Google It

This is the presentation I gave at IPI in 2009 on Search Engine Optimization

Transcript

1. GOOGLE IT Clicking Your Way to the Top
2. I’M SETH fb.me/sethvargo @sethvargo
3. FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS
4. HOLD ALL QUESTIONS
5. 100+ SLIDES IN 50 MINUTES (that’s about 30 seconds a slide)
6. This slide intentionally left blank
7. “SEARCHERS EITHER FIND YOU, OR THEY FIND YOUR COMPETITORS...”
8. WHAT IS SEO
9. WHAT IS SEO “...the art and the science of getting a website to appear prominently in organic search engine results...”
10. WHAT IS SEO “...the art and the science of getting a website to appear prominently in organic search engine results...” paid paid
11. WHAT IS SEO “...the art and the science of getting a website to appear prominently in organic search engine results...” organic paid paid
12. SEO VS SEM
13. SEO VS SEM SEO - free things to improve your site
14. SEO VS SEM SEO - free things to improve your site SEM - advertising/marketing/paid-rankings
15. GETTING NOTICED CRAWLERS AND SITEMAP
16. GET NOTICED BY CRAWLERS More Information: http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=1061943
17. GET NOTICED BY CRAWLERS crawler (aka bot, robot, spider) - an automated script that travels the Internet, copying content and returning to its creator for indexing More Information: http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=1061943
18. GET NOTICED BY CRAWLERS crawler (aka bot, robot, spider) - an automated script that travels the Internet, copying content and returning to its creator for indexing some crawlers fetch entire pages; others are easily bored and only view certain content More Information: http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=1061943
19. GET NOTICED BY CRAWLERS crawler (aka bot, robot, spider) - an automated script that travels the Internet, copying content and returning to its creator for indexing some crawlers fetch entire pages; others are easily bored and only view certain content spiders can only see things that you’ve linked to More Information: http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=1061943
20. IT’S TAKING FOREVER FOR MY SITE TO GET INDEXED!
21. SITEMAPS More Information: http://www.sitemaps.org/
22. SITEMAPS sitemap - an XML file that provides and index of all the URLs on your site More Information: http://www.sitemaps.org/
23. SITEMAPS sitemap - an XML file that provides and index of all the URLs on your site also includes priority (home page > contact us) More Information: http://www.sitemaps.org/
24. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9"> <url> <loc>http://www.example.com/</loc> <lastmod>2005-01-01</lastmod> <changefreq>monthly</changefreq> <priority>0.8</priority> </url> <url> <loc>http://www.example.com/catalog?item=12&amp;desc=vacation_hawaii</loc> <changefreq>weekly</changefreq> </url> <url> <loc>http://www.example.com/catalog?item=73&amp;desc=vacation_new_zealand</loc> <lastmod>2004-12-23</lastmod> <changefreq>weekly</changefreq> </url> <url> <loc>http://www.example.com/catalog?item=74&amp;desc=vacation_newfoundland</loc> <lastmod>2004-12-23T18:00:15+00:00</lastmod> <priority>0.3</priority> </url> </urlset> SAMPLE SITEMAP.XML
25. DOING THE GOOGLE DANCE UNDERSTANDING YOUR LIMITS
26. GOING ORGANIC
27. GOING ORGANIC organic search engine traffic is so valuable that it can sustain an entire business
28. GOING ORGANIC organic search engine traffic is so valuable that it can sustain an entire business you can influence organic searches, but ultimately you can’t control them
29. GOING ORGANIC organic search engine traffic is so valuable that it can sustain an entire business you can influence organic searches, but ultimately you can’t control them similar to writing an editorial - things can be cut, changed, or ignored
30. GOING INORGANIC
31. GOING INORGANIC inorganic searches are usually ignored by the end user
32. GOING INORGANIC inorganic searches are usually ignored by the end user you have 100% control over the look, feel, and keywords honed
33. GOING INORGANIC inorganic searches are usually ignored by the end user you have 100% control over the look, feel, and keywords honed similar to buying an advertisement in a magazine - you get exactly what you paid for
34. “IF YOU WANT A GUARANTEE THAT YOUR MESSAGE WILL APPEAR IN THE NEWSPAPER A CERTAIN WAY, EXACTLY WHERE YOU WANT IT, BUY AN AD”
