Module 3 Videos Flashcards
SERP
Search Engine Results Page
How do search engines determine relevance and ranking?
complicated algorithms
- Algorithms now driven by machine learning-RankBrain, Cortana
- Black-box algorithm ~200 factors per Google but different levels of importance
Why is SEO important?
Approx. 70% of users click on organic vs. ads. Thus the higher up on the SERPs, the more traffic you will get to your site
Being above the fold is key, being on 2nd page is like being on page 20…
A website doesn’t pay for each click (as you do with paid search)
Why is SEO getting harder?
- In some categories (e.g., restaurants, medical) it’s almost impossible to be above the fold
- Often PPC, maps, reviews and structured data pushes organic placement below the fold
- Why? Google claims user experience but it also happens to help their ad revenue $$$
• There have been declines in traffic from organic even if you maintain your current position
~10% past few years
(i.e., studies Wordstream, MOZ, etc)
Pros and Cons of SEO
Pros:
• Usually more clicks–trusted more
• No cost per click but the expense of time spent optimizing for SEO
• Better conversions? Not always
Cons: • Hard to measure ROI • Takes time see results--months • Ongoing effort • In some products categories where you compete against large companies, it is hard to rank well
Pros and Cons of PPC
Pros: • Quick, can be up in minutes • Optimization easier thanks to A.I. • Leverage more variables-e.g., weather • More measurable, can bid for conversions
Cons:
• Expensive and getting more so, in some product categories, the cost per click can be >$10 per click
• If not in top 1-2 positions, very low CTR
Two types of SEO?
White Hat and Black Hat
White Hat
works within the parameters set by search engines-you must constantly check search engine rules, their blogs and monitor your Google or Bing Webmaster accounts. Aims for long-lasting success
Black Hat
those websites trying to game or manipulate the search engines. Aims for massive short-term traffic but this can be penalized by search engines to the point you don’t show up for any result!
Key signals that search engines look for
– Page relevance of the keyword (or topic) the user enters (or shows interest in)
– Popularity-websites with more traffic, if website url shared on social media, low bounce rate, etc.
– Trust-factors e.g., how long with web host, how many years domain registered 1 vs. 3; links to trusted organizations (BBB), SSL
– Authority-links, engagement (time on site), content shared, traffic to website and repeat visits
Panda
The Content Algorithm
Google Hummingbird
Penguin
The Links Algorithm
Google Hummingbird
Pirate
The Copyright Algorithm
G Mobile-First Index
Pigeon
The Local Search Algorithm
G Mobile-First Index
Page Layout
The Layout Algorithm
G Mobile-First Index
How to plan your SEO strategy (5 Steps)
STEP 01
Identify and prioritize the top 10-50 keywords/topics based on key metrics such as your sales volume, profits and conversion rates.
STEP 02
Determine the search volume for those keywords, maybe eliminate those with less than 100 searches per month -you might need to focus on longer tail keywords
STEP 03
Determine your current rankings on SERP for these keywords vs the competition
STEP 04
Determine your Domain & Page authority vs. top 1-3 ranks and see how realistic it is that you can beat them
STEP 05
Create a compensatory model to decide which keywords to pursue
Step 1 of SEO strategy
Use Sales data to pick your most profitable and high converting products
Use online (web and social media analytics) and offline data, market research,
However, you need to see how realistic is it that you can achieve a good SEO ranking- may need to do PPC
Step 2 of SEO strategy
Keyword idea generation techniques
When people search they tend to do it based on different approaches, you need to get into their “shoes”. Some apply, some may not depending on the situation-use different “verticals” (e.g., video)
- Problem: water leaking dishwasher; lack car insurance
- Symptoms: flooded kitchen; not really applicable to car insurance
- Product: leaking Maytag Model XC3; Allstate car insurance
- Solution: Plumber in Richardson TX, car insurance quote Richardson TX)
(Step 2) SEO Funnel
Awareness»Interest»Decision»Action
Short tail (1-2 keywords) -more top of the funnel & often not practical given how competitive it’s likely to be-but check "sweater"
Long tail (2> keywords): more bottom of the funnel--the more competitive your category--the longer it may need to be but a trade off with volume. Also the entire site may need to be optimized for local "Buy cardigan long sleeve Frisco"
Always make sure your Brand Name is in a top SERP position(s)–Macy’s, etc.
If a small to medium sized business, focus on both localization and longer tail keywords that still can contribute to your revenues/profits based on decent local search volume
In the long tail, the sum of the low-volume searches matches…
the high volume searches
When picking a keyword consider the…
tradeoffs of long vs. short tail keywords
Benefit of long tail keywords
Longer tail keywords have better conversion rates and usually less competition but the downside is that they tend to have less traffic
Tools for SEO
Tools like AdWords (useful for SEO also) Keyword Planner tells you approx. search volumes at national or local level and how competitive (although this is for PPC but applies to SEO)
Step 3 of SEO Strategy
Use a rank checker tool see where you rank for the keyword in question
Step 4 of SEO Strategy
Domain and Page Authority
Domain authority-DA:
MOZ created a proxy to Google’s secret DA using mainly backlinks, website’s popularity-MozRank, MozTrust, etc. Uses a logarithmic scale which means its easier to grow your score from 20 to 30 than it is to grow from 70 to 80.
