Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine ......2020/06/17  · Digital Marketing: Best...

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Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Customers are searching, but not finding what your business has to offer. Let’s talk about how to fix that. Image. Search Engine Land: 1 August 2018, https://searchengineland.com/survey-seo-rated-the-least-popular-digital-marketing-channel-302918 1

Transcript of Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine ......2020/06/17  · Digital Marketing: Best...

Page 1: Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine ......2020/06/17  · Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Customers are searching, but not finding

Digital Marketing Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Customers are searching but not finding what your business has to offer Letrsquos talk about how to fix that

Image Search Engine Land 1 August 2018 httpssearchenginelandcomsurvey-seo-rated-the-least-popular-digital-marketing-channel-3029181

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG - Thank you Nolan and thanks to all of you for joining us 13Today Michelle and I want to help you understand the basics on what it takes to make your website a sales lead magnet 13 Im encouraging questions on the fly to help compensate for lack of body language in an online presentation that would normally give us instant feedback regarding our pace and content level When you have questions please use the Zoom chat feature and Stephanie or Nolan will intervene as appropriate13You are also welcome to contact us after the forum to clarify any points you wish to discuss1313First a little about us 1313Next slide please13

Introduction

bull 20 years ago - visionbull 6 years ago - actualizedbull Today ndash gratification of helping businesses grow

2

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash About 6 years ago Michelle and I rediscovered each other when I was ready to implement a vision from 20 years ago That vision was to help bring businesses up to speed with internet technologies Michelle was just wrapping up her Masterrsquos degree in internet marketing and I was in a job transition 13I had the education and experience to optimize website content for industrial firms I also had a fascination for analytics Michelle had the experience and education to handle everything else including teaching me analytics so we met did our marketing research confirmed a market for our services and launched our firm 1313As we took on new clients we discovered that all lacked SEO best practices This was a perplexing since there are plenty of guidelines and tools to get it right yet even reputable development firms were not implementing SEO for their clients Then it struck us all those clients did not know to hire a marketing firm that specializes in SEO We will talk more about that in this presentation1313This presentation is to help give your business a competitive advantage by providing direction on how SEO works to get the right people to your website as well as how to convince users that you are the one and contact you to supply their needs 13 13We are honored to have the opportunity to help you grow your business Now lets get our arms around the goal of SEO 13Next slide please

Goal of SEO

SEOs goal ndash drive more higher quality qualified sales leads to your website to grow your business and provide a superior user experience

3

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash You have a viable service and people want to find you Google tries to pull those two factors together as a your matchmaker Sounds simple enough1313Unfortunately Internet search promotional campaigns and interactions via social media and the like are complicated and confusing and as a result many business owners expectations fall short of what is possible within their budget What you will learn today will help you know what to expect regarding the marketing side of your website1313SEO when done correctly will give users a superior search experience generate qualified leads erode your competitors market share and have an everlasting impact on your investment 1313SEO is not a fix all so we will also address closely related factors that will maximize performance of your lead generating machine13Lets talk about how it works and raise your expectations13Next slide please13

How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans

httpsmeadowfoamcom4

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG 13Lets look at communicating with humans website usability and communicating with search engines 1313First the human side We are using Meadowfoamcom as an example They make ingredients that cosmetic manufacturers need when formulating products So lets view this website through the eyes of a cosmetics formulator or scientist seeking the best ingredients for a new product1313Nolan can you click on the link please1313Michelle what makes this home page a good model for our audience13MH13Itrsquos visually appealing13It has a human element13It clearly tells who they are what they do and who they do it for13It provides easy navigation links to discover more information1313 Nolan please return to our presentation and go to the next slide please13

How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google

view-sourcehttpsmeadowfoamcom5

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG This is the back-side of the page we just looked at showing codes that talk to Google Its not in a language we understand so what is this stuff about1313Google is an artificial intelligence system that does not understand human language without lots of guidance For example only humans can understand context or images Internet founders implemented HTML codes to help search engines understand human language including visual aspects of a website 13As with humans we must communicate with search engines in their language or they will take their best guess13Just a simple typo in the code is all it takes to throw search engines off track and we often see that happen 1313Now we are going to get into the nuts and bolts of SEO with Michelle 1313Next slide please13

SEO Findability and Usability

Keywords

bull Begin every SEO project with a keyword study

bull Keywords serve as your content roadmap

6

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash Keith and I take the approach to SEO as building relationships with the user (usability) and the search engine (findability) Usability focuses on creating the optimal user experience and findability the optimal search engine experience Together they are the keys to improving your search engine rankings in the effort to drive qualified leads to your website 1313As I go through the next slides we will explore the important elements of findability and usability but first I want to briefly touch on keywords and content I say briefly because each of these topics could be the subject of their own webinar but are highly relevant to this presentation 1313Every SEO project should begin with a keyword study This helps to ensure you optimize your site with the words and phrases people actually use to find and talk about your products and services13Keywords can serve as your sitersquos content roadmap1313Next slide please

7

Content

bull Focused on one conceptbull Uses your customers

languagebull Provides clear paths to

addition information bull Leads user to a desired

outcome

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313Content is why you have a website ndash you use content to tell your story sell your service or your product Itrsquos always important to write your content for the user not the search engine 1313Each page on your site should use content that is highly focused on one concept This is where your keyword roadmap comes into play Keywords help focus page content 13Each page should speak the language of your customer Yoursquove already done your keyword research so you know your ideal customerrsquos keywords and phrases which means you know how they think and speak about your products and services ndash use that language to construct page content13Use your content to provide clear paths to more information13And always lead the user to your desired outcome 1313This page on the Natural Plant Products site is a good example ndash it is highly focused provides clear links to more information and leads the user to take action1313Now that we have our content in place we need to drive users to your site ndash this is where findability comes into play1313Next slide please13

Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships

8

Metadata Tags

Backlinks

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash 1313Findability is creating a map for the search engine to crawl (or find) your site When the search engine crawls your site they decide what they site is about Then they index that information or file it into their database1313When a searcher enters their keyword search the search engine for the purpose of our presentation we will use Google as our search engine example searches their indexed database for webpages that are relevant to the searchers inquiry and then serve up those pages on a search results page 1313The order in which they serve the results are based on how they rank each indexed webpage for relevancy to those keywords 1313The goal of your SEO project is to rank on page 1 on a search results page So how do you achieve that goal By applying the findability elements to your site that are deemed important ranking signals for a search engine Since Google has over 200 ranking signals we are going to focus on the ones that we consider most important to get started metadata and backlinks1313Next slide please

The Search Snippet

SEO Page title ndashDescribe what the page is about For most companies keywords appear before your brand

Meta descriptions ndash a short summary of webpage if snippet is clicked

A meta description should contain a call to action to entice users to click

Your search snippet is an excellent sales tool to drive traffic to your site

9

MetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313How does someone find what you have to offer If yoursquove optimized your site well Google indexed and ranked the page high enough to show your search snippet on page 1 of a search results page 1313So what exactly is a search snippet1313Yoursquove all seen a search snippet ndash if appears like the example on the right-hand side of the slide1313It is structured on the backend of your site with an SEO Page Title and Meta Description1313The SEO Page title in this example is Meadowfoam XPR The SEO title should describe what the page is about followed by your brand or company name1313The meta description appears under the SEO page title and is a short summary your page content 1313Your pagersquos most important keyword should appear in title and in the meta description As you can see from this snippet the searcher entered a keyword search for Meadowfoam XPR Google found the relevance between keyword search and their webpage ndash you can see that relevance because Google bolds the searched keyword 1313Search snippet content should be crafted with your sales hat on ndash think of it like your virtual salesperson ndash you want to entice the searcher to click through to your site 1313Itrsquos important that each page on your site must have a unique SEO page title and meta description131313Next slide please

H Tags

H1 H2 H3 tags are the most used H tags They help search engines understand content flow and relevancy

H1 Websites are awesomebull H2 Why we think websites are awesome

bull H3 They give you informationbull H3 You can buy things

bull H2 How do I find a websitebull H3 How to conduct a website search

Backend tag lth1gtWebsites are awesomelth1gt lth2gtWhy we think websites are awesomelth2gt lth3gtThey give you informationlth3gtlth3gtYou can buy thingslth3gt lth2gtHow do I find a websitelth2gt lth3gtHow to conduct a website searchlth3gt

10

MetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH13 13The next meta data element pertains to your webpages These are the H Tags H tags help Google understand your web pages content and flow1313H tags are structured from H1-H6 with the H1 tag being the most important tag 1313Every page on your site should contain a unique H1 tag Itrsquos the pagersquos title It tell users on the frontend what the page is about and it tells Google on the backend the same 1313H2 and beyond tags help the reader and the search engine understand content flow but should be used sparingly to help break up the content of a long page or call attention supporting information 1313Use keywords in tags where appropriate to create a natural flow ndash donrsquot force keywords ndash remember content should always be written with the user in mind not the search engine1313Next slide please

Image Alt Tags

Image alt tags ndash clearly define images to search engines to help them understand how each image relates to the surrounding content for relevancy

ltimg src=ldquocamera1234jpgrdquo alt=ldquocamera black 1234rdquo title=ldquoblack camera model 1234rdquogt

11

MetadataMetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The next metadata element is the Image alt tag 1313Image alt tags help search engines understand the image on the page in context to the content Since Google canrsquot understand the image ndash you must tell it what the image is by using the alt tag Images not only enhance content for the user on the front end of the site they help build content relevancy and authority for the search engine on the backend131313Next slide please

met

Robots amp Canonical Tags

Robots meta tags tell search engines which pages to index on your siteCanonical tags tell search engines which pages contain original content or are most important

Site maps give search engines information about site structure and content

12

MetadataMetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The final metadata tags that Irsquom going to talk about are the Robots and Canonical tags These tags tell Google which pages on your site that you want them to index and rank for importance 1313It might seem counterintuitive to not index all pages on your site but your goal is to have Google index and rank the most important pages for each keyword or concept on your site If you have many pages related to one concept you donrsquot want to dilute your rankings you want to send the searcher to the most important page based on their keyword search 1313The Robots tag tells Google which pages to index and which ones you donrsquot want indexed1313KG breaks in with example of $100k website Robot told Google to stay out1313Canonical tags are used to avoid duplicate content penalties Google likes original content If it feels like you are duplicating content to just improve your rankings they will penalize you For some sites using duplicate content cant be avoided so yoursquod add canonical tags to tell Google which page has the original or most important content to serve up on a search results page 1313Site maps are not tags but I felt this was a good place to mention them You should submit an xml sitemap to a Google when you launch a new site or add new pages to an existing site The sitemap provides Google with a roadmap on how to crawl you site 1313Next slide please

Anchor Text

Anchor textndash provides relevant contextual information about the content of the links destination for the search engine

lta href=httpwwwstarcompanycomgtstar company websiteltagt

13

BacklinksBacklinks

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The last findability element we want to look at are Backlinks which are incoming links to a page on your site from another site Google considers backlinks from high quality highly relevant sites to yours a big vote of confidence 1313So how does this relate to metadata The anchor text is the visual text part of a link that appears usually as the blue underlined text for the hyperlink as in this example1313Anchor text provides both the search engine and the user with relevant information about the content of the links destination For the search engine that would be the URL and for the user that would be the linkable text 1313You canrsquot always control how other sites link to your site but can control the link the other site displays by using anchor text Itrsquos important to make sure your link text is useful descriptive and relevant1313Anchor text is also used for internal linking from one page on your site to another 1313Both internal and external linking use anchor text and help build and strengthen content authority131313Next slide please

Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads

14

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - The ultimate findability goal is to optimize each page on your site to drive searchers to the most relevant page in relationship to their keyword search ndash this is accomplished using optimized metadata elements 1313So now that they have found your page lets look at usability13 13Next slide please

Usability - Creating human relationships

15

Ease of Use Clarity

Trust Availability

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Usability is creating the ultimate user experience For SEO purposes we break the user experience into 4 categories Ease of use Clarity Trust and Availability1313Lets look at Ease of Use first13 13Next slide please

Ease of Use - Site Navigation

Donrsquot Make Me Think ndash keep it simple keep it familiar16

Navigation links

BreadcrumbsURL Structure

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313When we talk about ease of use what we really mean is how easy is it for the visitor to find what they need on your site This is accomplished through site navigation1313The first experience I had having to think about website navigation was years ago A client who used the companys website that I managed called me when he found out we were redesigning our website He urged me to read the book Dont Make Me Think by Steve Krug The book describes how important easy to use and understand navigation is from a usability standpoint Your goal is to create a clear path to information that helps the user make the decision that your product or service solves their need 1313This concept will make a world of difference when developing your sitersquos navigation1313The meadowfoam website does a good of this13Their top-level navigation is clear and where appropriate uses keywords I say appropriate because your navigation titles affect the sitersquos URL structure A simple URL letrsquos the user know at a quick glance that they landed on the correct site And for the search engine a simple URL structure provides a clear indexing path 13The Natural Plants Product site uses breadcrumb navigation on sections of the site that take you deep into the site Breadcrumbs allow the user to easily navigate backward without having to click the top-level navigation and drill down from there ndash again keeping simple1313Its always best practice to use short navigation titles and then use sub-menus to help organize more complex navigation categories 1313Dont forget to add footer navigation ndash it could be top level only or your full navigation ndash whatever makes the most sense for your business The bottom line is that the user should be able to navigate anywhere from the site1313Next slide please

