1. Welcome
AMA Atlanta Marketing Series:
SEO 101

2. Stephanie Wallace
Senior Director, SEO
Nebo Agency
Stephanie helps clients navigate the ever-changing
world of SEO by understanding their audience and
creating a digital experience that both the user and
Google can appreciate. She oversees strategic
planning, development, and implementation of all
search engine optimization campaigns. During her
tenure with Nebo, Stephanie has worked with a
wide range of brands in different verticals, such as
Georgia Tech, Gas South, Arrow Exterminators, Post
Properties and Belgard.
AMA Atlanta Marketing Series: SEO 101

3. Search Engine Optimization 101

4. Introductions
What is SEO?
History of SEO
How Search Engines Work
Best Practices
Process
Emerging Trends
Agenda

5. Welcome &
Introductions

6. About Me

7. Senior Director, Search Engine Optimization
at Nebo
• Career agency marketer
• Human centered approach
• Download the presentation:
http://bit.ly/2omMXJ7
• Twitter: @SWallaceSEO
Stephanie Wallace

9. Human-Centered Digital Experiences

10. Buyer Journey Marketing Campaigns

11. What is SEO?

12. SEO is the process of
optimizing a website to
appear higher, naturally in the
search engine results pages
There are three primary
tenets:
• On-Page
• Technical
• Off-Page
What is SEO?

14. SEO allows people to find your
product or service in the organic
search results.
SEO is sustainable and helps
your business grow, allowing
you to efficiently reach existing
and new audiences.
Why is SEO Important?

15. The History of SEO

16. Ranking Factors

20. It was easy to game the
system.

23. What did this lead to?

28. Search engines had to
change.

32. SEO has evolved.

33. What’s worked in the
past…

34. Doesn’t anymore.

37. It’s a new world.

38. With a new buyer journey.

39. Modern Buyer Journey

41. Over 3.5 billion searches
per day on Google.

42. of business
purchases start
with search
92%

43. 3%
of all clicks in
Google go to
ads

44. of searches
result in an
organic click
62%

45. Google’s goal?

46. RELEVANCE.

48. How Search Engines Work

49. Crawling & Indexing

50. Google’s priority is
relevance and providing
the best answer for the
user.
The more popular and
relevant a site, the more
valuable the information
must be.
Providing Answers

51. Ranking Factors
Google evaluates over 200 ranking factors, each
weighted differently.

52. SEO Best Practices

53. On-page SEO focuses on optimizing the content and semantic
markup of the site based on keyword themes that convey
relevance and authority.
Unique Metadata
Bot Accessible
Shareable
Accessible Across
Devices
Keyword Optimized
Unique & Valuable
Optimized Pages
On-Page SEO Best Practices

54. Technical SEO ensures
there is a sound technical
foundation in place so that
the site is easily crawlable
and accessible to search
engines.
Indexation is paramount to
ensuring success of SEO
campaigns.
Technical SEO Best Practices

55. Every link or reference
online counts as an
endorsement for your
website or brand.
Off-page SEO is the process
of generating quality and
relevant endorsements that
lead to a greater perceived
authority.
Off-Page SEO Best Practices
Your Site

56. What’s with “best
practices”?

57. Search engines change…

58. A LOT.

59. What should work doesn’t
always work.

60. SEO is constantly
evolving.

61. RELEVANCE
is paramount.

62. Questions?

63. Process

64. On-Page SEO

65. Keyword Research
The goal is to rank for the
appropriate terms that will
drive qualified traffic.
Identify appropriate
keyword themes based on
what your target audience is
searching for, user intent and
competition.

66. Audience Language
Keyword themes should be determined based on the language
used by your target audience and research on preferred phrasing
in search engines.

67. Query Intent
In addition to understanding the variations in user language, it is
important to consider the way a search engine determines the
intent behind a query.
“what is SEO” “SEO agency”

68. Long Tail Keywords
Long tail keywords have
lower average search
volume, however, in
aggregate, these long tail
keywords typically
account for 70% of
searches and are an
important component of
a keyword strategy.

69. Balance Volume & Intent
Rather than simply build a keyword map around the phrases with
the most searches, Nebo crafts keyword strategies to speak to
users at each phase of the buyer journey.
Keyword Monthly Volume Intent
digital marketing agency 22,200 low
seo agency atlanta 140 medium
nebo agency 80 high

70. Keyword Mapping
Based on these qualitative assessments of user intent and
language, coupled with analysis of search engine results pages
(SERPs), keywords are mapped to pages and sections of the
website.
Keyword Theme:
Homepage
Nebo Brand Terms
Digital Marketing Agency Terms
Human-Centered Terms

71. Keyword Mapping
Based on these qualitative assessments of user intent and
language, coupled with analysis of search engine results pages
(SERPs), keywords are mapped to pages and sections of the
website.

72. Metadata
Using the defined keyword themes craft optimized and unique
metadata to describe each page on the site.

73. Metadata: Title Tags
The title tag is the most important on-page SEO factor and is used
in search engine results pages to display the page title.
Google displays approximately 50-60 characters or 512 pixels.
Code Sample
Optimal Format

74. Metadata: Description
Meta descriptions, while not a direct ranking factor, are extremely
important at driving click-throughs from organic search results.
Code Sample
Optimal Format

75. On-Page Content
Create relevant site content
that provides value while
reinforcing keyword
themes.
Leverage appropriate
content markup such as
Headlines (H1, H2, etc.) and
image alt tags.

