1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – “Advanced“
Georg Seebode
26th
May, 2013

2. Agenda
 WHAT Is SEO and WHY Is SEO Important?
 On-Page Fixes
 The Technical Bit
 Ranking Factors
 Finding The Right Keywords
 Myths and Misconceptions
 Best Practices Breakdown

3. What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)…
… is the simple activity of ensuring a website can be
found in search engines for words and phrases
relevant to what the site is offering
… is divided into two sections: On-Page and Off-Page
Optimization

4.  Today the more accurate description for SEO
is Search Marketing as it also includes:
 SEM (Search Engine Marketing) – PPC Adds,
Banner Advertising, Advertorials
 Social Media Management
But SEO Is So Much More!

5. On-Page Off-PageOn-Page Off-Page
Everything that you edit “on”
your website falls under On-
Page Optimization, such as:
Title Tags
URL
Content
Images
Site Architecture
Coding
Everything that you influence
“off” your website falls under
Off-Page Optimization, such as:
Link Building
Social Networking
Search Engine Submissions
Sitemap Submissions
Guest Blogging
On-Page vs Off-Page

6. SEO Versus SEM

7. SEO Versus SEM

8. Click-Through Rates
Source: seomoz.com

9.  Search engines love it! (makes it easier to
crawl)
 People will find your content
 User Friendly (easier navigation, clean
content)
 Your Competitors are doing it
 More Traffic!
Why Should You Do SEO?

10. Google's Slice of the Pie
In 2012, Google processed over 3 billion searches per day – That’s over 100
billion queries per month!
65%
8%
5%
3%
3%
16%
Global Market Share
Google
Baidu
Yahoo
Yandex
Microso
Others
Source: comScore, searchengineland.com

11. Germany Russia China
Source: comScore, searchenginewatch.com
Know Your Market – Google Isn‘t The Only One Out There

12. Agenda
 WHAT is SEO and WHY is SEO Important?
 On-Page Fixes
 The Technical Bit
 Ranking Factors
 Finding The Right Keywords
 Myths and Misconceptions
 Best Practices Breakdown

13. A Pyramid Scheme That Works
Source: seomoz.com

14. On-Page - The “Perfectly” Optimized Page
An Ideally Optimized Page Should:
Be hyper-relevant to a specific topic (usually a
product or single object)
 Include Keyword in title tag
 Include Keyword in URL
 Include Keyword in the Meta description
 Include Keyword in H1 (Header)
 Include Keyword in image alt text
 Specify Keyword several times throughout
text content
Provide unique content about a given Keyword
Link back to its category page
Link back to its homepage (This is normally
accomplished with an image link showing the
website logo on the top left of a page.)
An Ideally Optimized Page Should:
Be hyper-relevant to a specific topic (usually a
product or single object)
 Include Keyword in title tag
 Include Keyword in URL
 Include Keyword in the Meta description
 Include Keyword in H1 (Header)
 Include Keyword in image alt text
 Specify Keyword several times throughout
text content
Provide unique content about a given Keyword
Link back to its category page
Link back to its homepage (This is normally
accomplished with an image link showing the
website logo on the top left of a page.)
Source: seomoz.com 14

15. Yoast – Wordpress SEO Plugin
Source: yoast.com

16. Title Tag
Max Display Length
Meta Description
Max Display Length
URL
Max Display Length
66-69
Characters
156-158
Characters
72-92
Characters
67-72
Characters
176-184
Characters
91-94
Characters
64-65
Characters
164-190
Characters
65-80
Characters
Recommended <65
Characters
<156
Characters
<65
Characters
Tag Length Recommendations

17.  Filename
 Pick a descriptive filename –preferably with a keyword in it, not the standard
DCIM0001.jpg
 Alt Text
 What is Alt Text? It’s the text that the search engine uses to understand
images. Super Important.
 File Size
 Large files take longer to load, google looks at page load speed. Reduce the
image size as much as possible without sacrificing quality.
 Captions
 While they have no direct impact on rankings (yet), they are quite possibly the
best read piece of content you have.
Image Optimization