35. MY SITE JUST DROPPED IN SEARCH RESULTS! WHAT SHOULD I DO!?
36. AVAILABLE OPTIONS
37. AVAILABLE OPTIONS run and hide in the corner
38. AVAILABLE OPTIONS run and hide in the corner cry for hours because your entire life is ruined
39. AVAILABLE OPTIONS run and hide in the corner cry for hours because your entire life is ruined nothing
40. ITS ALL ABOUT TRAFFIC LOAD BALANCING YOUR TIME
41. LOAD BALANCING YOUR TIME ITS ALL ABOUT QUALIFIED TRAFFIC
42. SOMEONE SEARCHES FOR:
43. photo lab SOMEONE SEARCHES FOR:
44. SOMEONE SEARCHES FOR: online photo lab
45. SOMEONE SEARCHES FOR: online photo lab in Las Vegas
46. SOMEONE SEARCHES FOR: 1-hour online photo lab in Las Vegas
47. SOMEONE SEARCHES FOR:
48. 1-hour online photo lab in Las Vegas qualified leads qualified leads board results THE CACHE-22 Note: I didn’t spell catch-22 wrong.. it’s a nerdy joke, since cache refers to an internal memory system
49. 1-hour online photo lab in Las Vegas qualified leads qualified leads board results THE CACHE-22 Note: I didn’t spell catch-22 wrong.. it’s a nerdy joke, since cache refers to an internal memory system quantity != quality
50. AS AN EXAMPLE
51. AS AN EXAMPLE digital camera
52. WHAT DO THEY WANT?
53. WHAT DO THEY WANT? buy a camera
54. WHAT DO THEY WANT? buy a camera repair a camera
55. WHAT DO THEY WANT? buy a camera repair a camera sell a camera
56. WHAT DO THEY WANT? buy a camera repair a camera sell a camera compare cameras to buy as a gift
57. WHAT DO THEY WANT? buy a camera repair a camera sell a camera compare cameras to buy as a gift compare digital cameras to traditional cameras
58. WHAT DO THEY WANT? buy a camera repair a camera sell a camera compare cameras to buy as a gift compare digital cameras to traditional cameras whether “digital camera” is one or two words
59. IT’S NOT SET AND FORGET SEO IS AN ONGOING PROCESS
60. SEARCH NEVER SLEEPS
61. SEARCH NEVER SLEEPS develop a content strategy to keep your content fresh, relevant, and attractive to spiders
62. SEARCH NEVER SLEEPS develop a content strategy to keep your content fresh, relevant, and attractive to spiders use analytics to find your top keywords - compare those keywords with (local) trends
63. SEARCH NEVER SLEEPS develop a content strategy to keep your content fresh, relevant, and attractive to spiders use analytics to find your top keywords - compare those keywords with (local) trends live on the bleeding edge of search engine tools - how can you benefit from local search? mobile search? shopping search? map search? google+?