76. Unique Metadata Bot Accessible
Shareable
Accessible Across
Devices
Keyword Optimized
Unique & Valuable
Optimized Pages
On-Page Content

77. On-Page Checklist
• Use descriptive, clean and
short URLs
• Leverage priority
keywords in title tag
• Leverage H1 tag on page
title
• Leverage meta
descriptions on priority
pages
• Create unique & valuable
content
• Optimize subheadings
with H2, H3, etc. tags
• Leverage internal links to
relevant pages
• Utilize image alt tags
• Utilize social sharing
buttons as appropriate

78. On-Page Research Tools
Google AdWords Keyword Tool
Google Trends
KeywordTool.io
Answer the Public
Soovle
Ubersuggest Keyword Tool
AHREFs

79. Technical SEO

80. Technical Considerations
When search engines can't
effectively crawl a website
and access relevant content,
rankings suffer.
Ensuring optimal crawlability
& indexation is an ongoing
effort.

81. Crawlability
It is imperative that a website can be crawled by search engine
robots and that valuable content is accessible to users.
Creating internal linking structures and an appropriate hierarchy
will ensure your website fully indexed by search engines.

82. Indexation
Which one is the
original one??
Search engines are primarily
concerned with the quality of
the pages they are evaluating.
Identify any duplicate or
extremely similar content being
indexed.
Any page that offers no value
add for the user should not be
indexed.

83. Identify Low Quality Pages
Most often website owners do
not intentionally create
duplicate content.
However, some common causes
of duplicate content include:
• URL Variations (such as
parameters)
• HTTP vs. HTTPS
• Scraped or Copied Content

84. User Experience
As search engines evolve they are constantly placing an
increased emphasis on engagement metrics as a ranking factor
that may impact the performance of a site.
User
Experience
Usability
Value
Credibility
Accessibility
Desirable
Functionality
Design

85. Additional Considerations
• Robots.txt File
• HTML Sitemap
• XML Sitemap
• HTTPS Protocol
• Page Speed
• Structured Data Markup
• Meta Robots Tags
• Canonical Tags
If I can’t find or access a
page then it will not be
indexed and users cannot
find it organically.
Blocked via Robots.txt

86. Technical Checklist
• Check Google’s index with
site:domain.com
• Ensure important
resources are crawlable
• Remove duplicate pages
• Prevent indexation of low
quality pages
• Utilize secure protocols
whenever possible
• Correct broken links
• Remove internal redirects
• Keep sitemaps up to date
• Ensure there are no
orphan pages
• Optimize page speed
• Optimize for mobile users
• Always use 301-redirects

87. Technical Optimization Tools
Screaming Frog
Google Search Console
Structured Data Testing Tool
Schema.org
Bing Webmaster Tools

88. Off-Page SEO

89. Off-Page Strategy
The more quality, relevant links and references a website receives
the more authoritative they are perceived by search engines.

90. The goal is to increase domain authority and digital visibility by
gaining quality off-page references.
The focus should be on building authentic relationships with
consumers and positioning your brand as a thought leader.
Building Domain Authority

91. Strategies & Tactics
Off-
Page
SEO
Content
Marketing
Blog
Video
Assets
Public
Relations
Social
Media
Online
Reviews
Local
Listings

92. Boost online presence with
local optimization on site,
local business listings, and
reviews & ratings.
Local listings should
reinforce name, address and
phone number in order to
help search engines
understand local relevance.
Local SEO

93. Off-Page Checklist
• Do an inbound link audit
of your site to check for
spam
• Review competitor link
acquisition strategies
• Research existing inbound
links to discover proven
tactics
• Integrate with internal PR
efforts
• Evaluate events,
conferences, trade shows,
etc. for opportunities
• Research company
partnerships that may be
leveraged online

94. Off-Page Optimization Tools
AHREFs
Open Site Explorer
Majestic
SEMrush
Search Operator - link:yourdomain.com

95. And that…

97. Questions?

98. Emerging Trends

99. Mobile First Index
Google is testing a mobile first index now, with plans to launch the mobile
first index in 2017.
This is not a second index, but a different approach to indexation entirely.
There will no longer be “mobile friendly” adjustments done just for
mobile users.

100. Knowledge Graph
Google’s Knowledge Graph
serves as a way to directly
answer a question without
forcing a user to click through
to a website.
Knowledge Graph results are
increasingly prevalent with
instant answers, people also
ask boxes, list carousels, brand
panels and disambiguation
boxes.

101. Optimizing for Voice Search
A featured snippet — also
known as a "direct answer" —
is a summary answer to a
searcher's question that
Google shows in a special
block at the top of its SERP.
In response to voice searches
Google often reads the answer
starting with, “According to
[Your Site Name]” - creating a
huge branding opportunity.

102. Accelerated Mobile Pages
After wide-spread adoption,
Google will be integrating AMP
into the primary search results
pages.
AMP design and compatibility
should be a consideration, at
least for specific sections of a
website, if organic traffic from
Google represents a significant
amount of total visits.

103. Progressive Web Apps
Progressive Web Apps are
user experiences that have the
reach of the web, and are
reliable, fast and engaging.
They use modern web
capabilities to deliver an app-
like user experience.
This new level of quality
allows PWAs to earn a place
on a user's home screen.

104. Essential Tools

105. Google Analytics

106. Screaming Frog

107. Search Console

108. Keyword Planner

109. AHREFs

110. Questions?

111. Thank You
To learn more or for any questions, please contact:
Stephanie Wallace
Senior Director, Search Engine Optimization
404.885.1201
swallace@neboagency.com