This document provides an overview of search engine optimization (SEO) including what SEO is, why it is important, the SEO process, factors that affect rankings, and tools for SEO. Specifically, it defines SEO as modifying a website to better position organic search results. It also outlines the 5 step SEO process of reporting, research, optimization, submission, and follow up reporting. Finally, it lists various online resources and tools that can be used for SEO purposes.

2.  What is SEO?
 What Effects SEO?
 Live Examples
 What Can You Do?
 Tracking Results
 Resources & Tools
 Q & A

3.  Search Engine Optimization
 A definition: The modification of a web site’s build
and content to better position the site in the
natural/organic results of the major search engines.
 Pull vs. push marketing
 Why Search is So Hot
 The SEO Process
 White Hat vs. Black Hat
 Which Engines to Target?

4.  Consumer skepticism towards advertising
 Consumer trust in advertising has plunged 41% in the past 3
years – only 10% of consumers say that they “trust” ads today
 With today’s media choices, the consumer is
increasingly in control
 70% of consumers are actively trying to block out, opt-out or
eliminate advertising
 iProspect study shows that 61% of internet searchers
think natural listing are more relevant
 B2B users have a 63% preference for organic listings
 Organic listings get higher conversion rates than paid
Source: “Searchonomics: Search Statistics Made Fun,” by Christine Churchill

5.  5 step process:
 Reporting
 Research
 Optimization
 Submission
 Follow Up Reporting

6.  White Hat
 Quality content creation
 Light keyword
optimization
 Sound website building
tactics
 Everything out in the open
 Nothing designed to trick
the search engine or the user
 Black Hat
 Cloaking
 Hidden text or tiny text
 Keyword stacking or stuffing
 Use non-related keywords
 Duplicate pages/ duplicate
content
 Domain spam /
cybersquatting
 Re-directs
 Page swapping

7.  Most the traffic surfing through Google. It
around 83.46% of total searches
 Yahoo have 7.83% & Bing have 4.85%

8.  Where does the optimization happen?
 On-Page Factors
 Content is King
 Evaluate existing content
 Make recommendations for additional content with targeted keyword phrases in mind
 Prominence of keywords in content
 Regular updates will bring spiders more often >> higher rankings
 Build
 Spiderability or Indexability
 Site Navigation & Site Map
 Stop Characters
 Title, <H1>, meta and alt tags
 Trim down code
 Off-Page Factors
 Link Popularity
 Quality of Incoming Links (backlinks) e.g. PR4+
 Age of backlinks
 Links in prominent directories (ODP, Yahoo Directory)
 Anchor text of inbound links
 Age of Site

9.  Spiderability
 A measure of if or how well a site can be indexed (or
crawled) by a search engine spider
 Site Navigation
 Site Map
 Splash Pages
 Frames
 A view from a spiders’ eyes
 SE Spider Simulator:
 http://www.webconfs.com/search-engine-spider-simulator.php
 Live Examples
 Seek out victim(s)

10.  Use keywords only once in each tag
 Use unique tags for each page – don’t copy and paste throughout
 Title
 Lead with most important keyword phrase
 8-10 words, or shorter
 Max of 75 characters, including spaces
 Will be used as the search results listing link
 Write titles that serve as an ad campaign
 Heading
 Lead with single most important phrase for that page
 See my site as example
 Meta Description
 Maximum of 150 characters, including spaces
 Will be used to describe site in some SEs search results
 Use to your advantage – treat as an ad
 Alt
 Keep it related to a description of the image
 Live Examples

11. Move JavaScript and CSS to external files
 Moves site content (read keywords) up in the code,
giving them more importance
 Decreases download time for the user
 Decreases download time for the SE spiders
 Makes universal changes easy with edits to only one
document

12.  Encourage your clients to spend time on quality content
development
 Build sites that have the following:
 Text-based navigation
 Site map with a text link to it on every page
 No splash pages
 Contact info on every page
 Design layout that allows for plenty of content
 Use the page titles and other tags to your advantage
 Move css and javascript code to external files
 Don’t build with frames
 Limit the use of flash
 In a re-build, keep pages names the same if possible

13.  Site Traffic
 Log Analysis
 Web Trends
 Tracking Script
 Net Applications
 Information Tracked
 Level of traffic
 Source of traffic
 Changes over time
 Site Rankings
 Web Position
 Specify engines and
phrases
 Shows rankings and
changes over time
 Sample Report

14.  Search Engine Watch (and SearchDay newsletter)
 www.searchenginewatch.com
 Link Popularity Checker
 http://www.linkpopularity.com/
 Yahoo Search Marketing Keyword Tool
 http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/rc/srch/
 Search Engine Spider Simulator
 http://www.webconfs.com/search-engine-spider-simulator.php
 SEMPO
 www.sempo.com
 Google Local (now called Google Maps)
 http://local.google.com/
 Yahoo! Local
 http://listings.local.yahoo.com/
 Online Web Training (certification programs)
 http://www.onlinewebtraining.com/
 Search Engine Visibility (by Shari Thurow)
 http://www.searchenginesbook.com/