Clarity

17

bull Focusbull Simplicitybull Layoutbull Linkingbull Call to action

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 13 13The next usability element is content clarity We touched briefly on content at the beginning of the presentation But I wanted to emphasize that content clarity is essential for the user1313When structuring your pages ask yourself 1313Is each page focused on one concept 13Are we using simple easy to understand language13Are page titles and subtitles (these are the H tags we talked about on the backend) written in a way to easily help the user understand content and navigate through page 13Do we have enough internal navigation links to other information on the site to enhance and build content relevancy and authority to help the user understand that we have what they need13Do we have a clear call to action on each page This means clearly inviting the visitor to take our desired action1313Next slide please1313

Trust

18

bull Design qualitybull Upfront disclosurebull Comprehensive correct and current contentbull Connection to the rest of the web

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Websites must establish trust and present themselves as credible in order to turn visitors into leads ndash so how do you communicate trustworthiness Through design disclosure content and connection1313Your design is your first impression for the site visitor Take a step back and ask yourself is it professional with clear navigation Is it free of typos and grammatical errors Perfection should be an expectation when designing your site because it exhibits that you have quality service and products1313Disclosure is essential if you sell products Do you clearly communicate any fees and terms associated with a purchase For all sites is your site secure with HTTPS And do you have a privacy policy posted so your customers know how you protect and use their information 1313Is your content current comprehensive and correct to show your subject matter expertise1313And lately are you well connected to the rest of the Web with backlinks in and out of your site to ensure content authority131313Next slide please1313developed by Jakob Nielsen

Availability

19

bull Server Uptimebull Page Speedbull Linksbull Responsiveness

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313Last usability concept is availably 1313Server uptime means your site is always available for the user and search engine Invest in good hosting If a user tries to access your site and it is down they will go elsewhere If a search engine tries to index your site while itrsquos down they leave immediately1313Page Speed means each page on your site is optimized for speed There are many ways to improve speed but one of the biggest causes of a slow loading page is images that arenrsquot optimized If a search engine is trying to crawl your site and they land on a slow loading page they will leave the page without indexing it likewise for the visitor many wonrsquot want to wait for a slow page to load1313Broken links ndash there is nothing more frustrating than clicking a link that looks interesting only to end up on 404 error page1313Mobile responsiveness is very important these days You never know if your visitor is navigating your site on a desktop laptop mobile or tablet You need to ensure your site is not only responsive to different screen sizes all page elements and navigation menus are optimized to display correctly on each device 1313Next slide please

Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action

20

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash The ultimate usability goal is to guide users through your site in a way that allows them to logically easily and quickly find what they need communicate trust and authority and entice them to take a desired action 1313Next slide please

Tying it all Together- findability

+ usability

21

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313When all the pieces are assembled correctly a qualified human lead finds and lands on your site easily discovers that you have the solution to their issue or need and then takes your desired action1313The findability elements you placed on your site drove a qualified lead to your site Then by applying carefully crafted usability elements you turned that lead into a potential customer 1313Next slide please

Site Analytics

SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results which means you need to pay attention to your site analytics 1313Google analytics is a great tool that is free and offers all the data you need to ensure1313That your sites functions as expected1313Keywords rankings are improving to drive the right people to the site (qualified leads)1313That you proactively fix any site errors to avoid penalties1313Next slide please

Next Steps

23

SEO

Google business

PPCEmail

Social

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG - Now you have a better idea on how to turn your website into a lead generating manget by way of Organic search That is a major component and should be the basis of all lead generating websites However many other tactics can be employed to enhance results and meet your marketing goals1313PPC or AdWords campaigns will yield immediate results but can be costly A PPC campaign should be focused and executed with a goal or purpose such as building your brand launching a new product or promoting an existing product13Email marketing will drive traffic to your site ndash You can post your news or new content in your blog and then email information about new posts to your marketing lists13Google My Business will help solidify your online presence for very little cost and provides another path to be found13Social media campaigns ndash create buzz expand your reach and brings in more traffic 1313Next months forum is on Social Media Strategy It would be prudent to regiseter for that session on July 15th1313This has been a lot to take in but we still need to talk about implementation131313Next slide please1313

Implementation

24

Understand the primary role of marketing for your company which is most often lead generation to achieve business growth

Hire a qualified marketing firm right out of the gate to manage your internet marketing

QualificationsbullMarketing strategist who is focused on business growth

bullManaging website projects understanding of graphic designers developers and other skilled roles associated with internet marketing tactics

bullProven internet marketing knowledge via education and experience

bullUnderstanding of your marketcustomer behaviorbullExperienceknowledge in your field of productsservices (industrial sports real estate law healthcare distribution hellip)

bullEagerly supports what is best for your business and follows your desires

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash13If lead generation for sales is a primary goal then you need to build your marketing expectations around that 1313You may have had a graphics designer andor web developer create your current website Those are critical marketing specialties for your website however those skills alone dont include SEO to the extent required for generating leads Many business owners dont realize that professional marketing services have specialties much like attorneys and that appears to be the reason so many websites lack best SEO practices13 13For internet marketing it is best to hire a firm that has the qualifications shown here Those marketing agnecies typically outsource the skills they dont have in house such as content creaters digital graphics designers web development video production app developers and others Often times outsourcing becomes a pass through transaction which keeps cost down1313Next slide please

Further Questions ndashCommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM

You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like

25

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash 1313Next slide please

Thank You

bull Forum participantsbull WSU - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephaniebull Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative

26

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash Thank you for joining us today We sincerely hope that we made your day and our presentation motivated you to take next steps towards growing your business13We offer special thanks to the Washington State University - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephanie who worked closely with us developing this presentation We also want to thank two other marketing firms Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative out of Portland Oregon for their collaboration with us creating the meadowfoam model that illustrates the combination of the marketing skills it takes for website done right1313Now back to Nolan
  • Digital Marketing Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Introduction
  • Goal of SEO
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google
  • SEO Findability and Usability
  • Content
  • Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships
  • The Search Snippet
  • H Tags
  • Image Alt Tags
  • Robots amp Canonical Tags
  • Anchor Text
  • Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads
  • Usability - Creating human relationships
  • Ease of Use - Site Navigation
  • Clarity
  • Trust
  • Availability
  • Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action
  • Tying it all Together - findability + usability
  • Site Analytics
  • Next Steps
  • Implementation
  • Further Questions ndash CommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like
  • Thank You
Page 2: Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine ......2020/06/17  · Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Customers are searching, but not finding

Introduction

bull 20 years ago - visionbull 6 years ago - actualizedbull Today ndash gratification of helping businesses grow

2

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash About 6 years ago Michelle and I rediscovered each other when I was ready to implement a vision from 20 years ago That vision was to help bring businesses up to speed with internet technologies Michelle was just wrapping up her Masterrsquos degree in internet marketing and I was in a job transition 13I had the education and experience to optimize website content for industrial firms I also had a fascination for analytics Michelle had the experience and education to handle everything else including teaching me analytics so we met did our marketing research confirmed a market for our services and launched our firm 1313As we took on new clients we discovered that all lacked SEO best practices This was a perplexing since there are plenty of guidelines and tools to get it right yet even reputable development firms were not implementing SEO for their clients Then it struck us all those clients did not know to hire a marketing firm that specializes in SEO We will talk more about that in this presentation1313This presentation is to help give your business a competitive advantage by providing direction on how SEO works to get the right people to your website as well as how to convince users that you are the one and contact you to supply their needs 13 13We are honored to have the opportunity to help you grow your business Now lets get our arms around the goal of SEO 13Next slide please

Goal of SEO

SEOs goal ndash drive more higher quality qualified sales leads to your website to grow your business and provide a superior user experience

3

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash You have a viable service and people want to find you Google tries to pull those two factors together as a your matchmaker Sounds simple enough1313Unfortunately Internet search promotional campaigns and interactions via social media and the like are complicated and confusing and as a result many business owners expectations fall short of what is possible within their budget What you will learn today will help you know what to expect regarding the marketing side of your website1313SEO when done correctly will give users a superior search experience generate qualified leads erode your competitors market share and have an everlasting impact on your investment 1313SEO is not a fix all so we will also address closely related factors that will maximize performance of your lead generating machine13Lets talk about how it works and raise your expectations13Next slide please13

How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans

httpsmeadowfoamcom4

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG 13Lets look at communicating with humans website usability and communicating with search engines 1313First the human side We are using Meadowfoamcom as an example They make ingredients that cosmetic manufacturers need when formulating products So lets view this website through the eyes of a cosmetics formulator or scientist seeking the best ingredients for a new product1313Nolan can you click on the link please1313Michelle what makes this home page a good model for our audience13MH13Itrsquos visually appealing13It has a human element13It clearly tells who they are what they do and who they do it for13It provides easy navigation links to discover more information1313 Nolan please return to our presentation and go to the next slide please13

How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google

view-sourcehttpsmeadowfoamcom5

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG This is the back-side of the page we just looked at showing codes that talk to Google Its not in a language we understand so what is this stuff about1313Google is an artificial intelligence system that does not understand human language without lots of guidance For example only humans can understand context or images Internet founders implemented HTML codes to help search engines understand human language including visual aspects of a website 13As with humans we must communicate with search engines in their language or they will take their best guess13Just a simple typo in the code is all it takes to throw search engines off track and we often see that happen 1313Now we are going to get into the nuts and bolts of SEO with Michelle 1313Next slide please13

SEO Findability and Usability

Keywords

bull Begin every SEO project with a keyword study

bull Keywords serve as your content roadmap

6

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash Keith and I take the approach to SEO as building relationships with the user (usability) and the search engine (findability) Usability focuses on creating the optimal user experience and findability the optimal search engine experience Together they are the keys to improving your search engine rankings in the effort to drive qualified leads to your website 1313As I go through the next slides we will explore the important elements of findability and usability but first I want to briefly touch on keywords and content I say briefly because each of these topics could be the subject of their own webinar but are highly relevant to this presentation 1313Every SEO project should begin with a keyword study This helps to ensure you optimize your site with the words and phrases people actually use to find and talk about your products and services13Keywords can serve as your sitersquos content roadmap1313Next slide please

7

Content

bull Focused on one conceptbull Uses your customers

languagebull Provides clear paths to

addition information bull Leads user to a desired

outcome

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313Content is why you have a website ndash you use content to tell your story sell your service or your product Itrsquos always important to write your content for the user not the search engine 1313Each page on your site should use content that is highly focused on one concept This is where your keyword roadmap comes into play Keywords help focus page content 13Each page should speak the language of your customer Yoursquove already done your keyword research so you know your ideal customerrsquos keywords and phrases which means you know how they think and speak about your products and services ndash use that language to construct page content13Use your content to provide clear paths to more information13And always lead the user to your desired outcome 1313This page on the Natural Plant Products site is a good example ndash it is highly focused provides clear links to more information and leads the user to take action1313Now that we have our content in place we need to drive users to your site ndash this is where findability comes into play1313Next slide please13

Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships

8

Metadata Tags

Backlinks

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash 1313Findability is creating a map for the search engine to crawl (or find) your site When the search engine crawls your site they decide what they site is about Then they index that information or file it into their database1313When a searcher enters their keyword search the search engine for the purpose of our presentation we will use Google as our search engine example searches their indexed database for webpages that are relevant to the searchers inquiry and then serve up those pages on a search results page 1313The order in which they serve the results are based on how they rank each indexed webpage for relevancy to those keywords 1313The goal of your SEO project is to rank on page 1 on a search results page So how do you achieve that goal By applying the findability elements to your site that are deemed important ranking signals for a search engine Since Google has over 200 ranking signals we are going to focus on the ones that we consider most important to get started metadata and backlinks1313Next slide please

The Search Snippet

SEO Page title ndashDescribe what the page is about For most companies keywords appear before your brand

