What is the goal of SEO?

1. What is the goal of SEO? To convince Google your page deserves to be on top as determined by…

2. What is the goal of SEO? To convince Google your page deserves to be on top as determined by…

3. What is the goal of SEO? To convince Google your page deserves to be on top as determined by: • Relevancy • Authority, Popularity, Visibility • User Choice and Sustainability

4. Relevancy Whether of not Google considers your website relevant is determined by… • Keywords • Optimized pages targeting keywords • Time on page – People hang around • Low bounce rate • Quality of content, spelling, etc. • No spam

5. Keywords Keywords are to websites what a foundation is to a house. So build your foundational design with this in mind.

6. Build Your Keyword List • Listen to or ask customers • Bring in an SEO consultant to help • Do it yourself

7. Build Your Keyword List Not all keywords are worth your time and effort! Consider: • Cost • Time • Competition • ROI

8. Build Your Keyword List • Check analytics for opportunities • Use Google’s free keyword research tool • Choose keywords that are attainable • Look at number of competing websites • How well optimized the competing sites are • Top 10 search results (beware of personalized search) • Number of external links and number of domains • General level of on-page optimization

9. What to do with your keywords? URLS • Google is dialing exact match domain url points down, but they still work • Use SEF urls (keyword rich) • Eliminate dynamic page urls • Dashes between words

10. What to do with your keywords? Title tags • Should include your target keywords • Should be unique • Keywords should come first • Should include your brand name at the end if you have a known, trusted brand • Should include the same words on the page <title>San Jose insurance agent – Taylor Benefits</title>

11. What to do with your keywords? Description, keyword meta tags • Description is your call to action • No or little value for rank in Google

12. What to do with your keywords? Links • Should include your target keywords and page it links to should be associated with keywords • Only first one on the page counts, so don’t overdo them • Pass page rank, particularly from home page • Should be text, not images

13. What to do with your keywords? Images • Should have keywords in the name • Should have keywords in alt tags • Should have keywords in captions

14. What to do with your keywords? Architecture • Silos – Don’t be a Macy’s! Organize by category! • Pass page rank to the top level • Keep site “flat” with fewer nested directories

15. What to do with your keywords? H1, h2, etc. • Should have one H1 tag at the top of the page • H2, h3, etc. have little value • Bold little value • <emph> more value

16. What to do with your keywords? Content • Don’t keyword stuff • 2-3 keyword targets per page, no more • Long enough copy to incorporate keywords and their variations, plus headings, to give enough weight to establish relevancy Local considerations • Include address and phone number on each page in TEXT

17. What is the goal of SEO? To convince Google your page deserves to be on top as determined by: • Authority, Popularity, Visibility • Content – lots of it, so design it to expand • People like it enough to link to it on relevant pages with relevant keywords • Shares, Likes, Tweets, +1 • Include sharethis

18. What is the goal of SEO? To convince Google your page deserves to be on top as determined by: • Authority • Content – lots of it, so design it to expand • People like it enough to link to it on relevant pages with relevant keywords • Shares, Likes, Tweets, +1 • Include sharethis • User signals

19. Build Authority with Link Building Acquire quality links from quality sites with keywords in anchor text • Give free advice • Blog commenting • Forum commenting • Guest blogging • Write remarkable copy • Infographics • Whitepaper, research • Create something another business in your industry (non-competitor) would value

20. Link Building Announce your remarkable content • Facebook and build engagement • Tweet • Email • Newsletter • Add share, Tweetme, bookmark ability to your website Sharethis.com

21. Link Building • RSS • Ping • Social Bookmarking – Bookmark your own! • StumbleUpon • Digg • Reddit • Google • OnlyWire

22. User Signals Google uses user signals to determine how much trust to give a site

23. User Signals • Click thru • Create great title and description tags • Your description is your elevator speech

24. User Signals • Bounce • Make sure page is relevant to the keyword you are targeting • Make sure they can see that RIGHT AWAY! • Check analytics, look for bounces, CORRECT!

25. User Signals 3. Time on site • Answer: Why am I here? What am I supposed to do? • Make it easy to read and see that the site is relevant • Bullets • Short paragraphs • Informative headings • Call to action – Lead them INTO the site • Put “catchy” content where they look (See F-Heatmap)

26. User Signals

27. DON’Ts • DON’T provide different content to search engines and humans • DON’T try to trick search engines to improve rankings • DON’T use hidden or extremely small text • DON’T keyword stuff • DON’T use same title tags • DON’T copy content

28. In the end Everyone will be doing these steps. What can you do that is more? • SEO – What might be enough today, will NOT be tomorrow! You need to keep optimizing with: • Better content • More backlinks • Social involvement and social proof • Social Media • More followers sharing and tweeting your stuff • Take advantage of other marketing tools What Google tells you to do, you should do.