64. NOT AN AFTERTHOUGHT YOU NEED TO START NOW
65. SEARCH ENGINES CAN’T:
66. SEARCH ENGINES CAN’T: read text on an image
67. SEARCH ENGINES CAN’T: read text on an image understand anything on a Flash site or photo gallery
68. SEARCH ENGINES CAN’T: read text on an image understand anything on a Flash site or photo gallery organize your content
69. THERE’S NO FRONT DOOR NOT EVERYONE ENTERS YOUR SITE AS YOU WISH
70. EVERY PAGE IS AN ENTRY PAGE
71. BECAUSE OF THAT:
72. BECAUSE OF THAT: every page needs to have:
73. BECAUSE OF THAT: every page needs to have: a unique identity
74. BECAUSE OF THAT: every page needs to have: a unique identity distinct purpose
75. BECAUSE OF THAT: every page needs to have: a unique identity distinct purpose friendly URL
76. THINK LIKE A PUBLISHER OR HIRE ONE IF YOU CAN’T
77. THE INVERTED PYRAMID
78. HOW TO WRITE GOOD WELL
79. HOW TO WRITE GOOD WELL content should contain no spelling or grammar errors
80. HOW TO WRITE GOOD WELL content should contain no spelling or grammar errors sentences should be short and concise
81. HOW TO WRITE GOOD WELL content should contain no spelling or grammar errors sentences should be short and concise write as though you were speaking to some who’s native language was not English
82. HOW TO WRITE GOOD WELL content should contain no spelling or grammar errors sentences should be short and concise write as though you were speaking to some who’s native language was not English paragraphs should be no longer than 4-5 sentences
83. HOW TO WRITE GOOD WELL content should contain no spelling or grammar errors sentences should be short and concise write as though you were speaking to some who’s native language was not English paragraphs should be no longer than 4-5 sentences use keywords as much as possible
84. OTHER TIPS
85. OTHER TIPS release content on a consistent schedule
86. OTHER TIPS release content on a consistent schedule start a “photo-of-the-day” routine
87. OTHER TIPS release content on a consistent schedule start a “photo-of-the-day” routine don’t be afraid to link to vertical industries
88. DESIGNING THE OBVIOUS OR THE NOT-SO OBVIOUS
90. avoid splash pages - they are graphic-heavy and deter crawlers
91. avoid splash pages - they are graphic-heavy and deter crawlers avoid using (i)frames
92. avoid splash pages - they are graphic-heavy and deter crawlers avoid using (i)frames be wary of drop-down navigation - crawlers don’t use Javascript
93. avoid splash pages - they are graphic-heavy and deter crawlers avoid using (i)frames be wary of drop-down navigation - crawlers don’t use Javascript have well-structured, deep-nested content (if users can’t find it, how can search engines?)
94. avoid splash pages - they are graphic-heavy and deter crawlers avoid using (i)frames be wary of drop-down navigation - crawlers don’t use Javascript have well-structured, deep-nested content (if users can’t find it, how can search engines?) create valid CSS/(X)HTML code (Dakis fail)
96. tables are for tablular data - they should NOT be used for layouts
97. tables are for tablular data - they should NOT be used for layouts use redirects efficiently (301 vs 302)
98. tables are for tablular data - they should NOT be used for layouts use redirects efficiently (301 vs 302) avoid Flash at all costs
99. tables are for tablular data - they should NOT be used for layouts use redirects efficiently (301 vs 302) avoid Flash at all costs link internally
100. tables are for tablular data - they should NOT be used for layouts use redirects efficiently (301 vs 302) avoid Flash at all costs link internally use unique title tags
101. tables are for tablular data - they should NOT be used for layouts use redirects efficiently (301 vs 302) avoid Flash at all costs link internally use unique title tags use breadcrumb navigation
102. DON’T DUPLICATE CONTENT
103. USING ANALYTICS KEYWORD TOOLS, ANALYITCS, AND MORE
104. THEY ONLY GAVE ME 50 MINUTES, SO I CAN’T DEMO THESE :’(
105. GOOGLE KEYWORD TOOL https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
106. GOOGLE TRENDS http://www.google.com/trends
107. INSIGHTS FOR SEARCH http://www.google.com/insights/search
108. WORDTRACKER https://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/
109. TRELLIAN http://keyworddiscovery.com/search.html
110. BE WARY OF NEW TECH IT COULD BE YOUR DOWNFALL
111. “SEARCH ENGINE CRAWLERS CARE NOT A WHIT FOR LUSH PHOTOGRAPHY AND FANCY- PANTS DESIGN ELEMENTS.”