Page authority-PA:
also a logarithmic score but based on a specific web page within a domain-includes link counts, MozRank, MozTrust, and dozens of other factors such as content etc. BUT at the page level
Step 5 of SEO Strategy
Compensatory Model (e.g., GE matrix) The ratings & final scores mean nothing, unless you provide ranges for each variable
If a poor ranking in a very competitive category– you might need to think of focusing instead on PPC and/or focus on (if applicable) Reviews with Google Business/Y
Hummingbird
Was the most significant algorithmic change in search. Now looks at combination of things including context, content, location, time, etc.
–• No clear formula as to ideal number words per page but MOZ and SEMrush in studies say depends on your category- look at top ranked– be safe content over 1,000 keywords ranks better than less; 500-700 words of content on every page is minimum–
Semantic search
is looking for the users “intent”
Instead of one keyword now there might be 5-10 variations. Context and topic of that web page matters more
Example of semantic search
- Pre-Hummingbird if I searched on my mobile device “where can I buy shoes here in Dallas”—the focus would be on “buy shoes” only and the SERP would show online stores even if no physical stores in the Dallas area.
- Post-Hummingbird—the SERP because of the intent “here in Dallas” would prioritize stores selling shoes with a physical location in or near Dallas
Page grader
Need more than 95
tool: Moz/Moz Pro
Structured Data
- What is it? SERP brings in and highlights data from website that has data structured in a certain format
- Downside- content is scrapped–some people may not click on website as they get answer they need. Especially publisher/informational websites. 10%> of all results
Two keys to ensure your website appears in Knowledge Graph/direct answers results.
Implement structured data and rich snippets. This gives your site top rankings.
Claim your Google+ (individual or company) and Google Places for Business pages. This gives you greater control over what the search engine reads and displays to users, such as images, hours, current menus, rates and promotions.
Rich Snippets
Snippets with images or video that attract & generate 2X the average CTR
Google, Bing, and Yahoo announced joint support for the schema.org semantic markup standard.
Google supports rich snippets for these content types: Reviews People Products Businesses and organizations Recipes Events Music
How to get site’s links showing up in organic search results
– Search engines decide what and if to show-submit xml sitemap of your website
Social content and SERP
- can appear in SERPs and is growing increasingly influential in search rankings for some categories.
- Links from social sites are used as signals of relevance.
- Closely tied to localization
Real-time search and SERP
- results rely greatly on social media and what is trending. e.g. Twitter has more impact due to the fact more public (and also not direct competitor to Google as FB perceived by Google)
- Use social media properties to dominate brand SERPs
Personalized results and SERP
are influenced by your online social and browser search history
e.g., If you are logged in to Gmail while searching for blogs, you are more likely to see a blog a friend goes to
In fact, results by default are always customized to your browsing history and location, so if doing SEO need to use tool or directions to remove
Ranking for “Personal searches” impacted by…
…structured data and mobile optimization
the more a website is linked to…
…the more likely it is that the community considers it an authority.
Link Juice
how Google determines which links are more relevant and authoritative
Backlink analysis
- Number of unique domain links vs. total # links, this example ratio 1:7 –ideal is 1:2
- # of Followed links-counts for SEO
- Anchor text-variety
- Link quality-Page and Domain authority
- Some tools (e.g., MOZ) indicate if you have inbound spammy link-which you would want to get rid of
Black hat -penalties
- Many companies try to “game’ SEO by purchasing links off shore-link farms
- Google has cracked down, penalizing websites severely- some sites now do not rank at all after the penalty. Disavow spammy links to your site
- Google threw in a lot of resources to create an algorithm- Penguin- that amongst other things trys to determine if an inbound link is probably paid- sometimes easy to get caught up
How to get Links
Conduct competitor analysis for ideas of what links they have you could approach
Write excellent, valuable content that others want to read-blog hosted internally for example create videos, tools (lead magnets) & podcasts that users will want to use and share
Ask your suppliers/vendors to link to your website
“Linkless mentions”-Brands
- Bing & Google have both stated that if a person or business has high quality content that is highly cited or shared on the internet –e.g., mentions on social media and reviews –then a factor for SEO rankings e.g. Klout score type measure
- Easier for search engines to do, thanks to their use of Artificial Intelligence
Write ___ and ____ urls
Write ____ Page Titles
unique, descriptive
descriptive
A SERP website listing shows:
1) Page Title – Have important keywords in page title
2) Your website’s URL is shown, also good to have keywords in URL
3) Metatag description – number of characters change over time
How images are playing growing role
- If images are correctly labeled, search engines can index them.
- Important for image search and the visually impaired
- Optimize images and video with the relevant keywords as well.
- Tag for local (e.g. Plano cardigan sweater)