Meta descriptions ndash a short summary of webpage if snippet is clicked

A meta description should contain a call to action to entice users to click

Your search snippet is an excellent sales tool to drive traffic to your site

9

MetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313How does someone find what you have to offer If yoursquove optimized your site well Google indexed and ranked the page high enough to show your search snippet on page 1 of a search results page 1313So what exactly is a search snippet1313Yoursquove all seen a search snippet ndash if appears like the example on the right-hand side of the slide1313It is structured on the backend of your site with an SEO Page Title and Meta Description1313The SEO Page title in this example is Meadowfoam XPR The SEO title should describe what the page is about followed by your brand or company name1313The meta description appears under the SEO page title and is a short summary your page content 1313Your pagersquos most important keyword should appear in title and in the meta description As you can see from this snippet the searcher entered a keyword search for Meadowfoam XPR Google found the relevance between keyword search and their webpage ndash you can see that relevance because Google bolds the searched keyword 1313Search snippet content should be crafted with your sales hat on ndash think of it like your virtual salesperson ndash you want to entice the searcher to click through to your site 1313Itrsquos important that each page on your site must have a unique SEO page title and meta description131313Next slide please

H Tags

H1 H2 H3 tags are the most used H tags They help search engines understand content flow and relevancy

H1 Websites are awesomebull H2 Why we think websites are awesome

bull H3 They give you informationbull H3 You can buy things

bull H2 How do I find a websitebull H3 How to conduct a website search

Backend tag lth1gtWebsites are awesomelth1gt lth2gtWhy we think websites are awesomelth2gt lth3gtThey give you informationlth3gtlth3gtYou can buy thingslth3gt lth2gtHow do I find a websitelth2gt lth3gtHow to conduct a website searchlth3gt

10

MetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH13 13The next meta data element pertains to your webpages These are the H Tags H tags help Google understand your web pages content and flow1313H tags are structured from H1-H6 with the H1 tag being the most important tag 1313Every page on your site should contain a unique H1 tag Itrsquos the pagersquos title It tell users on the frontend what the page is about and it tells Google on the backend the same 1313H2 and beyond tags help the reader and the search engine understand content flow but should be used sparingly to help break up the content of a long page or call attention supporting information 1313Use keywords in tags where appropriate to create a natural flow ndash donrsquot force keywords ndash remember content should always be written with the user in mind not the search engine1313Next slide please

Image Alt Tags

Image alt tags ndash clearly define images to search engines to help them understand how each image relates to the surrounding content for relevancy

ltimg src=ldquocamera1234jpgrdquo alt=ldquocamera black 1234rdquo title=ldquoblack camera model 1234rdquogt

11

MetadataMetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The next metadata element is the Image alt tag 1313Image alt tags help search engines understand the image on the page in context to the content Since Google canrsquot understand the image ndash you must tell it what the image is by using the alt tag Images not only enhance content for the user on the front end of the site they help build content relevancy and authority for the search engine on the backend131313Next slide please

met

Robots amp Canonical Tags

Robots meta tags tell search engines which pages to index on your siteCanonical tags tell search engines which pages contain original content or are most important

Site maps give search engines information about site structure and content

12

MetadataMetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The final metadata tags that Irsquom going to talk about are the Robots and Canonical tags These tags tell Google which pages on your site that you want them to index and rank for importance 1313It might seem counterintuitive to not index all pages on your site but your goal is to have Google index and rank the most important pages for each keyword or concept on your site If you have many pages related to one concept you donrsquot want to dilute your rankings you want to send the searcher to the most important page based on their keyword search 1313The Robots tag tells Google which pages to index and which ones you donrsquot want indexed1313KG breaks in with example of $100k website Robot told Google to stay out1313Canonical tags are used to avoid duplicate content penalties Google likes original content If it feels like you are duplicating content to just improve your rankings they will penalize you For some sites using duplicate content cant be avoided so yoursquod add canonical tags to tell Google which page has the original or most important content to serve up on a search results page 1313Site maps are not tags but I felt this was a good place to mention them You should submit an xml sitemap to a Google when you launch a new site or add new pages to an existing site The sitemap provides Google with a roadmap on how to crawl you site 1313Next slide please

Anchor Text

Anchor textndash provides relevant contextual information about the content of the links destination for the search engine

lta href=httpwwwstarcompanycomgtstar company websiteltagt

13

BacklinksBacklinks

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The last findability element we want to look at are Backlinks which are incoming links to a page on your site from another site Google considers backlinks from high quality highly relevant sites to yours a big vote of confidence 1313So how does this relate to metadata The anchor text is the visual text part of a link that appears usually as the blue underlined text for the hyperlink as in this example1313Anchor text provides both the search engine and the user with relevant information about the content of the links destination For the search engine that would be the URL and for the user that would be the linkable text 1313You canrsquot always control how other sites link to your site but can control the link the other site displays by using anchor text Itrsquos important to make sure your link text is useful descriptive and relevant1313Anchor text is also used for internal linking from one page on your site to another 1313Both internal and external linking use anchor text and help build and strengthen content authority131313Next slide please

Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads

14

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - The ultimate findability goal is to optimize each page on your site to drive searchers to the most relevant page in relationship to their keyword search ndash this is accomplished using optimized metadata elements 1313So now that they have found your page lets look at usability13 13Next slide please

Usability - Creating human relationships

15

Ease of Use Clarity

Trust Availability

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Usability is creating the ultimate user experience For SEO purposes we break the user experience into 4 categories Ease of use Clarity Trust and Availability1313Lets look at Ease of Use first13 13Next slide please

Ease of Use - Site Navigation

Donrsquot Make Me Think ndash keep it simple keep it familiar16

Navigation links

BreadcrumbsURL Structure

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313When we talk about ease of use what we really mean is how easy is it for the visitor to find what they need on your site This is accomplished through site navigation1313The first experience I had having to think about website navigation was years ago A client who used the companys website that I managed called me when he found out we were redesigning our website He urged me to read the book Dont Make Me Think by Steve Krug The book describes how important easy to use and understand navigation is from a usability standpoint Your goal is to create a clear path to information that helps the user make the decision that your product or service solves their need 1313This concept will make a world of difference when developing your sitersquos navigation1313The meadowfoam website does a good of this13Their top-level navigation is clear and where appropriate uses keywords I say appropriate because your navigation titles affect the sitersquos URL structure A simple URL letrsquos the user know at a quick glance that they landed on the correct site And for the search engine a simple URL structure provides a clear indexing path 13The Natural Plants Product site uses breadcrumb navigation on sections of the site that take you deep into the site Breadcrumbs allow the user to easily navigate backward without having to click the top-level navigation and drill down from there ndash again keeping simple1313Its always best practice to use short navigation titles and then use sub-menus to help organize more complex navigation categories 1313Dont forget to add footer navigation ndash it could be top level only or your full navigation ndash whatever makes the most sense for your business The bottom line is that the user should be able to navigate anywhere from the site1313Next slide please

Clarity

17

bull Focusbull Simplicitybull Layoutbull Linkingbull Call to action

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 13 13The next usability element is content clarity We touched briefly on content at the beginning of the presentation But I wanted to emphasize that content clarity is essential for the user1313When structuring your pages ask yourself 1313Is each page focused on one concept 13Are we using simple easy to understand language13Are page titles and subtitles (these are the H tags we talked about on the backend) written in a way to easily help the user understand content and navigate through page 13Do we have enough internal navigation links to other information on the site to enhance and build content relevancy and authority to help the user understand that we have what they need13Do we have a clear call to action on each page This means clearly inviting the visitor to take our desired action1313Next slide please1313

Trust

18

bull Design qualitybull Upfront disclosurebull Comprehensive correct and current contentbull Connection to the rest of the web

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Websites must establish trust and present themselves as credible in order to turn visitors into leads ndash so how do you communicate trustworthiness Through design disclosure content and connection1313Your design is your first impression for the site visitor Take a step back and ask yourself is it professional with clear navigation Is it free of typos and grammatical errors Perfection should be an expectation when designing your site because it exhibits that you have quality service and products1313Disclosure is essential if you sell products Do you clearly communicate any fees and terms associated with a purchase For all sites is your site secure with HTTPS And do you have a privacy policy posted so your customers know how you protect and use their information 1313Is your content current comprehensive and correct to show your subject matter expertise1313And lately are you well connected to the rest of the Web with backlinks in and out of your site to ensure content authority131313Next slide please1313developed by Jakob Nielsen

Availability

19

bull Server Uptimebull Page Speedbull Linksbull Responsiveness

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313Last usability concept is availably 1313Server uptime means your site is always available for the user and search engine Invest in good hosting If a user tries to access your site and it is down they will go elsewhere If a search engine tries to index your site while itrsquos down they leave immediately1313Page Speed means each page on your site is optimized for speed There are many ways to improve speed but one of the biggest causes of a slow loading page is images that arenrsquot optimized If a search engine is trying to crawl your site and they land on a slow loading page they will leave the page without indexing it likewise for the visitor many wonrsquot want to wait for a slow page to load1313Broken links ndash there is nothing more frustrating than clicking a link that looks interesting only to end up on 404 error page1313Mobile responsiveness is very important these days You never know if your visitor is navigating your site on a desktop laptop mobile or tablet You need to ensure your site is not only responsive to different screen sizes all page elements and navigation menus are optimized to display correctly on each device 1313Next slide please

Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action

20

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash The ultimate usability goal is to guide users through your site in a way that allows them to logically easily and quickly find what they need communicate trust and authority and entice them to take a desired action 1313Next slide please

Tying it all Together- findability

+ usability

21

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313When all the pieces are assembled correctly a qualified human lead finds and lands on your site easily discovers that you have the solution to their issue or need and then takes your desired action1313The findability elements you placed on your site drove a qualified lead to your site Then by applying carefully crafted usability elements you turned that lead into a potential customer 1313Next slide please

Site Analytics

SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results which means you need to pay attention to your site analytics 1313Google analytics is a great tool that is free and offers all the data you need to ensure1313That your sites functions as expected1313Keywords rankings are improving to drive the right people to the site (qualified leads)1313That you proactively fix any site errors to avoid penalties1313Next slide please

Next Steps

23

SEO

Google business

PPCEmail

Social

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG - Now you have a better idea on how to turn your website into a lead generating manget by way of Organic search That is a major component and should be the basis of all lead generating websites However many other tactics can be employed to enhance results and meet your marketing goals1313PPC or AdWords campaigns will yield immediate results but can be costly A PPC campaign should be focused and executed with a goal or purpose such as building your brand launching a new product or promoting an existing product13Email marketing will drive traffic to your site ndash You can post your news or new content in your blog and then email information about new posts to your marketing lists13Google My Business will help solidify your online presence for very little cost and provides another path to be found13Social media campaigns ndash create buzz expand your reach and brings in more traffic 1313Next months forum is on Social Media Strategy It would be prudent to regiseter for that session on July 15th1313This has been a lot to take in but we still need to talk about implementation131313Next slide please1313

Implementation

24

Understand the primary role of marketing for your company which is most often lead generation to achieve business growth

Hire a qualified marketing firm right out of the gate to manage your internet marketing

QualificationsbullMarketing strategist who is focused on business growth

bullManaging website projects understanding of graphic designers developers and other skilled roles associated with internet marketing tactics

bullProven internet marketing knowledge via education and experience

bullUnderstanding of your marketcustomer behaviorbullExperienceknowledge in your field of productsservices (industrial sports real estate law healthcare distribution hellip)

bullEagerly supports what is best for your business and follows your desires

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash13If lead generation for sales is a primary goal then you need to build your marketing expectations around that 1313You may have had a graphics designer andor web developer create your current website Those are critical marketing specialties for your website however those skills alone dont include SEO to the extent required for generating leads Many business owners dont realize that professional marketing services have specialties much like attorneys and that appears to be the reason so many websites lack best SEO practices13 13For internet marketing it is best to hire a firm that has the qualifications shown here Those marketing agnecies typically outsource the skills they dont have in house such as content creaters digital graphics designers web development video production app developers and others Often times outsourcing becomes a pass through transaction which keeps cost down1313Next slide please

Further Questions ndashCommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM

You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like

25

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash 1313Next slide please

Thank You

bull Forum participantsbull WSU - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephaniebull Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative

26

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash Thank you for joining us today We sincerely hope that we made your day and our presentation motivated you to take next steps towards growing your business13We offer special thanks to the Washington State University - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephanie who worked closely with us developing this presentation We also want to thank two other marketing firms Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative out of Portland Oregon for their collaboration with us creating the meadowfoam model that illustrates the combination of the marketing skills it takes for website done right1313Now back to Nolan
  • Digital Marketing Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Introduction
  • Goal of SEO
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google
  • SEO Findability and Usability
  • Content
  • Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships
  • The Search Snippet
  • H Tags
  • Image Alt Tags
  • Robots amp Canonical Tags
  • Anchor Text
  • Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads
  • Usability - Creating human relationships
  • Ease of Use - Site Navigation
  • Clarity
  • Trust
  • Availability
  • Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action
  • Tying it all Together - findability + usability
  • Site Analytics
  • Next Steps
  • Implementation
  • Further Questions ndash CommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like
  • Thank You
Page 3: Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine ......2020/06/17  · Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Customers are searching, but not finding

Goal of SEO

SEOs goal ndash drive more higher quality qualified sales leads to your website to grow your business and provide a superior user experience

