SMX West 2014: The Best of the Best Takeaways - Part Deuce

Takeaways
The
Part Deuce
Created by @Matt_Dimock of .

 Social
 Linking
 Mobile
 SEO
 Food for Thought

“Create a Google+ account so you can setup authorship.
Doesn't mean you have to use it.”
- Danny Sullivan

“Don't focus so much on creating endless streams of content
on Google Plus Local.”
- Adam Dorfman

“Customize your Google+ page. Use a banner, images & video to
differentiate yourself from competitors.”
- Adam Dorfman

“Google+ description doesn't impact rankings much, but great for
driving funneled traffic to landing pages.”
- Adam Dorfman

“Use the Open Graph Metabox WordPress plugin to customize how
blog posts display on social platforms.”
- Greg Gifford

“If you buy links, just make sure we are aware of it.”
“The computers NEVER forget.”
- Duane Forrester

Q: “Should I proactively disavow bad links?”•
A: “Yes, if there is a worrisome amount. Disavow at domain level.”
Q: “Can you show all bad links in GWT so we can disavow bad ones?
A: “No, but we give you 100,000 links to review.”•
- Matt Cutts

“People should be thinking about mobile first.
We'll be more likely to show mobile search errors.”
Q: “What is mobile friendly?”•
A: “There are different good strategies.
But DON'T redirect all pages to the home page!”•
Q: “Will mobile site ranking impact desktop rankings?”•
A: “Not likely.
- Matt Cutts

Understanding Hummingbird
“Google is trying to understand the intent,
context and entities of a search.”
- Marcus Tober
Hummingbird is about three things:
1. Contextual search
2. Conversational search
3. Semantic search

Example of Contextual Search

Example of Conversational Search

Example of Semantic Search

Understanding Hummingbird
• Pre-Hummingbird, 4/10 ranking pages matched
for semantic searches. Post-Hummingbird: 9/10.
• As a result, # of unique domains dropping week by week.
• There was no increase to knowledge graph integrations.
• Hummingbird is a work in progress.

Hummingbird Tips
• Incorporate Google Instant suggestions within
your content.
• Write conversational content!
• Consider an FAQ page.

Understanding Schema
“You should include structured data on your website to
capitalize on rich snippets.”
- Janet Miller

Types of Schema
• Creative Works
• Embedded non-text objects
• Organization
• Event
• Person
• Local Business
• Product
• Review

Schema Tips
• Only use what’s relevant to your business.
• Use video schema
• Use aggregated
reviews schema

Understanding Local SEO
“Create iconic pieces of content
that are locally targeted!”
“Blog about your community
on your local landing pages;
don't be vain!”
- Greg Gifford

Local SEO Tips
• Easiest way to identify a Google Places page: look for a map.
• No custom categories = sucks for niche businesses.

Local SEO Tips
• Dot your i‘s and cross your t’s.
• Great local aggregator tools:
• Localeze
• Info USA
• Acxiom
• Using geographic modifier in Google Places listing = OK!

Local SEO Tips
• If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.
• Google states not to manually merge Google Plus/Places.
• Use consistent themes for local listings.
• Apple Maps reaches 23% of smartphone users.
• Google Places = highest priority for directory building.

Local SEO Tips
• Prioritize directory building (quality 1st, suckiest 2nd):
• Yext
• Moz Local
• Bing Local = easiest directory to claim.
• Yahoo Local = hardest directory to claim.
• Email YP support for directory verification help.

Local SEO Tips
• Only pay for enhanced listings on Yelp as test pilot.
• Maintain consistent NAP & use company e-mail.
• Capitalize on Barnacle SEO!
• Vertical directories are ranking very well recently.
• Use City, ST in content, URL, metas & alt tags

Local SEO Tips
• Embed a Google Map.
• Toll free call tracking #’s =
BAD for SEO.
• Local call tracking #’s =
OK for SEO.
• Sponsor local events & create
local event guides.

Local SEO Tips
• Create a local resource directory.
• Build links to local landing pages.
• Build directories within your niche.
• Rebranding your local business will be a huge endeavor.
• Threshold for # of reviews needed to rank well.

Local SEO Tips
“If you want to kick @$$, and you’re all out of bubblegum,
you have to build citations.”
- Greg Gifford

Local SEO Tips
• Unstructured citations still count!
• Clean up citations & expect big results.
• Local SEO tools:
• Whitespark
• BrightLocal
• PlacesScout

Q&A with Matt Cutts
Q: “Will new TLD domains
influence better rankings?”•.
A: “No.”•
Q: “Is filtering out hack sites a priority?”•.
A: “Very important priority. Helping people identify via GWT.”
Q: "Are Penguin updates on a 6 month refresh interval?”•.
A: “It depends on what we have in the works, but yeah.”

Q&A with Matt Cutts
“If you got hacked and repaired it,
it should not affect your rankings
for long term.”•
Q: “Can iFrames be read?”•
A: “They can.”
Q: “When will you update the
Google Webmaster Tools keyword data?”•
A: “It's on the list. Not sure when.”

Q&A with Matt Cutts
Q: “Is there AuthorRank?”•
A: “ AuthorRank is used in one way:
in-depth articles!”
Q: “Do we need to be worried about
negative SEO?”•
A: “I don't think so. We try to make sure our algorithms are
negative SEO resistant.”
“We're also working on the next generation of Panda. DON'T
PANIC! It'll appear more fierce to a small %.”•

Q&A with Matt Cutts
“Some themes Google will be
working on this year:
mobile, SSL and JavaScript.”
“We're looking at revamping
Webmaster Academy.”
“Don't just talk about recent events. Put it into context. Give
historical insight!”
•

Q&A with Matt Cutts
Q: “How do you prioritize your
marketing efforts?”
• Content
• Usability
• Social Media
• Link Building
• SEO

“The measurement of successful SEO has changed.•
Stop relying on just ranking reports!”
- Janet Miller
“If your traffic for IE8 looks like it drops for a few weeks, don't panic.
It'll only be temporary.”
- Matt Cutts
“We are at the end of stupid for this industry.”
- Brian Clark
“It's not just our jobs to setup the sites and walk away.”
- Justin Sanger

“Data has got to become a bigger part of our jobs.”
- Unknown
“2/3 of sales require more than one click for completion.”
- Brad Geddes
“Panda updates daily behind the scenes;
Penguin about every 6 months.”
&
“Unblock your CSS files so Google can properly crawl your site.”
- Matt Cutts

Have Questions?
Are you a local
contractor looking to
increase your leads?
Call
(800) 727-3920

SMX West 2014: The Best of the Best Takeaways - Part Deuce

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SMX West 2014: The Best of the Best Takeaways - Part Deuce