 543 different phrases 5K in search volume 1,681 different phrases 26K + in search volume

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Structured data § Describe your content in more detail to search engines § Have more control of how your search results looks § Identify new content ideas, avoid missing information Pass along meaning to search engines

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Photo by George Baier Content design is a way of thinking. It's about using data and evidence to give an audience what they need at the time they need it and in a way that they expect. - Sara Richards

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of traffic comes from Organic Search, while 29% start directly on your site. 47% CONDUCTOR, ENTERPRISE ANALYTICS STUDY

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Structured data enhancing UX + CTR

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Schema.org by type Product Local business Reviews Organization Images & videos More… Healthcare & medical Finance & banking Real estate Travel & tourism Arts & music Software More… www.s c he ma.org / d oc s / f u l l .ht m l Schema.org by industry

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C O N F A B | 2 0 1 9 ✓ Account for SEO in IA/Nomenclature ✓ Layer search intent data over core models ✓ Highlight SEO and content overlap in one production spreadsheet Add a search lens to content design ✓ Include user intent in your writing and brand guidelines ✓ Think of meta descriptions and structured data as design, too

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Create a shared roadmap Add a search lens to research Create development guidelines Add a search lens to content design –1– –3– –2– –4–

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4. Don’t let design GET LOST IN DEVELOPMENT

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Technical SEO Requirements & CMS Mapping DEVELOPMENT

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SEO requirements + CMS mapping Communicate architecture, front and backend needs Create a technical SEO requirements checklist to: • Save time in development • Clearly communicate technical aspects that will make the build search engine-friendly • Document expected CMS functionality and editorial control

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Technical SEO + CMS requirements checklist

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Not linkable text Can’t include semantic relevance

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Vague and no semantic value

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C O N F A B | 2 0 1 9 ✓ Document technical SEO requirements and explain what that means for development ✓ Create developer-focused guide to CMS functionality and editorial control Don’t let design get lost in development

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Create a shared roadmap Add a search lens to research Don’t let design get lost in development Design + produce content holistically –1– –3– –2– –4–

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RESEARCH Stakeholder Interviews Uncover org reasons behind broken search strategy User Intent Analysis Understand search intent, user tasks, language and priorities User Interviews Capture reasons behind search habits Content Stories Articulate search intent for design decisions DESIGN IA/Nomenclature Influenced by search intent and semantics, determines URL naming, directory paths, and how Google understands you Content Goals Determine micro and macro conversions and map to content types Content Audit Audit against ranking factors and use search relevant metrics for guidance Core Modeling Align info hierarchy, core content and forward paths to search intent

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Structured Data Research schema.org markup, map to page types, markup decisions, features and functionality Content Modules & Page Templates Account for on-page SEO in module design and CMS functionality Migration Plan Account for dynamic vs. manual redirects, align redirect decisions to relevant content PLANNING & PRODUCTION Content Production Worksheet Bring your web content production and SEO meta descriptions, page titles and redirect insight together Web Content Writing Include on-page SEO elements and Google answer box strategy, along with clarity, relevancy and semantic considerations Titles, Descriptions & Metadata Shouldn’t be done in a vacuum, align to voice and tone, key messages, and user-centered writing practices

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Technical SEO Requirements Comprehensive technical SEO requirements, QA checklist DEVELOPMENT Development CMS Mapping Developer-focused description of expected functionality and editorial control of content modules and interactivity on the front-end On-Going Testing & Iteration Establish content performance metrics that account for usability and search factors, not just end conversions

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In every practical sense SEO is part of content design, and content design is part of SEO.

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You can’t design content without understanding search intent data.

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C O N F A B | 2 0 1 9 ✓ Download the user intent analysis guide and give it a shot ✓ Take your SEO out to lunch ✓ Look for ways to integrate user intent findings into the content design work you already do When you get back to work… B I T . L Y / U N D E R S T A N D I N G I N T E N T

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@REBEKAHCANCINO Thanks, y’all!