3

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash You have a viable service and people want to find you Google tries to pull those two factors together as a your matchmaker Sounds simple enough1313Unfortunately Internet search promotional campaigns and interactions via social media and the like are complicated and confusing and as a result many business owners expectations fall short of what is possible within their budget What you will learn today will help you know what to expect regarding the marketing side of your website1313SEO when done correctly will give users a superior search experience generate qualified leads erode your competitors market share and have an everlasting impact on your investment 1313SEO is not a fix all so we will also address closely related factors that will maximize performance of your lead generating machine13Lets talk about how it works and raise your expectations13Next slide please13

How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans

httpsmeadowfoamcom4

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG 13Lets look at communicating with humans website usability and communicating with search engines 1313First the human side We are using Meadowfoamcom as an example They make ingredients that cosmetic manufacturers need when formulating products So lets view this website through the eyes of a cosmetics formulator or scientist seeking the best ingredients for a new product1313Nolan can you click on the link please1313Michelle what makes this home page a good model for our audience13MH13Itrsquos visually appealing13It has a human element13It clearly tells who they are what they do and who they do it for13It provides easy navigation links to discover more information1313 Nolan please return to our presentation and go to the next slide please13

How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google

view-sourcehttpsmeadowfoamcom5

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG This is the back-side of the page we just looked at showing codes that talk to Google Its not in a language we understand so what is this stuff about1313Google is an artificial intelligence system that does not understand human language without lots of guidance For example only humans can understand context or images Internet founders implemented HTML codes to help search engines understand human language including visual aspects of a website 13As with humans we must communicate with search engines in their language or they will take their best guess13Just a simple typo in the code is all it takes to throw search engines off track and we often see that happen 1313Now we are going to get into the nuts and bolts of SEO with Michelle 1313Next slide please13

SEO Findability and Usability

Keywords

bull Begin every SEO project with a keyword study

bull Keywords serve as your content roadmap

6

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash Keith and I take the approach to SEO as building relationships with the user (usability) and the search engine (findability) Usability focuses on creating the optimal user experience and findability the optimal search engine experience Together they are the keys to improving your search engine rankings in the effort to drive qualified leads to your website 1313As I go through the next slides we will explore the important elements of findability and usability but first I want to briefly touch on keywords and content I say briefly because each of these topics could be the subject of their own webinar but are highly relevant to this presentation 1313Every SEO project should begin with a keyword study This helps to ensure you optimize your site with the words and phrases people actually use to find and talk about your products and services13Keywords can serve as your sitersquos content roadmap1313Next slide please

7

Content

bull Focused on one conceptbull Uses your customers

languagebull Provides clear paths to

addition information bull Leads user to a desired

outcome

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313Content is why you have a website ndash you use content to tell your story sell your service or your product Itrsquos always important to write your content for the user not the search engine 1313Each page on your site should use content that is highly focused on one concept This is where your keyword roadmap comes into play Keywords help focus page content 13Each page should speak the language of your customer Yoursquove already done your keyword research so you know your ideal customerrsquos keywords and phrases which means you know how they think and speak about your products and services ndash use that language to construct page content13Use your content to provide clear paths to more information13And always lead the user to your desired outcome 1313This page on the Natural Plant Products site is a good example ndash it is highly focused provides clear links to more information and leads the user to take action1313Now that we have our content in place we need to drive users to your site ndash this is where findability comes into play1313Next slide please13

Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships

8

Metadata Tags

Backlinks

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash 1313Findability is creating a map for the search engine to crawl (or find) your site When the search engine crawls your site they decide what they site is about Then they index that information or file it into their database1313When a searcher enters their keyword search the search engine for the purpose of our presentation we will use Google as our search engine example searches their indexed database for webpages that are relevant to the searchers inquiry and then serve up those pages on a search results page 1313The order in which they serve the results are based on how they rank each indexed webpage for relevancy to those keywords 1313The goal of your SEO project is to rank on page 1 on a search results page So how do you achieve that goal By applying the findability elements to your site that are deemed important ranking signals for a search engine Since Google has over 200 ranking signals we are going to focus on the ones that we consider most important to get started metadata and backlinks1313Next slide please

The Search Snippet

SEO Page title ndashDescribe what the page is about For most companies keywords appear before your brand

Meta descriptions ndash a short summary of webpage if snippet is clicked

A meta description should contain a call to action to entice users to click

Your search snippet is an excellent sales tool to drive traffic to your site

9

MetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313How does someone find what you have to offer If yoursquove optimized your site well Google indexed and ranked the page high enough to show your search snippet on page 1 of a search results page 1313So what exactly is a search snippet1313Yoursquove all seen a search snippet ndash if appears like the example on the right-hand side of the slide1313It is structured on the backend of your site with an SEO Page Title and Meta Description1313The SEO Page title in this example is Meadowfoam XPR The SEO title should describe what the page is about followed by your brand or company name1313The meta description appears under the SEO page title and is a short summary your page content 1313Your pagersquos most important keyword should appear in title and in the meta description As you can see from this snippet the searcher entered a keyword search for Meadowfoam XPR Google found the relevance between keyword search and their webpage ndash you can see that relevance because Google bolds the searched keyword 1313Search snippet content should be crafted with your sales hat on ndash think of it like your virtual salesperson ndash you want to entice the searcher to click through to your site 1313Itrsquos important that each page on your site must have a unique SEO page title and meta description131313Next slide please

H Tags

H1 H2 H3 tags are the most used H tags They help search engines understand content flow and relevancy

H1 Websites are awesomebull H2 Why we think websites are awesome

bull H3 They give you informationbull H3 You can buy things

bull H2 How do I find a websitebull H3 How to conduct a website search

Backend tag lth1gtWebsites are awesomelth1gt lth2gtWhy we think websites are awesomelth2gt lth3gtThey give you informationlth3gtlth3gtYou can buy thingslth3gt lth2gtHow do I find a websitelth2gt lth3gtHow to conduct a website searchlth3gt

10

MetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH13 13The next meta data element pertains to your webpages These are the H Tags H tags help Google understand your web pages content and flow1313H tags are structured from H1-H6 with the H1 tag being the most important tag 1313Every page on your site should contain a unique H1 tag Itrsquos the pagersquos title It tell users on the frontend what the page is about and it tells Google on the backend the same 1313H2 and beyond tags help the reader and the search engine understand content flow but should be used sparingly to help break up the content of a long page or call attention supporting information 1313Use keywords in tags where appropriate to create a natural flow ndash donrsquot force keywords ndash remember content should always be written with the user in mind not the search engine1313Next slide please

Image Alt Tags

Image alt tags ndash clearly define images to search engines to help them understand how each image relates to the surrounding content for relevancy

ltimg src=ldquocamera1234jpgrdquo alt=ldquocamera black 1234rdquo title=ldquoblack camera model 1234rdquogt

11

MetadataMetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The next metadata element is the Image alt tag 1313Image alt tags help search engines understand the image on the page in context to the content Since Google canrsquot understand the image ndash you must tell it what the image is by using the alt tag Images not only enhance content for the user on the front end of the site they help build content relevancy and authority for the search engine on the backend131313Next slide please

met

Robots amp Canonical Tags

Robots meta tags tell search engines which pages to index on your siteCanonical tags tell search engines which pages contain original content or are most important

Site maps give search engines information about site structure and content

12

MetadataMetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The final metadata tags that Irsquom going to talk about are the Robots and Canonical tags These tags tell Google which pages on your site that you want them to index and rank for importance 1313It might seem counterintuitive to not index all pages on your site but your goal is to have Google index and rank the most important pages for each keyword or concept on your site If you have many pages related to one concept you donrsquot want to dilute your rankings you want to send the searcher to the most important page based on their keyword search 1313The Robots tag tells Google which pages to index and which ones you donrsquot want indexed1313KG breaks in with example of $100k website Robot told Google to stay out1313Canonical tags are used to avoid duplicate content penalties Google likes original content If it feels like you are duplicating content to just improve your rankings they will penalize you For some sites using duplicate content cant be avoided so yoursquod add canonical tags to tell Google which page has the original or most important content to serve up on a search results page 1313Site maps are not tags but I felt this was a good place to mention them You should submit an xml sitemap to a Google when you launch a new site or add new pages to an existing site The sitemap provides Google with a roadmap on how to crawl you site 1313Next slide please

Anchor Text

Anchor textndash provides relevant contextual information about the content of the links destination for the search engine

lta href=httpwwwstarcompanycomgtstar company websiteltagt

13

BacklinksBacklinks

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The last findability element we want to look at are Backlinks which are incoming links to a page on your site from another site Google considers backlinks from high quality highly relevant sites to yours a big vote of confidence 1313So how does this relate to metadata The anchor text is the visual text part of a link that appears usually as the blue underlined text for the hyperlink as in this example1313Anchor text provides both the search engine and the user with relevant information about the content of the links destination For the search engine that would be the URL and for the user that would be the linkable text 1313You canrsquot always control how other sites link to your site but can control the link the other site displays by using anchor text Itrsquos important to make sure your link text is useful descriptive and relevant1313Anchor text is also used for internal linking from one page on your site to another 1313Both internal and external linking use anchor text and help build and strengthen content authority131313Next slide please

Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads

14

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - The ultimate findability goal is to optimize each page on your site to drive searchers to the most relevant page in relationship to their keyword search ndash this is accomplished using optimized metadata elements 1313So now that they have found your page lets look at usability13 13Next slide please

Usability - Creating human relationships

15

Ease of Use Clarity

Trust Availability

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Usability is creating the ultimate user experience For SEO purposes we break the user experience into 4 categories Ease of use Clarity Trust and Availability1313Lets look at Ease of Use first13 13Next slide please

Ease of Use - Site Navigation

Donrsquot Make Me Think ndash keep it simple keep it familiar16

Navigation links

BreadcrumbsURL Structure

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313When we talk about ease of use what we really mean is how easy is it for the visitor to find what they need on your site This is accomplished through site navigation1313The first experience I had having to think about website navigation was years ago A client who used the companys website that I managed called me when he found out we were redesigning our website He urged me to read the book Dont Make Me Think by Steve Krug The book describes how important easy to use and understand navigation is from a usability standpoint Your goal is to create a clear path to information that helps the user make the decision that your product or service solves their need 1313This concept will make a world of difference when developing your sitersquos navigation1313The meadowfoam website does a good of this13Their top-level navigation is clear and where appropriate uses keywords I say appropriate because your navigation titles affect the sitersquos URL structure A simple URL letrsquos the user know at a quick glance that they landed on the correct site And for the search engine a simple URL structure provides a clear indexing path 13The Natural Plants Product site uses breadcrumb navigation on sections of the site that take you deep into the site Breadcrumbs allow the user to easily navigate backward without having to click the top-level navigation and drill down from there ndash again keeping simple1313Its always best practice to use short navigation titles and then use sub-menus to help organize more complex navigation categories 1313Dont forget to add footer navigation ndash it could be top level only or your full navigation ndash whatever makes the most sense for your business The bottom line is that the user should be able to navigate anywhere from the site1313Next slide please

Clarity

17

bull Focusbull Simplicitybull Layoutbull Linkingbull Call to action

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 13 13The next usability element is content clarity We touched briefly on content at the beginning of the presentation But I wanted to emphasize that content clarity is essential for the user1313When structuring your pages ask yourself 1313Is each page focused on one concept 13Are we using simple easy to understand language13Are page titles and subtitles (these are the H tags we talked about on the backend) written in a way to easily help the user understand content and navigate through page 13Do we have enough internal navigation links to other information on the site to enhance and build content relevancy and authority to help the user understand that we have what they need13Do we have a clear call to action on each page This means clearly inviting the visitor to take our desired action1313Next slide please1313

Trust

18

bull Design qualitybull Upfront disclosurebull Comprehensive correct and current contentbull Connection to the rest of the web

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Websites must establish trust and present themselves as credible in order to turn visitors into leads ndash so how do you communicate trustworthiness Through design disclosure content and connection1313Your design is your first impression for the site visitor Take a step back and ask yourself is it professional with clear navigation Is it free of typos and grammatical errors Perfection should be an expectation when designing your site because it exhibits that you have quality service and products1313Disclosure is essential if you sell products Do you clearly communicate any fees and terms associated with a purchase For all sites is your site secure with HTTPS And do you have a privacy policy posted so your customers know how you protect and use their information 1313Is your content current comprehensive and correct to show your subject matter expertise1313And lately are you well connected to the rest of the Web with backlinks in and out of your site to ensure content authority131313Next slide please1313developed by Jakob Nielsen