29. Need help? Kat & Mouse takes your site to the next level with: • Website & Google Places optimization to get Google to take note • Link building to move your site above the competition • Social Media marketing – Custom landing pages, engagement, website integration to get people singing your praises • Mobile Marketing to capture the crowd on the street in the new internet • Monthly monitoring and improvements to keep you on top

30. Kat & Mouse Please connect with me www.katandmouse.com anonymouse@katandmouse.com 408-694-3706 www.facebook.com/katandmouseo Twitter: @katndmouse LinkedIn - Kathy Long LinkedIn: Join Local BizBuzz Grouphttp://www.linkedin.com/groups/Local-BizBuzz-3215677 To your success!

31. Blogging + SEOIt’s more than just a title tag. By Kathy Long, SECRO(Search Engine Conversion Rate Optimization) Kat & Mouse SEO & Web Design

32. Why does Google love you? • Relevancy • Popularity & Visibility • User Choice and Sustainability

33. 1. Relevancy • Keyword selection • Optimized pages targeting keywords • People like it enough to link to it on relevant pages with relevant keywords

34. 1. Relevancy - Keyword Research • Check analytics for opportunities • Check difficulty • # competing websites • Top 10 search results (beware of personalized search) • Number of external links and number of domains • Page Authority and Domain Authority of each ranking site • General level of on-page optimization

35. 1. Relevancy – Optimized Page • Title tag • H1 • Keyword density • Is the keyword in image alt text? • Is the keyword in the domain or URL? • Anchor text of internal and external links? TIP: Search to find internal link opportunities: [site:www.mysite.com intext:"my target keyword”]

36. 1. Relevancy – People like it Your goal is to get people to: • Link to you • Share you • Facebook • Tweet • Bookmark

37. 1. Relevancy - Link Building Acquire quality links from quality sites with keywords in anchor text • Give free advice • Blog commenting • Forum commenting • Guest blogging • Write remarkable copy • Infographics • Whitepaper, research • Create something another business in your industry (non-competitor) would value

38. 1. Relevancy - Link Building Query these • Keyword blog • Intitle blog Keyword • Inurl:blog Keyword • “tags: Keyword ” • “filed under: Keyword ” • Keyword “add comment” • Keyword forum • “Keyword forum” • Keyword join • Keyword group

39. 1. Relevancy - Link Building Repurpose your blog • Article • Guest Blog • Podcast • Video

40. 2. Popularity and Visibility Announce your remarkable content but where and to whom? You must first build relationships – the same way you do offline!

41. 2. Popularity and Visibility Build Relationships & Authority • Be genuine, not spammy • Add value • Quora • LinkedIn Groups and Discussions • Forums • Blogs • Look for no-follow

42. 2. Popularity and Visibility Build Relationships & Authority • Facebook • Likes • Friends • Tag • Twitter • Lists • Paper.li and Scoop.it • Hashtags • Retweet, mention, thank, be neighborly • Tag

43. 2. Popularity and Visibility Announce your remarkable content • Facebook and build engagement • Tweet • Email • Newsletter • Add share, Tweetme, bookmark ability to your website Sharethis.com

44. 2. Popularity and Visibility • RSS • Ping • Social Bookmarking – Bookmark your own! • StumbleUpon • Digg • Reddit • Google • OnlyWire

45. 2. User Choice and Sustainability • Check analytics! • Bounce-offs will kill you! • Craft a compelling title tag withkeyword + value proposition + CTA • Craft an elevator pitch description • Give them what they came for!

46. Why does Google love you? • Relevancy • Popularity & Visibility • User Choice and Sustainability

47. Google Places – How to Rank High Proximity Popularity (Prominence) Relevance

48. 2: Develop Your NAP NAP = Name, Address, Phone • Consistency across the web is critical! TASK: Search for your phone number on the web. Check to see where your NAP is inconsistent. Make a note of these. FIX THEM!

49. Create and Claim Your Place • Google Places • Yahoo Local • Bing Business Portal • Facebook • Google + soon to come

50. Place Page Optimization • Exact or close categories – Try entering city name in 1 or 2 categories. Test. • Business name in title – Don’t spam with keywords, be consistent • City keywords in title if possible and applicable • Point to a better landing page – contact page • Use more info links to add additional links to website, either internally or social sites