Post on 20-Feb-2017
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
“Think Inside the Box”
WINNING AT DIRECT ANSWERS
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
WINNING AT DIRECT ANSWERS
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
• What can you actually do about it?
• What tactics enable you to make the best of the situation?
DIRECT ANSWERS ARE HERE. MORE ARE COMING. DEAL WITH IT.
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
QUICK, EASY FACTS
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
QUICK, EASY FACTS
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
QUICK, EASY FACTS
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
IT’S NO LONGER VIABLE TO BE HIGH-QUALITY AND BITE-SIZED
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
IT’S NO LONGER VIABLE TO HAVE HIGH-QUALITY NON-PROPRIETARY CONTENT
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
IT’S NO LONGER VIABLE TO HAVE HIGH-QUALITY NON-PROPRIETARY CONTENT
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
IT’S NO LONGER VIABLE TO HAVE HIGH-QUALITY NON-PROPRIETARY CONTENT
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
IT’S NO LONGER VIABLE TO HAVE HIGH-QUALITY NON-PROPRIETARY CONTENT
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
BUT WHAT IF I HAVE HIGH-QUALITY, UNIQUE, PROPRIETARY CONTENT?
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
SPOILER ALERT!
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
SPOILER ALERT!
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
THOSE FU*#%RS ARE STEALING PUBLISHERS’ CONTENT!!!!
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
REALITY CHECK
“Take that, Wiki-freakin-pedia!” - John Doe, SEO Director at Britannica.com
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
REALITY CHECK
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
THAT’S MY SERP!
THAT’S MY SERP!
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
THAT’S MY SERP!
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
BETTER FOR USERS, BUT WORSE FOR DIRECT ANSWER BOT
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
FOLLOW THE FORMULA
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
Every direct answer follows a formula. 1. Figure out the formula for the DA you want to appear in. 2. Put your information in that format. 3. Success!
FOLLOW THE FORMULA
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
I CAN DO THAT
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
MOVING TARGET
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
MOVING TARGET
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
MOVING TARGET
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
WEIRD, PRECISE PATTERNS
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
FORM > RELEVANCE
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
FORM > RELEVANCE
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
THINK INSIDE THE BOX
• Clickable direct answers are click magnets.
• CTR on clickable DA is ~2X better than “#1” on a SERP with no DA.
• If you’re “#1” and not in the D.A., it siphons away ½ your traffic.
Monthly traffic to a single page of glassdoor.com
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
SOME DIRECT ANSWERS ENTICE CLICKS BETTER THAN OTHERS
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
GET PICKED • Do good SEO 101 • Match the formula • Avoid unhelpful structure & markup
GET CLICKED • Make it clear that you have more to offer. • What’s the next thing people want to know?
DIRECT ANSWER SEO TACTICS
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
THANK YOU!
SEE YOU @SMX WEST SAN JOSE, CA
MARCH 1-3, 2016
Now hiring SEOs & Product Managers: jobs.glassdoor.com
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
MEGASNIPPET!
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
EXPECT FLUX
• DA is a new technology
• New formats
• Fixing errors
#SMX #22a @ehrenreilly
• DAs disrupt the classic SERP organization.
• Some rank tracking software doesn’t handle them well.
• Possible handling: • DA counted as ordinal 1 • DA counted as ordinal 1 and 2 • DA not treated as an ordinal.
RANK TRACKING WITH DIRECT ANSWERS ON THE SERP