Availability

19

bull Server Uptimebull Page Speedbull Linksbull Responsiveness

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313Last usability concept is availably 1313Server uptime means your site is always available for the user and search engine Invest in good hosting If a user tries to access your site and it is down they will go elsewhere If a search engine tries to index your site while itrsquos down they leave immediately1313Page Speed means each page on your site is optimized for speed There are many ways to improve speed but one of the biggest causes of a slow loading page is images that arenrsquot optimized If a search engine is trying to crawl your site and they land on a slow loading page they will leave the page without indexing it likewise for the visitor many wonrsquot want to wait for a slow page to load1313Broken links ndash there is nothing more frustrating than clicking a link that looks interesting only to end up on 404 error page1313Mobile responsiveness is very important these days You never know if your visitor is navigating your site on a desktop laptop mobile or tablet You need to ensure your site is not only responsive to different screen sizes all page elements and navigation menus are optimized to display correctly on each device 1313Next slide please

Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action

20

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash The ultimate usability goal is to guide users through your site in a way that allows them to logically easily and quickly find what they need communicate trust and authority and entice them to take a desired action 1313Next slide please

Tying it all Together- findability

+ usability

21

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313When all the pieces are assembled correctly a qualified human lead finds and lands on your site easily discovers that you have the solution to their issue or need and then takes your desired action1313The findability elements you placed on your site drove a qualified lead to your site Then by applying carefully crafted usability elements you turned that lead into a potential customer 1313Next slide please

Site Analytics

SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results which means you need to pay attention to your site analytics 1313Google analytics is a great tool that is free and offers all the data you need to ensure1313That your sites functions as expected1313Keywords rankings are improving to drive the right people to the site (qualified leads)1313That you proactively fix any site errors to avoid penalties1313Next slide please

Next Steps

23

SEO

Google business

PPCEmail

Social

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG - Now you have a better idea on how to turn your website into a lead generating manget by way of Organic search That is a major component and should be the basis of all lead generating websites However many other tactics can be employed to enhance results and meet your marketing goals1313PPC or AdWords campaigns will yield immediate results but can be costly A PPC campaign should be focused and executed with a goal or purpose such as building your brand launching a new product or promoting an existing product13Email marketing will drive traffic to your site ndash You can post your news or new content in your blog and then email information about new posts to your marketing lists13Google My Business will help solidify your online presence for very little cost and provides another path to be found13Social media campaigns ndash create buzz expand your reach and brings in more traffic 1313Next months forum is on Social Media Strategy It would be prudent to regiseter for that session on July 15th1313This has been a lot to take in but we still need to talk about implementation131313Next slide please1313

Implementation

24

Understand the primary role of marketing for your company which is most often lead generation to achieve business growth

Hire a qualified marketing firm right out of the gate to manage your internet marketing

QualificationsbullMarketing strategist who is focused on business growth

bullManaging website projects understanding of graphic designers developers and other skilled roles associated with internet marketing tactics

bullProven internet marketing knowledge via education and experience

bullUnderstanding of your marketcustomer behaviorbullExperienceknowledge in your field of productsservices (industrial sports real estate law healthcare distribution hellip)

bullEagerly supports what is best for your business and follows your desires

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash13If lead generation for sales is a primary goal then you need to build your marketing expectations around that 1313You may have had a graphics designer andor web developer create your current website Those are critical marketing specialties for your website however those skills alone dont include SEO to the extent required for generating leads Many business owners dont realize that professional marketing services have specialties much like attorneys and that appears to be the reason so many websites lack best SEO practices13 13For internet marketing it is best to hire a firm that has the qualifications shown here Those marketing agnecies typically outsource the skills they dont have in house such as content creaters digital graphics designers web development video production app developers and others Often times outsourcing becomes a pass through transaction which keeps cost down1313Next slide please

Further Questions ndashCommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM

You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like

25

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash 1313Next slide please

Thank You

bull Forum participantsbull WSU - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephaniebull Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative

26

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash Thank you for joining us today We sincerely hope that we made your day and our presentation motivated you to take next steps towards growing your business13We offer special thanks to the Washington State University - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephanie who worked closely with us developing this presentation We also want to thank two other marketing firms Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative out of Portland Oregon for their collaboration with us creating the meadowfoam model that illustrates the combination of the marketing skills it takes for website done right1313Now back to Nolan
  • Digital Marketing Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Introduction
  • Goal of SEO
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google
  • SEO Findability and Usability
  • Content
  • Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships
  • The Search Snippet
  • H Tags
  • Image Alt Tags
  • Robots amp Canonical Tags
  • Anchor Text
  • Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads
  • Usability - Creating human relationships
  • Ease of Use - Site Navigation
  • Clarity
  • Trust
  • Availability
  • Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action
  • Tying it all Together - findability + usability
  • Site Analytics
  • Next Steps
  • Implementation
  • Further Questions ndash CommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like
  • Thank You
Page 4: Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine ......2020/06/17  · Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Customers are searching, but not finding

How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans

httpsmeadowfoamcom4

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG 13Lets look at communicating with humans website usability and communicating with search engines 1313First the human side We are using Meadowfoamcom as an example They make ingredients that cosmetic manufacturers need when formulating products So lets view this website through the eyes of a cosmetics formulator or scientist seeking the best ingredients for a new product1313Nolan can you click on the link please1313Michelle what makes this home page a good model for our audience13MH13Itrsquos visually appealing13It has a human element13It clearly tells who they are what they do and who they do it for13It provides easy navigation links to discover more information1313 Nolan please return to our presentation and go to the next slide please13

How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google

view-sourcehttpsmeadowfoamcom5

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG This is the back-side of the page we just looked at showing codes that talk to Google Its not in a language we understand so what is this stuff about1313Google is an artificial intelligence system that does not understand human language without lots of guidance For example only humans can understand context or images Internet founders implemented HTML codes to help search engines understand human language including visual aspects of a website 13As with humans we must communicate with search engines in their language or they will take their best guess13Just a simple typo in the code is all it takes to throw search engines off track and we often see that happen 1313Now we are going to get into the nuts and bolts of SEO with Michelle 1313Next slide please13

SEO Findability and Usability

Keywords

bull Begin every SEO project with a keyword study

bull Keywords serve as your content roadmap

6

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash Keith and I take the approach to SEO as building relationships with the user (usability) and the search engine (findability) Usability focuses on creating the optimal user experience and findability the optimal search engine experience Together they are the keys to improving your search engine rankings in the effort to drive qualified leads to your website 1313As I go through the next slides we will explore the important elements of findability and usability but first I want to briefly touch on keywords and content I say briefly because each of these topics could be the subject of their own webinar but are highly relevant to this presentation 1313Every SEO project should begin with a keyword study This helps to ensure you optimize your site with the words and phrases people actually use to find and talk about your products and services13Keywords can serve as your sitersquos content roadmap1313Next slide please

7

Content

bull Focused on one conceptbull Uses your customers

languagebull Provides clear paths to

addition information bull Leads user to a desired

outcome

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313Content is why you have a website ndash you use content to tell your story sell your service or your product Itrsquos always important to write your content for the user not the search engine 1313Each page on your site should use content that is highly focused on one concept This is where your keyword roadmap comes into play Keywords help focus page content 13Each page should speak the language of your customer Yoursquove already done your keyword research so you know your ideal customerrsquos keywords and phrases which means you know how they think and speak about your products and services ndash use that language to construct page content13Use your content to provide clear paths to more information13And always lead the user to your desired outcome 1313This page on the Natural Plant Products site is a good example ndash it is highly focused provides clear links to more information and leads the user to take action1313Now that we have our content in place we need to drive users to your site ndash this is where findability comes into play1313Next slide please13

Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships

8

Metadata Tags

Backlinks

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash 1313Findability is creating a map for the search engine to crawl (or find) your site When the search engine crawls your site they decide what they site is about Then they index that information or file it into their database1313When a searcher enters their keyword search the search engine for the purpose of our presentation we will use Google as our search engine example searches their indexed database for webpages that are relevant to the searchers inquiry and then serve up those pages on a search results page 1313The order in which they serve the results are based on how they rank each indexed webpage for relevancy to those keywords 1313The goal of your SEO project is to rank on page 1 on a search results page So how do you achieve that goal By applying the findability elements to your site that are deemed important ranking signals for a search engine Since Google has over 200 ranking signals we are going to focus on the ones that we consider most important to get started metadata and backlinks1313Next slide please

The Search Snippet

SEO Page title ndashDescribe what the page is about For most companies keywords appear before your brand

Meta descriptions ndash a short summary of webpage if snippet is clicked

A meta description should contain a call to action to entice users to click

Your search snippet is an excellent sales tool to drive traffic to your site

9

MetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313How does someone find what you have to offer If yoursquove optimized your site well Google indexed and ranked the page high enough to show your search snippet on page 1 of a search results page 1313So what exactly is a search snippet1313Yoursquove all seen a search snippet ndash if appears like the example on the right-hand side of the slide1313It is structured on the backend of your site with an SEO Page Title and Meta Description1313The SEO Page title in this example is Meadowfoam XPR The SEO title should describe what the page is about followed by your brand or company name1313The meta description appears under the SEO page title and is a short summary your page content 1313Your pagersquos most important keyword should appear in title and in the meta description As you can see from this snippet the searcher entered a keyword search for Meadowfoam XPR Google found the relevance between keyword search and their webpage ndash you can see that relevance because Google bolds the searched keyword 1313Search snippet content should be crafted with your sales hat on ndash think of it like your virtual salesperson ndash you want to entice the searcher to click through to your site 1313Itrsquos important that each page on your site must have a unique SEO page title and meta description131313Next slide please

H Tags

H1 H2 H3 tags are the most used H tags They help search engines understand content flow and relevancy

H1 Websites are awesomebull H2 Why we think websites are awesome

bull H3 They give you informationbull H3 You can buy things

bull H2 How do I find a websitebull H3 How to conduct a website search

Backend tag lth1gtWebsites are awesomelth1gt lth2gtWhy we think websites are awesomelth2gt lth3gtThey give you informationlth3gtlth3gtYou can buy thingslth3gt lth2gtHow do I find a websitelth2gt lth3gtHow to conduct a website searchlth3gt

10

MetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH13 13The next meta data element pertains to your webpages These are the H Tags H tags help Google understand your web pages content and flow1313H tags are structured from H1-H6 with the H1 tag being the most important tag 1313Every page on your site should contain a unique H1 tag Itrsquos the pagersquos title It tell users on the frontend what the page is about and it tells Google on the backend the same 1313H2 and beyond tags help the reader and the search engine understand content flow but should be used sparingly to help break up the content of a long page or call attention supporting information 1313Use keywords in tags where appropriate to create a natural flow ndash donrsquot force keywords ndash remember content should always be written with the user in mind not the search engine1313Next slide please

Image Alt Tags

Image alt tags ndash clearly define images to search engines to help them understand how each image relates to the surrounding content for relevancy

ltimg src=ldquocamera1234jpgrdquo alt=ldquocamera black 1234rdquo title=ldquoblack camera model 1234rdquogt

11

MetadataMetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The next metadata element is the Image alt tag 1313Image alt tags help search engines understand the image on the page in context to the content Since Google canrsquot understand the image ndash you must tell it what the image is by using the alt tag Images not only enhance content for the user on the front end of the site they help build content relevancy and authority for the search engine on the backend131313Next slide please

met

Robots amp Canonical Tags

Robots meta tags tell search engines which pages to index on your siteCanonical tags tell search engines which pages contain original content or are most important

Site maps give search engines information about site structure and content

12

MetadataMetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The final metadata tags that Irsquom going to talk about are the Robots and Canonical tags These tags tell Google which pages on your site that you want them to index and rank for importance 1313It might seem counterintuitive to not index all pages on your site but your goal is to have Google index and rank the most important pages for each keyword or concept on your site If you have many pages related to one concept you donrsquot want to dilute your rankings you want to send the searcher to the most important page based on their keyword search 1313The Robots tag tells Google which pages to index and which ones you donrsquot want indexed1313KG breaks in with example of $100k website Robot told Google to stay out1313Canonical tags are used to avoid duplicate content penalties Google likes original content If it feels like you are duplicating content to just improve your rankings they will penalize you For some sites using duplicate content cant be avoided so yoursquod add canonical tags to tell Google which page has the original or most important content to serve up on a search results page 1313Site maps are not tags but I felt this was a good place to mention them You should submit an xml sitemap to a Google when you launch a new site or add new pages to an existing site The sitemap provides Google with a roadmap on how to crawl you site 1313Next slide please

Anchor Text

Anchor textndash provides relevant contextual information about the content of the links destination for the search engine

lta href=httpwwwstarcompanycomgtstar company websiteltagt

13

BacklinksBacklinks

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The last findability element we want to look at are Backlinks which are incoming links to a page on your site from another site Google considers backlinks from high quality highly relevant sites to yours a big vote of confidence 1313So how does this relate to metadata The anchor text is the visual text part of a link that appears usually as the blue underlined text for the hyperlink as in this example1313Anchor text provides both the search engine and the user with relevant information about the content of the links destination For the search engine that would be the URL and for the user that would be the linkable text 1313You canrsquot always control how other sites link to your site but can control the link the other site displays by using anchor text Itrsquos important to make sure your link text is useful descriptive and relevant1313Anchor text is also used for internal linking from one page on your site to another 1313Both internal and external linking use anchor text and help build and strengthen content authority131313Next slide please

Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads

14

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - The ultimate findability goal is to optimize each page on your site to drive searchers to the most relevant page in relationship to their keyword search ndash this is accomplished using optimized metadata elements 1313So now that they have found your page lets look at usability13 13Next slide please

Usability - Creating human relationships

15

Ease of Use Clarity

Trust Availability

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Usability is creating the ultimate user experience For SEO purposes we break the user experience into 4 categories Ease of use Clarity Trust and Availability1313Lets look at Ease of Use first13 13Next slide please

Ease of Use - Site Navigation

Donrsquot Make Me Think ndash keep it simple keep it familiar16

Navigation links

BreadcrumbsURL Structure

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313When we talk about ease of use what we really mean is how easy is it for the visitor to find what they need on your site This is accomplished through site navigation1313The first experience I had having to think about website navigation was years ago A client who used the companys website that I managed called me when he found out we were redesigning our website He urged me to read the book Dont Make Me Think by Steve Krug The book describes how important easy to use and understand navigation is from a usability standpoint Your goal is to create a clear path to information that helps the user make the decision that your product or service solves their need 1313This concept will make a world of difference when developing your sitersquos navigation1313The meadowfoam website does a good of this13Their top-level navigation is clear and where appropriate uses keywords I say appropriate because your navigation titles affect the sitersquos URL structure A simple URL letrsquos the user know at a quick glance that they landed on the correct site And for the search engine a simple URL structure provides a clear indexing path 13The Natural Plants Product site uses breadcrumb navigation on sections of the site that take you deep into the site Breadcrumbs allow the user to easily navigate backward without having to click the top-level navigation and drill down from there ndash again keeping simple1313Its always best practice to use short navigation titles and then use sub-menus to help organize more complex navigation categories 1313Dont forget to add footer navigation ndash it could be top level only or your full navigation ndash whatever makes the most sense for your business The bottom line is that the user should be able to navigate anywhere from the site1313Next slide please

Clarity

17

bull Focusbull Simplicitybull Layoutbull Linkingbull Call to action

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 13 13The next usability element is content clarity We touched briefly on content at the beginning of the presentation But I wanted to emphasize that content clarity is essential for the user1313When structuring your pages ask yourself 1313Is each page focused on one concept 13Are we using simple easy to understand language13Are page titles and subtitles (these are the H tags we talked about on the backend) written in a way to easily help the user understand content and navigate through page 13Do we have enough internal navigation links to other information on the site to enhance and build content relevancy and authority to help the user understand that we have what they need13Do we have a clear call to action on each page This means clearly inviting the visitor to take our desired action1313Next slide please1313

Trust

18

bull Design qualitybull Upfront disclosurebull Comprehensive correct and current contentbull Connection to the rest of the web

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Websites must establish trust and present themselves as credible in order to turn visitors into leads ndash so how do you communicate trustworthiness Through design disclosure content and connection1313Your design is your first impression for the site visitor Take a step back and ask yourself is it professional with clear navigation Is it free of typos and grammatical errors Perfection should be an expectation when designing your site because it exhibits that you have quality service and products1313Disclosure is essential if you sell products Do you clearly communicate any fees and terms associated with a purchase For all sites is your site secure with HTTPS And do you have a privacy policy posted so your customers know how you protect and use their information 1313Is your content current comprehensive and correct to show your subject matter expertise1313And lately are you well connected to the rest of the Web with backlinks in and out of your site to ensure content authority131313Next slide please1313developed by Jakob Nielsen

Availability

19

bull Server Uptimebull Page Speedbull Linksbull Responsiveness

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313Last usability concept is availably 1313Server uptime means your site is always available for the user and search engine Invest in good hosting If a user tries to access your site and it is down they will go elsewhere If a search engine tries to index your site while itrsquos down they leave immediately1313Page Speed means each page on your site is optimized for speed There are many ways to improve speed but one of the biggest causes of a slow loading page is images that arenrsquot optimized If a search engine is trying to crawl your site and they land on a slow loading page they will leave the page without indexing it likewise for the visitor many wonrsquot want to wait for a slow page to load1313Broken links ndash there is nothing more frustrating than clicking a link that looks interesting only to end up on 404 error page1313Mobile responsiveness is very important these days You never know if your visitor is navigating your site on a desktop laptop mobile or tablet You need to ensure your site is not only responsive to different screen sizes all page elements and navigation menus are optimized to display correctly on each device 1313Next slide please

Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action

20

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash The ultimate usability goal is to guide users through your site in a way that allows them to logically easily and quickly find what they need communicate trust and authority and entice them to take a desired action 1313Next slide please

Tying it all Together- findability

+ usability

21

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313When all the pieces are assembled correctly a qualified human lead finds and lands on your site easily discovers that you have the solution to their issue or need and then takes your desired action1313The findability elements you placed on your site drove a qualified lead to your site Then by applying carefully crafted usability elements you turned that lead into a potential customer 1313Next slide please

Site Analytics

SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results which means you need to pay attention to your site analytics 1313Google analytics is a great tool that is free and offers all the data you need to ensure1313That your sites functions as expected1313Keywords rankings are improving to drive the right people to the site (qualified leads)1313That you proactively fix any site errors to avoid penalties1313Next slide please

Next Steps

23

SEO

Google business

PPCEmail

Social

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG - Now you have a better idea on how to turn your website into a lead generating manget by way of Organic search That is a major component and should be the basis of all lead generating websites However many other tactics can be employed to enhance results and meet your marketing goals1313PPC or AdWords campaigns will yield immediate results but can be costly A PPC campaign should be focused and executed with a goal or purpose such as building your brand launching a new product or promoting an existing product13Email marketing will drive traffic to your site ndash You can post your news or new content in your blog and then email information about new posts to your marketing lists13Google My Business will help solidify your online presence for very little cost and provides another path to be found13Social media campaigns ndash create buzz expand your reach and brings in more traffic 1313Next months forum is on Social Media Strategy It would be prudent to regiseter for that session on July 15th1313This has been a lot to take in but we still need to talk about implementation131313Next slide please1313

Implementation

24

Understand the primary role of marketing for your company which is most often lead generation to achieve business growth

Hire a qualified marketing firm right out of the gate to manage your internet marketing

QualificationsbullMarketing strategist who is focused on business growth

bullManaging website projects understanding of graphic designers developers and other skilled roles associated with internet marketing tactics

bullProven internet marketing knowledge via education and experience

bullUnderstanding of your marketcustomer behaviorbullExperienceknowledge in your field of productsservices (industrial sports real estate law healthcare distribution hellip)

bullEagerly supports what is best for your business and follows your desires

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash13If lead generation for sales is a primary goal then you need to build your marketing expectations around that 1313You may have had a graphics designer andor web developer create your current website Those are critical marketing specialties for your website however those skills alone dont include SEO to the extent required for generating leads Many business owners dont realize that professional marketing services have specialties much like attorneys and that appears to be the reason so many websites lack best SEO practices13 13For internet marketing it is best to hire a firm that has the qualifications shown here Those marketing agnecies typically outsource the skills they dont have in house such as content creaters digital graphics designers web development video production app developers and others Often times outsourcing becomes a pass through transaction which keeps cost down1313Next slide please

Further Questions ndashCommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM

You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like

25

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash 1313Next slide please

Thank You

bull Forum participantsbull WSU - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephaniebull Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative

26

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash Thank you for joining us today We sincerely hope that we made your day and our presentation motivated you to take next steps towards growing your business13We offer special thanks to the Washington State University - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephanie who worked closely with us developing this presentation We also want to thank two other marketing firms Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative out of Portland Oregon for their collaboration with us creating the meadowfoam model that illustrates the combination of the marketing skills it takes for website done right1313Now back to Nolan
  • Digital Marketing Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Introduction
  • Goal of SEO
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google
  • SEO Findability and Usability
  • Content
  • Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships
  • The Search Snippet
  • H Tags
  • Image Alt Tags
  • Robots amp Canonical Tags
  • Anchor Text
  • Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads
  • Usability - Creating human relationships
  • Ease of Use - Site Navigation
  • Clarity
  • Trust
  • Availability
  • Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action
  • Tying it all Together - findability + usability
  • Site Analytics
  • Next Steps
  • Implementation
  • Further Questions ndash CommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like
  • Thank You
Page 5: Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine ......2020/06/17  · Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Customers are searching, but not finding

How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google

view-sourcehttpsmeadowfoamcom5

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG This is the back-side of the page we just looked at showing codes that talk to Google Its not in a language we understand so what is this stuff about1313Google is an artificial intelligence system that does not understand human language without lots of guidance For example only humans can understand context or images Internet founders implemented HTML codes to help search engines understand human language including visual aspects of a website 13As with humans we must communicate with search engines in their language or they will take their best guess13Just a simple typo in the code is all it takes to throw search engines off track and we often see that happen 1313Now we are going to get into the nuts and bolts of SEO with Michelle 1313Next slide please13

SEO Findability and Usability

Keywords

bull Begin every SEO project with a keyword study

bull Keywords serve as your content roadmap

6

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash Keith and I take the approach to SEO as building relationships with the user (usability) and the search engine (findability) Usability focuses on creating the optimal user experience and findability the optimal search engine experience Together they are the keys to improving your search engine rankings in the effort to drive qualified leads to your website 1313As I go through the next slides we will explore the important elements of findability and usability but first I want to briefly touch on keywords and content I say briefly because each of these topics could be the subject of their own webinar but are highly relevant to this presentation 1313Every SEO project should begin with a keyword study This helps to ensure you optimize your site with the words and phrases people actually use to find and talk about your products and services13Keywords can serve as your sitersquos content roadmap1313Next slide please

7

Content

bull Focused on one conceptbull Uses your customers

languagebull Provides clear paths to

addition information bull Leads user to a desired

outcome

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313Content is why you have a website ndash you use content to tell your story sell your service or your product Itrsquos always important to write your content for the user not the search engine 1313Each page on your site should use content that is highly focused on one concept This is where your keyword roadmap comes into play Keywords help focus page content 13Each page should speak the language of your customer Yoursquove already done your keyword research so you know your ideal customerrsquos keywords and phrases which means you know how they think and speak about your products and services ndash use that language to construct page content13Use your content to provide clear paths to more information13And always lead the user to your desired outcome 1313This page on the Natural Plant Products site is a good example ndash it is highly focused provides clear links to more information and leads the user to take action1313Now that we have our content in place we need to drive users to your site ndash this is where findability comes into play1313Next slide please13

Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships

8

Metadata Tags

Backlinks

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash 1313Findability is creating a map for the search engine to crawl (or find) your site When the search engine crawls your site they decide what they site is about Then they index that information or file it into their database1313When a searcher enters their keyword search the search engine for the purpose of our presentation we will use Google as our search engine example searches their indexed database for webpages that are relevant to the searchers inquiry and then serve up those pages on a search results page 1313The order in which they serve the results are based on how they rank each indexed webpage for relevancy to those keywords 1313The goal of your SEO project is to rank on page 1 on a search results page So how do you achieve that goal By applying the findability elements to your site that are deemed important ranking signals for a search engine Since Google has over 200 ranking signals we are going to focus on the ones that we consider most important to get started metadata and backlinks1313Next slide please

The Search Snippet

SEO Page title ndashDescribe what the page is about For most companies keywords appear before your brand

Meta descriptions ndash a short summary of webpage if snippet is clicked

A meta description should contain a call to action to entice users to click

Your search snippet is an excellent sales tool to drive traffic to your site

9

MetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313How does someone find what you have to offer If yoursquove optimized your site well Google indexed and ranked the page high enough to show your search snippet on page 1 of a search results page 1313So what exactly is a search snippet1313Yoursquove all seen a search snippet ndash if appears like the example on the right-hand side of the slide1313It is structured on the backend of your site with an SEO Page Title and Meta Description1313The SEO Page title in this example is Meadowfoam XPR The SEO title should describe what the page is about followed by your brand or company name1313The meta description appears under the SEO page title and is a short summary your page content 1313Your pagersquos most important keyword should appear in title and in the meta description As you can see from this snippet the searcher entered a keyword search for Meadowfoam XPR Google found the relevance between keyword search and their webpage ndash you can see that relevance because Google bolds the searched keyword 1313Search snippet content should be crafted with your sales hat on ndash think of it like your virtual salesperson ndash you want to entice the searcher to click through to your site 1313Itrsquos important that each page on your site must have a unique SEO page title and meta description131313Next slide please

H Tags

H1 H2 H3 tags are the most used H tags They help search engines understand content flow and relevancy