18.  Filename: tiny-horse-ears.jpg
 Pick a descriptive filename –preferably
with a keyword in it, not the standard
DCIM0001.jpg
 Alt Text: <img src=”tiny-horse-ears.jog"
alt=”Tiny Horse Ears" />
 The text that google “reads”
 File Size: 70kb
 Large files take longer to load, google
looks at page load speed. Reduce the
image size as much as possible without
sacrificing quality.
 Caption: Those are some tiny horse ears!
 While they have no direct impact on
rankings (yet), they are quite possibly the
best read piece of content you have.
 Filename: tiny-horse-ears.jpg
 Pick a descriptive filename –preferably
with a keyword in it, not the standard
DCIM0001.jpg
 Alt Text: <img src=”tiny-horse-ears.jog"
alt=”Tiny Horse Ears" />
 The text that google “reads”
 File Size: 70kb
 Large files take longer to load, google
looks at page load speed. Reduce the
image size as much as possible without
sacrificing quality.
 Caption: Those are some tiny horse ears!
 While they have no direct impact on
rankings (yet), they are quite possibly the
best read piece of content you have.
Source: digitalcosmonaut.com 18
Image Optimization

19.  WHAT is SEO and WHY is SEO Important?
 On-Page Fixes
 The Technical Bit
 Ranking Factors
 Finding The Right Keywords
 Myths and Misconceptions
 Best Practices Breakdown
Agenda

20.  What are Internal Links?
 Links that go from one page on a domain to a different page on the same domain.
 Why is it important to place Internal Links?
 Allow for easier navigation
 Help establish a hierarchy
 Help spread ranking power around the website
Most importantly by placing internal links you are
Providing a crawlable structure for search engines.
A search engine cant find your page if there is no link
pointing to it.
 How many Internal Links are too many?
 Wont Google think I'm a Link Farm?
Internal Links
Source: seomoz.com

21. Internal Linking Best Practice
 This structure has the minimum
amount of links possible between
the homepage and any give page
 Aids the flow of authority from page
to page, increases ranking potential
 Do not link to all of your pages from
your homepage. Not only does this
diffuse the weight of each individual
link but it will also look incredibly
ugly
 Create Internal Links through
 Navigation Menu
 Categories
 Related Articles
 Text Links (remember to use
targeted keywords)
 This structure has the minimum
amount of links possible between
the homepage and any give page
 Aids the flow of authority from page
to page, increases ranking potential
 Do not link to all of your pages from
your homepage. Not only does this
diffuse the weight of each individual
link but it will also look incredibly
ugly
 Create Internal Links through
 Navigation Menu
 Categories
 Related Articles
 Text Links (remember to use
targeted keywords)
Source: seomoz.com

22. What is a Sitemap and what does it do?
In simple terms, a Sitemap is an XML file that is full of your individual webpage’s URLs. It’s like
an archive of every webpage in your website.
A Sitemap is usually used for the purpose of letting the search engine crawlers follow the links
to all your individual webpages so that it won’t miss out on anything.
You can also use Sitemaps to provide Google with metadata about specific types of content on
your site, including video, images, and News.
Sitemaps
Source: seo-hacker.com

23.  Creating a sitemap will give search engines a “blueprint” and will make it a
lot easier for them to crawl your site. Search engines should see all the
pages that you want them to see. The more pages that they index from
you, the more trust your site gains. It only means that your website has
more information to offer.
 So what else can you do with your sitemap? You can Submit it!
 It will get your content indexed faster -> directly telling google about
your fresh content.
 How do you submit?
 For Google: Through Google Webmaster Tools
 Don’t forget to submit to Bing as well!
Why Create a Sitemap – and What To Do With It?