112. SEARCH ENGINES CAN’T:
113. SEARCH ENGINES CAN’T: read AJAX content (unless it’s UJS)
114. SEARCH ENGINES CAN’T: read AJAX content (unless it’s UJS) see Flash
115. SEARCH ENGINES CAN’T: read AJAX content (unless it’s UJS) see Flash read images
116. SEARCH ENGINES CAN’T: read AJAX content (unless it’s UJS) see Flash read images read Silverlight
117. OPTIMIZING ON PAGE TITLE, DESCRIPTION, KEYWORDS, AND ALTS
118. USE FRIENDLY URLS
119. USE FRIENDLY URLS URLs should be “friendly”
120. USE FRIENDLY URLS URLs should be “friendly” index.php?p=193&c=291#ac
121. USE FRIENDLY URLS URLs should be “friendly” index.php?p=193&c=291#ac photo-books/my-awesome-photo-book#create
122. USE FRIENDLY TITLES <title>Untitled Page</title> <title>Photo Books :: My Photo Lab</title>
123. ALT YOUR IMAGES <img src=”./images/my-image.png” alt=”That really awesome picture!” />
124. LINKING IT UP NOT ALL LINKS ARE EQUAL
125. “THE BEST WAY TO ENSURE GOOGLE FINDS YOUR SITE IS FOR YOUR PAGE TO BE LINKED FROM LOTS OF PAGES ON OTHER SITES...”
126. MY LINK IS BETTER
127. MY LINK IS BETTER The WSJ and NYT links are way better than Bill’s blog
128. MY LINK IS BETTER The WSJ and NYT links are way better than Bill’s blog 10,000 Bill’s blogs are better than 1 WSJ link
129. MY LINK IS BETTER The WSJ and NYT links are way better than Bill’s blog 10,000 Bill’s blogs are better than 1 WSJ link
130. “IN THE WORLD OF SERACH, IT’S NOT THE QUANITY – IT’S THE QUALITY OF LINKS THAT MATTER.”
131. WHERE ARE YOU? ARE YOU LIVING IN A SAFE NEIGHBORHOOD?
132. IF YOU LIVE ON A STREET WITH DRUG DEALERS, PEOPLE WILL THINK YOUR A DRUG DEALER
133. IF YOUR HOSTED ON A SERVER WITH HACKERS OR BLOCKED SITES, CRAWLERS WILL THINK YOUR AN ILLEGITIMATE SITE
134. USE A RELIABLE AND TRUSTED HOST
135. ARE YOU LOCAL? REACH CUSTOMERS ONLINE. MEET THEM IN PERSON.
136. “LOCAL SEARCH IS THE EASIEST WAY TO LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD BETWEEN LARGE NATIONAL BUSINESSES AND SMALL LOCAL PROVIDERS”
137. PLACES FOR BUSINESS http://www.google.com/places/
138. REDEFINE “SEARCH ENGINE” IT’S NOT JUST GOOGLE ANYMORE
139. YouTube. Craigslist. eBay. Wikipedia. Flickr. ALL SEARCH ENGINES IN THEIR OWN RIGHT
140. LET USERS DO WORK DON’T THINK YOU CAN DO IT ALONE!
141. QUICK TIPS
142. QUICK TIPS allow users to post reviews
143. QUICK TIPS allow users to post reviews give users public profiles
144. QUICK TIPS allow users to post reviews give users public profiles provide the ability to link to a recent order/album
145. QUICK TIPS allow users to post reviews give users public profiles provide the ability to link to a recent order/album users will do the work for you
146. TOOLS PUT ON YOUR HARD HATS
147. SEOZIO http://eyeflow.com/seozio/
148. WEBMASTER TOOLS https://www.google.com/webmasters
149. ANALYTICS http://www.google.com/analytics/
150. OTHER STUFF THINGS THAT MAY/NOT APPLY TO YOU
151. MULTIPLE DOMAINS
152. MULTIPLE DOMAINS pick one
153. MULTIPLE DOMAINS pick one redirect the others using a 301 redirect
154. WWW VS NON-WWW
155. WWW VS NON-WWW doesn’t matter
156. WWW VS NON-WWW doesn’t matter but pick one
157. WWW VS NON-WWW doesn’t matter but pick one www.myphotolab.com and www.photolab.com are considered different websites by some crawlers
158. BUY A BOOK http://www.amazon.com/Truth-About-Search-Engine-Optimization/dp/0789738317
159. RESEARCH
160. RESEARCH RSS feeds
161. RESEARCH RSS feeds Image Sprites
162. RESEARCH RSS feeds Image Sprites Limit HTTP requests