H1 Websites are awesomebull H2 Why we think websites are awesome

bull H3 They give you informationbull H3 You can buy things

bull H2 How do I find a websitebull H3 How to conduct a website search

Backend tag lth1gtWebsites are awesomelth1gt lth2gtWhy we think websites are awesomelth2gt lth3gtThey give you informationlth3gtlth3gtYou can buy thingslth3gt lth2gtHow do I find a websitelth2gt lth3gtHow to conduct a website searchlth3gt

10

MetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH13 13The next meta data element pertains to your webpages These are the H Tags H tags help Google understand your web pages content and flow1313H tags are structured from H1-H6 with the H1 tag being the most important tag 1313Every page on your site should contain a unique H1 tag Itrsquos the pagersquos title It tell users on the frontend what the page is about and it tells Google on the backend the same 1313H2 and beyond tags help the reader and the search engine understand content flow but should be used sparingly to help break up the content of a long page or call attention supporting information 1313Use keywords in tags where appropriate to create a natural flow ndash donrsquot force keywords ndash remember content should always be written with the user in mind not the search engine1313Next slide please

Image Alt Tags

Image alt tags ndash clearly define images to search engines to help them understand how each image relates to the surrounding content for relevancy

ltimg src=ldquocamera1234jpgrdquo alt=ldquocamera black 1234rdquo title=ldquoblack camera model 1234rdquogt

11

MetadataMetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The next metadata element is the Image alt tag 1313Image alt tags help search engines understand the image on the page in context to the content Since Google canrsquot understand the image ndash you must tell it what the image is by using the alt tag Images not only enhance content for the user on the front end of the site they help build content relevancy and authority for the search engine on the backend131313Next slide please

met

Robots amp Canonical Tags

Robots meta tags tell search engines which pages to index on your siteCanonical tags tell search engines which pages contain original content or are most important

Site maps give search engines information about site structure and content

12

MetadataMetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The final metadata tags that Irsquom going to talk about are the Robots and Canonical tags These tags tell Google which pages on your site that you want them to index and rank for importance 1313It might seem counterintuitive to not index all pages on your site but your goal is to have Google index and rank the most important pages for each keyword or concept on your site If you have many pages related to one concept you donrsquot want to dilute your rankings you want to send the searcher to the most important page based on their keyword search 1313The Robots tag tells Google which pages to index and which ones you donrsquot want indexed1313KG breaks in with example of $100k website Robot told Google to stay out1313Canonical tags are used to avoid duplicate content penalties Google likes original content If it feels like you are duplicating content to just improve your rankings they will penalize you For some sites using duplicate content cant be avoided so yoursquod add canonical tags to tell Google which page has the original or most important content to serve up on a search results page 1313Site maps are not tags but I felt this was a good place to mention them You should submit an xml sitemap to a Google when you launch a new site or add new pages to an existing site The sitemap provides Google with a roadmap on how to crawl you site 1313Next slide please

Anchor Text

Anchor textndash provides relevant contextual information about the content of the links destination for the search engine

lta href=httpwwwstarcompanycomgtstar company websiteltagt

13

BacklinksBacklinks

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The last findability element we want to look at are Backlinks which are incoming links to a page on your site from another site Google considers backlinks from high quality highly relevant sites to yours a big vote of confidence 1313So how does this relate to metadata The anchor text is the visual text part of a link that appears usually as the blue underlined text for the hyperlink as in this example1313Anchor text provides both the search engine and the user with relevant information about the content of the links destination For the search engine that would be the URL and for the user that would be the linkable text 1313You canrsquot always control how other sites link to your site but can control the link the other site displays by using anchor text Itrsquos important to make sure your link text is useful descriptive and relevant1313Anchor text is also used for internal linking from one page on your site to another 1313Both internal and external linking use anchor text and help build and strengthen content authority131313Next slide please

Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads

14

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - The ultimate findability goal is to optimize each page on your site to drive searchers to the most relevant page in relationship to their keyword search ndash this is accomplished using optimized metadata elements 1313So now that they have found your page lets look at usability13 13Next slide please

Usability - Creating human relationships

15

Ease of Use Clarity

Trust Availability

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Usability is creating the ultimate user experience For SEO purposes we break the user experience into 4 categories Ease of use Clarity Trust and Availability1313Lets look at Ease of Use first13 13Next slide please

Ease of Use - Site Navigation

Donrsquot Make Me Think ndash keep it simple keep it familiar16

Navigation links

BreadcrumbsURL Structure

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313When we talk about ease of use what we really mean is how easy is it for the visitor to find what they need on your site This is accomplished through site navigation1313The first experience I had having to think about website navigation was years ago A client who used the companys website that I managed called me when he found out we were redesigning our website He urged me to read the book Dont Make Me Think by Steve Krug The book describes how important easy to use and understand navigation is from a usability standpoint Your goal is to create a clear path to information that helps the user make the decision that your product or service solves their need 1313This concept will make a world of difference when developing your sitersquos navigation1313The meadowfoam website does a good of this13Their top-level navigation is clear and where appropriate uses keywords I say appropriate because your navigation titles affect the sitersquos URL structure A simple URL letrsquos the user know at a quick glance that they landed on the correct site And for the search engine a simple URL structure provides a clear indexing path 13The Natural Plants Product site uses breadcrumb navigation on sections of the site that take you deep into the site Breadcrumbs allow the user to easily navigate backward without having to click the top-level navigation and drill down from there ndash again keeping simple1313Its always best practice to use short navigation titles and then use sub-menus to help organize more complex navigation categories 1313Dont forget to add footer navigation ndash it could be top level only or your full navigation ndash whatever makes the most sense for your business The bottom line is that the user should be able to navigate anywhere from the site1313Next slide please

Clarity

17

bull Focusbull Simplicitybull Layoutbull Linkingbull Call to action

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 13 13The next usability element is content clarity We touched briefly on content at the beginning of the presentation But I wanted to emphasize that content clarity is essential for the user1313When structuring your pages ask yourself 1313Is each page focused on one concept 13Are we using simple easy to understand language13Are page titles and subtitles (these are the H tags we talked about on the backend) written in a way to easily help the user understand content and navigate through page 13Do we have enough internal navigation links to other information on the site to enhance and build content relevancy and authority to help the user understand that we have what they need13Do we have a clear call to action on each page This means clearly inviting the visitor to take our desired action1313Next slide please1313

Trust

18

bull Design qualitybull Upfront disclosurebull Comprehensive correct and current contentbull Connection to the rest of the web

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Websites must establish trust and present themselves as credible in order to turn visitors into leads ndash so how do you communicate trustworthiness Through design disclosure content and connection1313Your design is your first impression for the site visitor Take a step back and ask yourself is it professional with clear navigation Is it free of typos and grammatical errors Perfection should be an expectation when designing your site because it exhibits that you have quality service and products1313Disclosure is essential if you sell products Do you clearly communicate any fees and terms associated with a purchase For all sites is your site secure with HTTPS And do you have a privacy policy posted so your customers know how you protect and use their information 1313Is your content current comprehensive and correct to show your subject matter expertise1313And lately are you well connected to the rest of the Web with backlinks in and out of your site to ensure content authority131313Next slide please1313developed by Jakob Nielsen

Availability

19

bull Server Uptimebull Page Speedbull Linksbull Responsiveness

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313Last usability concept is availably 1313Server uptime means your site is always available for the user and search engine Invest in good hosting If a user tries to access your site and it is down they will go elsewhere If a search engine tries to index your site while itrsquos down they leave immediately1313Page Speed means each page on your site is optimized for speed There are many ways to improve speed but one of the biggest causes of a slow loading page is images that arenrsquot optimized If a search engine is trying to crawl your site and they land on a slow loading page they will leave the page without indexing it likewise for the visitor many wonrsquot want to wait for a slow page to load1313Broken links ndash there is nothing more frustrating than clicking a link that looks interesting only to end up on 404 error page1313Mobile responsiveness is very important these days You never know if your visitor is navigating your site on a desktop laptop mobile or tablet You need to ensure your site is not only responsive to different screen sizes all page elements and navigation menus are optimized to display correctly on each device 1313Next slide please

Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action

20

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash The ultimate usability goal is to guide users through your site in a way that allows them to logically easily and quickly find what they need communicate trust and authority and entice them to take a desired action 1313Next slide please

Tying it all Together- findability

+ usability

21

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313When all the pieces are assembled correctly a qualified human lead finds and lands on your site easily discovers that you have the solution to their issue or need and then takes your desired action1313The findability elements you placed on your site drove a qualified lead to your site Then by applying carefully crafted usability elements you turned that lead into a potential customer 1313Next slide please

Site Analytics

SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results which means you need to pay attention to your site analytics 1313Google analytics is a great tool that is free and offers all the data you need to ensure1313That your sites functions as expected1313Keywords rankings are improving to drive the right people to the site (qualified leads)1313That you proactively fix any site errors to avoid penalties1313Next slide please

Next Steps

23

SEO

Google business

PPCEmail

Social

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG - Now you have a better idea on how to turn your website into a lead generating manget by way of Organic search That is a major component and should be the basis of all lead generating websites However many other tactics can be employed to enhance results and meet your marketing goals1313PPC or AdWords campaigns will yield immediate results but can be costly A PPC campaign should be focused and executed with a goal or purpose such as building your brand launching a new product or promoting an existing product13Email marketing will drive traffic to your site ndash You can post your news or new content in your blog and then email information about new posts to your marketing lists13Google My Business will help solidify your online presence for very little cost and provides another path to be found13Social media campaigns ndash create buzz expand your reach and brings in more traffic 1313Next months forum is on Social Media Strategy It would be prudent to regiseter for that session on July 15th1313This has been a lot to take in but we still need to talk about implementation131313Next slide please1313

Implementation

24

Understand the primary role of marketing for your company which is most often lead generation to achieve business growth

Hire a qualified marketing firm right out of the gate to manage your internet marketing

QualificationsbullMarketing strategist who is focused on business growth

bullManaging website projects understanding of graphic designers developers and other skilled roles associated with internet marketing tactics

bullProven internet marketing knowledge via education and experience

bullUnderstanding of your marketcustomer behaviorbullExperienceknowledge in your field of productsservices (industrial sports real estate law healthcare distribution hellip)

bullEagerly supports what is best for your business and follows your desires

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash13If lead generation for sales is a primary goal then you need to build your marketing expectations around that 1313You may have had a graphics designer andor web developer create your current website Those are critical marketing specialties for your website however those skills alone dont include SEO to the extent required for generating leads Many business owners dont realize that professional marketing services have specialties much like attorneys and that appears to be the reason so many websites lack best SEO practices13 13For internet marketing it is best to hire a firm that has the qualifications shown here Those marketing agnecies typically outsource the skills they dont have in house such as content creaters digital graphics designers web development video production app developers and others Often times outsourcing becomes a pass through transaction which keeps cost down1313Next slide please

Further Questions ndashCommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM

You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like

25

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash 1313Next slide please

Thank You

bull Forum participantsbull WSU - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephaniebull Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative

26

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash Thank you for joining us today We sincerely hope that we made your day and our presentation motivated you to take next steps towards growing your business13We offer special thanks to the Washington State University - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephanie who worked closely with us developing this presentation We also want to thank two other marketing firms Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative out of Portland Oregon for their collaboration with us creating the meadowfoam model that illustrates the combination of the marketing skills it takes for website done right1313Now back to Nolan
  • Digital Marketing Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Introduction
  • Goal of SEO
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google
  • SEO Findability and Usability
  • Content
  • Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships
  • The Search Snippet
  • H Tags
  • Image Alt Tags
  • Robots amp Canonical Tags
  • Anchor Text
  • Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads
  • Usability - Creating human relationships
  • Ease of Use - Site Navigation
  • Clarity
  • Trust
  • Availability
  • Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action
  • Tying it all Together - findability + usability
  • Site Analytics
  • Next Steps
  • Implementation
  • Further Questions ndash CommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like
  • Thank You
Page 6: Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine ......2020/06/17  · Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Customers are searching, but not finding

SEO Findability and Usability

Keywords

bull Begin every SEO project with a keyword study

bull Keywords serve as your content roadmap

6

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash Keith and I take the approach to SEO as building relationships with the user (usability) and the search engine (findability) Usability focuses on creating the optimal user experience and findability the optimal search engine experience Together they are the keys to improving your search engine rankings in the effort to drive qualified leads to your website 1313As I go through the next slides we will explore the important elements of findability and usability but first I want to briefly touch on keywords and content I say briefly because each of these topics could be the subject of their own webinar but are highly relevant to this presentation 1313Every SEO project should begin with a keyword study This helps to ensure you optimize your site with the words and phrases people actually use to find and talk about your products and services13Keywords can serve as your sitersquos content roadmap1313Next slide please