24.  404 is the most recognizable HTTP Statuscode
 But there's more than just 404 error codes – there are 5 different categories for
response status codes
 1xx – Informational (Neutral)
 2xx – Success (Good)
 3xx – Redirection (Neutral Good)
 4xx - Client Error (Bad -> Your fault)
 5xx – Server Error (Bad – Maybe not your fault)
 So why should we pay attention to the 404s?
 Easy to Fix
 Google Hates Dead links
 Dead Links are not user friendly
 Dead Links affect your conversion rate
 Dead Links stop Search Engine Crawlers
Dead Links aka The 404s and Why They Matter
Source: lvldoom.blogspot.com

25. Finding the 404s – Google Webmaster Tools

26. Finding the 404s – Screaming Frog

27.  WHAT is SEO and WHY is SEO Important?
 On-Page Fixes
 The Technical Bit
 Ranking Factors
 Finding The Right Keywords
 Myths and Misconceptions
 Best Practices Breakdown
Agenda

28. How Do Search Engines Work?
 Google Constantly updates its algorithm, roughly 500-600 times a
year – taking into account different factors from site to your social
connections
 These algorithm changes happen to ensure that the user finds the
right content.
 Despite all the changes, when a user types in a query, the results
are are still based on relevance and importance
Relevance = Topic/Content
Importance = Links
 So in theory the statement “the more links pointing to a website,
the better it ranks” is still valid?
 Well yes and no. Mostly No.

29. Ranking Factors
Source: seomoz.com
 Trust / Authority of the Domain
 Link Popularity of a specific page
 Anchor Text of External Links to
the Page
 On-Page keyword usage
 Hosting Data
 Uptime/downtime, site speed,
location
 Traffic
 Click trough rates, bounce rates
 Social Graph Metrics
 Trust / Authority of the Domain
 Link Popularity of a specific page
 Anchor Text of External Links to
the Page
 On-Page keyword usage
 Hosting Data
 Uptime/downtime, site speed,
location
 Traffic
 Click trough rates, bounce rates
 Social Graph Metrics

30. Additional Ranking Factors
Source: searchengineland.com

31.  WHAT is SEO and WHY is SEO Important?
 On-Page Fixes
 The Technical Bit
 Ranking Factors
 Finding The Right Keywords
 Myths and Misconceptions
 Best Practices Breakdown
Agenda

32.  Best starting point is to look in your Analytics
 How are people finding your content, what are people looking for on your site
 What are your competitors ranking for?
 Expand on existing keywords
 Who is your target audience?
 Finding new Keywords and Analyzing Demand
 Google Adwords’ Keyword Tool
 Google Trends
 Google Search Suggest
 Microsoft Advertising Intelligence
 Don’t Forget Mobile Users!
 More prone to short head
 Different type of Search, more action and location based - [keyword + “nearby”] (where, when,
how)
 Understand who or what you are up against
 Understand the demand for a certain phrase or keyword
 Assess the work required to achieve those rankings
Finding The Right Keywords

33.  Have a look at your analytics – what keywords did people use to get to your site?
 Ask yourself – is this keyword relevant to your website?
 Will people find what they are looking for when they search for this keyword
on your site?
 Will they be satisfied with what they find?
 Google it!
 Who else ranks for this Keyword? Lots of competition = harder to rank for it
 Ads are a good indication if the keyword is valuable. If people will spend
money on advertising -> its worth ranking for.
 Try out some Ads!
 If you dont already rank for the keyword – run a small ad campagin and see
how your content converts. (track impressions and conversion rate over the
course of at least 2-300 clicks)
Assessing the Value of a Keyword

34.  What are Long Tail Keywords?
 Keyword Phrases consisting of 3 or more keywords
 Why Should you care?
 70% of searches go for long tail keywords
 Short Head (single keywords) are more
generic, Long Tail Keywords are specific
 Targeted Traffic
 Less Competition
 Better Conversion
Longtail Keywords
Source: Experian Hitwise, seomoz.com

