This document provides tips for driving traffic to websites and increasing conversions. It recommends optimizing websites for search engines through on-site SEO like using targeted keywords and off-site SEO like building backlinks. It also suggests using paid search advertising and being active on social media to connect with potential customers and help search engines find websites. Finally, it discusses ways to generate leads once visitors arrive on a website and identifies common reasons why people convert or don't convert into customers.
7. KEYWORDS: DIGITAL DNA
keywords +
relevance +
Imagine what people use to search
Be specific; use 2-3 word phrases
location +
personalization +
inbound links
= Rank
200+ parameters
.com
.org
Keyword Planner google.com/adwords
youtube.com/keyword_tool
8. HUMMINGBIRD
•
•
•
Pages matching meaning do
better than pages matching a
few words.
More about “answers” than
“results” -- how, why, where,
when in search phrases matter
Search via mobile and voice is
being taken into account.
•
Google Analytics not showing
keyword results anymore.
•
Breadth of websites measured
by number of pages receiving
organic referrals.
•
Niche websites should be able
to gain a higher page ranking
Sources: The Telegraph, Search Engine Land
9. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
Be where your potential customers are
Say things they care about to attract & engage
15. 1. Clearly ID your USP and become an authority
2. Provide answers to questions people are really
seeking through search; will reduce bounce rate
3. Create quality, engaging, shareable, linkable
information on different entry pages
4. Content needs to be shared across social
networks through influencers
5. Mobilize your site
16. ON-SITE: BACK
DESCRIPTION
META TAG
No effect on the ranking of
your site in search engines
It is displayed in SERP; more
likely to be clicked
Do not spam full of
keywords; will have a
negative effect
17. CHECKLIST
Where
Frequency & Relevance
URLs
Repeat keywords 2-3x’s, but don’t “stuff ”
Meta title (each page)
Natural language
Meta description (ea pg)
Text, not graphic
Page headers (H1, H2’s)
Intro paragraph
Different forms:
ing, s, ed, etc.
Image alt and title tags
Short, attractive: like newspaper headlines
Link text
Place forms, tables and java script near bottom
18. ALT TAGS FOR IMAGES
WHY?
• Text-only browsers
• Accessible browsers
• Mobile browsers
• Search engine image search
“Building on the water”
<img src="building.gif" alt="Building on the water">
22. CREATE A
SITEMAP
• Tells Google about pages on your site
• Sitemap protocol: same file can be
submitted to other search engines
• Verify on Webmaster Tools
http://code.google.com/p/sitemap-generators/wiki/SitemapGenerators
23. SEM: STEP 3
20% OF SEARCHES
ON GOOGLE ARE
RELATED TO
LOCATION
www.google.com/places/
aka Google+ Local
Hide your address if you don’t
want to show your location
24. SEARCH ADVERTISING: PPC
It’s getting harder to rank organically
Paid sea
rch
traffic re
sults in h
igher
conver s
io
ecomme n to
rce sites
25. CONTEXTUAL & BEHAVIORAL
•
Ads placed based on keywords/content of a webpage or by channel
•
Behavioral targeting: actions, visits, frequency determine ads to serve
•
Buy search by ZIP code (Google)
27. LANDING PAGES
One Call to Action, Not Part of Main Navigation
Link from ads, SM, etc.
Connect
keywords, ads,
landing page copy
and your business
Build your own or use something like:
28. ANSWER QUESTIONS
•
Follow Yahoo! Answers,
LinkedIn Answers, Quora, etc.
to figure out unanswered
questions
•
Create a page that answers that
question
•
Every time it comes up, send
people to that page
29. A
B
C
D
G
H
Your
Website
E
F
Get found from related sites
Get known in your industry: “halo effect”
Backlinks: a primary driver of rankings
Search engines “informed” by social data
LINK JUICE
(BACKLINKS)
30. LINKBAIT AKA CONTENT
•
Content on your website that other
websites want to link to...
•
...and people want to share
•
Regularly publish fresh and interesting
content; useful, interesting,
opinionated...
•
...blog posts, articles, resource pages,
tools, widgets, polls, surveys, contests,
podcasts, white papers, eBooks,
images, infographics, audio/video
•
Make it easy to share with buttons
and links
32. THE SOCIAL CONNECTION
Choose the Right
Places for Links
Create Content by
Being Social
Search Engines Find It
(spiders and bots,
oh my)
Attract, engage, share
•
Listings from social connections are often given higher importance
•
Specific to the person searching
•
Google incorporates Google+ social data and user profiles in SERPs
•
Requires individual to connect Google account to social account
33. FIND LINK OPPORTUNITIES
Do a search
using keywords
Related Sites
Link with
“referrers” from
analytics
Competitors’ sites, industry associations, neighborhood groups,
directories, online publications, online groups (i.e., Google Groups,
vendor sites, social sites)
38. WHY PEOPLE CONVERT
•
USP
•
•
Differentiators: shop like your
customer
Frictionless shopping
experience
•
They can buy the way they
want to: view, select, quantity
and pay
•
Merchandising
•
Trust, clear returns policy,
reassurance logos
•
Likability
•
Value adds: green
Average Conversion Rates
39. IDENTIFY YOUR WEAKNESSES
Weak Links
Investigative Tools
Qualified prospects?
Homepage
Product pages
Checkout pages
“Order Confirmation” page
Phone/selling skills
etc.
Analytics and ecomm reporting
A/B testing
Live usability tests
Customer surveys
Live Chat
(what non-buyers have to say)
40. WEBSITE REC’S
1. Proper ecommerce software
2. Test products versions and
packaging
3. Test payment options: onemonth free trial, buy one/ get
one free, installments, etc.
4. Include content that increases
conversion; remove content
that doesn’t
5. Test product images (what
affects conversion): product
being used -- even better,
perceived role model; result of
using product; happy
customers holding product
6. Captions, call-outs,
testimonials, zoom
42. LEARN MORE ABOUT
SEARCH ENGINES
Google.com/insidesearch/
Blockbeta.com/guides
SearchEngineWatch.com
SearchEngineLand.com
Test your site with PluginSEO.com