35. Diversifying Your Keywords
 Always include variations of keywords
 Plurals (widgets, churches, shoes, recipes)
 Synonyms (cruise, sail, journey, tour)
 Stems (fish, fishing)
 International spelling differences (Harbor /Harbour)
 Typos
 Use keywords
 That are being searched for
 That target your audience
 That have medium to low competition
 That you can build quality content that site visitors will appreciate

36. Agenda
 WHAT is SEO and WHY is SEO Important?
 On-Page Fixes
 The Technical Bit
 Ranking Factors
 Finding The Right Keywords
 Myths and Misconceptions
 Best Practices Breakdown

37. SEO Myths and Missconceptions
 SEO is a one time job
 Google doesn’t like SEO
 The more times you repeat the keyword within the page,
the higher it will rank
 The more links you have coming to your website, the better
 Meta tag keywords matter
 Spending money on Google AdWords boosts your rankings
 Great Content = Great Rankings

38. Agenda
 WHAT is SEO and WHY is SEO Important?
 On-Page Fixes
 The Technical Bit
 Ranking Factors
 Finding The Right Keywords
 Myths and Misconceptions
 Best Practices Breakdown

39. Best Practices and Quick Fixes
On-Page
 Optimize:
 Title and Meta Description
 URL
 H1
 Content
 Images
 Create:
 Sitemap
 Research Keywords
 Google Analytics
 Google Trends
 Google Adwords
 Synonyms, Plurals, Typos
Off-Page
 Build Quality Links and Connections
 Blog Comments
 Guest Posts
 Blogroll
 Create Shareable content
 Make sure Anchortexts are used
 Find the Networks which work best with
your audience
 Submit your sitemap to Google and Bing
 Google Authorship
 Link your G+ Account with your blog
 Be an active member and get shared
into circles

40. Questions?

41.  Wordpress SEO by Yoast
 The best SEO Plugin for wordpress. (Free)
 Opensiteexplorer.com
 Online Tool, checks the Authority and Quality of a Website (Free)
 Google's Keyword Tool - Google Adwords
 Ideal for Keyword Research (Free)
 Google Analytics
 Analytical Web Monitoring (Free)
 Google Webmastertools
 check indexing status and optimize visibility of your website (Free)
Tools and Plugins

42. • Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide - Google
 Google's SEO Guidelines
• Searche Engine Land
 The Periodic Table Of SEO Ranking Factors
 LocalVox
 Video SEO Guideline
 Ninja-Creative
 What is AuthorRank?
 MajesticBlog
 SEO Backlink Best Practices White Paper
 Search Engine Land
 How To Do Mobile Keyword Research In 2013
 distilled.net
 Tracking Mobile Visitors in Google Analytics
Recommended Reading

43. THANK YOU FOR YOUR
ATTENTION!

44.  Social Media plays an ever growing role in SEO
 Google takes “social signals” into account
 Tweets, Likes, Shares and +1s are only getting more
important.
 Pick your battles – Focus on the Networks which
bring you the most traffic and explore new
possibilities.
 Better to excel in 3 networks than to neglect and fail
in 5 of them.
Social Media and SEO

45.  Despite the negative rumors G+ is steadily growing
 Authorship: G+ offers that you link your Site with
your G+ Profile
 Author Rank: Another way to determine how good
your content is.
Google+ - More Than Just A Facebook Alternative

46.  Higher click through rates
 More people click on your link
 Higher visibility
 Your Content Stands out
 Higher page views
 More of your content will
come up
 Establish authority
 Create a visible public
reputation
 Build trust
 Readers know you provide
quality content
 Higher click through rates
 More people click on your link
 Higher visibility
 Your Content Stands out
 Higher page views
 More of your content will
come up
 Establish authority
 Create a visible public
reputation
 Build trust
 Readers know you provide
quality content
The Benefits of G+ Authorship