7

Content

bull Focused on one conceptbull Uses your customers

languagebull Provides clear paths to

addition information bull Leads user to a desired

outcome

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313Content is why you have a website ndash you use content to tell your story sell your service or your product Itrsquos always important to write your content for the user not the search engine 1313Each page on your site should use content that is highly focused on one concept This is where your keyword roadmap comes into play Keywords help focus page content 13Each page should speak the language of your customer Yoursquove already done your keyword research so you know your ideal customerrsquos keywords and phrases which means you know how they think and speak about your products and services ndash use that language to construct page content13Use your content to provide clear paths to more information13And always lead the user to your desired outcome 1313This page on the Natural Plant Products site is a good example ndash it is highly focused provides clear links to more information and leads the user to take action1313Now that we have our content in place we need to drive users to your site ndash this is where findability comes into play1313Next slide please13

Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships

8

Metadata Tags

Backlinks

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash 1313Findability is creating a map for the search engine to crawl (or find) your site When the search engine crawls your site they decide what they site is about Then they index that information or file it into their database1313When a searcher enters their keyword search the search engine for the purpose of our presentation we will use Google as our search engine example searches their indexed database for webpages that are relevant to the searchers inquiry and then serve up those pages on a search results page 1313The order in which they serve the results are based on how they rank each indexed webpage for relevancy to those keywords 1313The goal of your SEO project is to rank on page 1 on a search results page So how do you achieve that goal By applying the findability elements to your site that are deemed important ranking signals for a search engine Since Google has over 200 ranking signals we are going to focus on the ones that we consider most important to get started metadata and backlinks1313Next slide please

The Search Snippet

SEO Page title ndashDescribe what the page is about For most companies keywords appear before your brand

Meta descriptions ndash a short summary of webpage if snippet is clicked

A meta description should contain a call to action to entice users to click

Your search snippet is an excellent sales tool to drive traffic to your site

9

MetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313How does someone find what you have to offer If yoursquove optimized your site well Google indexed and ranked the page high enough to show your search snippet on page 1 of a search results page 1313So what exactly is a search snippet1313Yoursquove all seen a search snippet ndash if appears like the example on the right-hand side of the slide1313It is structured on the backend of your site with an SEO Page Title and Meta Description1313The SEO Page title in this example is Meadowfoam XPR The SEO title should describe what the page is about followed by your brand or company name1313The meta description appears under the SEO page title and is a short summary your page content 1313Your pagersquos most important keyword should appear in title and in the meta description As you can see from this snippet the searcher entered a keyword search for Meadowfoam XPR Google found the relevance between keyword search and their webpage ndash you can see that relevance because Google bolds the searched keyword 1313Search snippet content should be crafted with your sales hat on ndash think of it like your virtual salesperson ndash you want to entice the searcher to click through to your site 1313Itrsquos important that each page on your site must have a unique SEO page title and meta description131313Next slide please

H Tags

H1 H2 H3 tags are the most used H tags They help search engines understand content flow and relevancy

H1 Websites are awesomebull H2 Why we think websites are awesome

bull H3 They give you informationbull H3 You can buy things

bull H2 How do I find a websitebull H3 How to conduct a website search

Backend tag lth1gtWebsites are awesomelth1gt lth2gtWhy we think websites are awesomelth2gt lth3gtThey give you informationlth3gtlth3gtYou can buy thingslth3gt lth2gtHow do I find a websitelth2gt lth3gtHow to conduct a website searchlth3gt

10

MetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH13 13The next meta data element pertains to your webpages These are the H Tags H tags help Google understand your web pages content and flow1313H tags are structured from H1-H6 with the H1 tag being the most important tag 1313Every page on your site should contain a unique H1 tag Itrsquos the pagersquos title It tell users on the frontend what the page is about and it tells Google on the backend the same 1313H2 and beyond tags help the reader and the search engine understand content flow but should be used sparingly to help break up the content of a long page or call attention supporting information 1313Use keywords in tags where appropriate to create a natural flow ndash donrsquot force keywords ndash remember content should always be written with the user in mind not the search engine1313Next slide please

Image Alt Tags

Image alt tags ndash clearly define images to search engines to help them understand how each image relates to the surrounding content for relevancy

ltimg src=ldquocamera1234jpgrdquo alt=ldquocamera black 1234rdquo title=ldquoblack camera model 1234rdquogt

11

MetadataMetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The next metadata element is the Image alt tag 1313Image alt tags help search engines understand the image on the page in context to the content Since Google canrsquot understand the image ndash you must tell it what the image is by using the alt tag Images not only enhance content for the user on the front end of the site they help build content relevancy and authority for the search engine on the backend131313Next slide please

met

Robots amp Canonical Tags

Robots meta tags tell search engines which pages to index on your siteCanonical tags tell search engines which pages contain original content or are most important

Site maps give search engines information about site structure and content

12

MetadataMetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The final metadata tags that Irsquom going to talk about are the Robots and Canonical tags These tags tell Google which pages on your site that you want them to index and rank for importance 1313It might seem counterintuitive to not index all pages on your site but your goal is to have Google index and rank the most important pages for each keyword or concept on your site If you have many pages related to one concept you donrsquot want to dilute your rankings you want to send the searcher to the most important page based on their keyword search 1313The Robots tag tells Google which pages to index and which ones you donrsquot want indexed1313KG breaks in with example of $100k website Robot told Google to stay out1313Canonical tags are used to avoid duplicate content penalties Google likes original content If it feels like you are duplicating content to just improve your rankings they will penalize you For some sites using duplicate content cant be avoided so yoursquod add canonical tags to tell Google which page has the original or most important content to serve up on a search results page 1313Site maps are not tags but I felt this was a good place to mention them You should submit an xml sitemap to a Google when you launch a new site or add new pages to an existing site The sitemap provides Google with a roadmap on how to crawl you site 1313Next slide please

Anchor Text

Anchor textndash provides relevant contextual information about the content of the links destination for the search engine

lta href=httpwwwstarcompanycomgtstar company websiteltagt

13

BacklinksBacklinks

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The last findability element we want to look at are Backlinks which are incoming links to a page on your site from another site Google considers backlinks from high quality highly relevant sites to yours a big vote of confidence 1313So how does this relate to metadata The anchor text is the visual text part of a link that appears usually as the blue underlined text for the hyperlink as in this example1313Anchor text provides both the search engine and the user with relevant information about the content of the links destination For the search engine that would be the URL and for the user that would be the linkable text 1313You canrsquot always control how other sites link to your site but can control the link the other site displays by using anchor text Itrsquos important to make sure your link text is useful descriptive and relevant1313Anchor text is also used for internal linking from one page on your site to another 1313Both internal and external linking use anchor text and help build and strengthen content authority131313Next slide please

Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads

14

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - The ultimate findability goal is to optimize each page on your site to drive searchers to the most relevant page in relationship to their keyword search ndash this is accomplished using optimized metadata elements 1313So now that they have found your page lets look at usability13 13Next slide please

Usability - Creating human relationships

15

Ease of Use Clarity

Trust Availability

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Usability is creating the ultimate user experience For SEO purposes we break the user experience into 4 categories Ease of use Clarity Trust and Availability1313Lets look at Ease of Use first13 13Next slide please

Ease of Use - Site Navigation

Donrsquot Make Me Think ndash keep it simple keep it familiar16

Navigation links

BreadcrumbsURL Structure

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313When we talk about ease of use what we really mean is how easy is it for the visitor to find what they need on your site This is accomplished through site navigation1313The first experience I had having to think about website navigation was years ago A client who used the companys website that I managed called me when he found out we were redesigning our website He urged me to read the book Dont Make Me Think by Steve Krug The book describes how important easy to use and understand navigation is from a usability standpoint Your goal is to create a clear path to information that helps the user make the decision that your product or service solves their need 1313This concept will make a world of difference when developing your sitersquos navigation1313The meadowfoam website does a good of this13Their top-level navigation is clear and where appropriate uses keywords I say appropriate because your navigation titles affect the sitersquos URL structure A simple URL letrsquos the user know at a quick glance that they landed on the correct site And for the search engine a simple URL structure provides a clear indexing path 13The Natural Plants Product site uses breadcrumb navigation on sections of the site that take you deep into the site Breadcrumbs allow the user to easily navigate backward without having to click the top-level navigation and drill down from there ndash again keeping simple1313Its always best practice to use short navigation titles and then use sub-menus to help organize more complex navigation categories 1313Dont forget to add footer navigation ndash it could be top level only or your full navigation ndash whatever makes the most sense for your business The bottom line is that the user should be able to navigate anywhere from the site1313Next slide please

Clarity

17

bull Focusbull Simplicitybull Layoutbull Linkingbull Call to action

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 13 13The next usability element is content clarity We touched briefly on content at the beginning of the presentation But I wanted to emphasize that content clarity is essential for the user1313When structuring your pages ask yourself 1313Is each page focused on one concept 13Are we using simple easy to understand language13Are page titles and subtitles (these are the H tags we talked about on the backend) written in a way to easily help the user understand content and navigate through page 13Do we have enough internal navigation links to other information on the site to enhance and build content relevancy and authority to help the user understand that we have what they need13Do we have a clear call to action on each page This means clearly inviting the visitor to take our desired action1313Next slide please1313

Trust

18

bull Design qualitybull Upfront disclosurebull Comprehensive correct and current contentbull Connection to the rest of the web

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Websites must establish trust and present themselves as credible in order to turn visitors into leads ndash so how do you communicate trustworthiness Through design disclosure content and connection1313Your design is your first impression for the site visitor Take a step back and ask yourself is it professional with clear navigation Is it free of typos and grammatical errors Perfection should be an expectation when designing your site because it exhibits that you have quality service and products1313Disclosure is essential if you sell products Do you clearly communicate any fees and terms associated with a purchase For all sites is your site secure with HTTPS And do you have a privacy policy posted so your customers know how you protect and use their information 1313Is your content current comprehensive and correct to show your subject matter expertise1313And lately are you well connected to the rest of the Web with backlinks in and out of your site to ensure content authority131313Next slide please1313developed by Jakob Nielsen

Availability

19

bull Server Uptimebull Page Speedbull Linksbull Responsiveness

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313Last usability concept is availably 1313Server uptime means your site is always available for the user and search engine Invest in good hosting If a user tries to access your site and it is down they will go elsewhere If a search engine tries to index your site while itrsquos down they leave immediately1313Page Speed means each page on your site is optimized for speed There are many ways to improve speed but one of the biggest causes of a slow loading page is images that arenrsquot optimized If a search engine is trying to crawl your site and they land on a slow loading page they will leave the page without indexing it likewise for the visitor many wonrsquot want to wait for a slow page to load1313Broken links ndash there is nothing more frustrating than clicking a link that looks interesting only to end up on 404 error page1313Mobile responsiveness is very important these days You never know if your visitor is navigating your site on a desktop laptop mobile or tablet You need to ensure your site is not only responsive to different screen sizes all page elements and navigation menus are optimized to display correctly on each device 1313Next slide please

Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action

20

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash The ultimate usability goal is to guide users through your site in a way that allows them to logically easily and quickly find what they need communicate trust and authority and entice them to take a desired action 1313Next slide please

Tying it all Together- findability

+ usability

21

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313When all the pieces are assembled correctly a qualified human lead finds and lands on your site easily discovers that you have the solution to their issue or need and then takes your desired action1313The findability elements you placed on your site drove a qualified lead to your site Then by applying carefully crafted usability elements you turned that lead into a potential customer 1313Next slide please

Site Analytics

SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results which means you need to pay attention to your site analytics 1313Google analytics is a great tool that is free and offers all the data you need to ensure1313That your sites functions as expected1313Keywords rankings are improving to drive the right people to the site (qualified leads)1313That you proactively fix any site errors to avoid penalties1313Next slide please

Next Steps

23

SEO

Google business

PPCEmail

Social

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG - Now you have a better idea on how to turn your website into a lead generating manget by way of Organic search That is a major component and should be the basis of all lead generating websites However many other tactics can be employed to enhance results and meet your marketing goals1313PPC or AdWords campaigns will yield immediate results but can be costly A PPC campaign should be focused and executed with a goal or purpose such as building your brand launching a new product or promoting an existing product13Email marketing will drive traffic to your site ndash You can post your news or new content in your blog and then email information about new posts to your marketing lists13Google My Business will help solidify your online presence for very little cost and provides another path to be found13Social media campaigns ndash create buzz expand your reach and brings in more traffic 1313Next months forum is on Social Media Strategy It would be prudent to regiseter for that session on July 15th1313This has been a lot to take in but we still need to talk about implementation131313Next slide please1313

Implementation

24

Understand the primary role of marketing for your company which is most often lead generation to achieve business growth

Hire a qualified marketing firm right out of the gate to manage your internet marketing

QualificationsbullMarketing strategist who is focused on business growth

bullManaging website projects understanding of graphic designers developers and other skilled roles associated with internet marketing tactics

bullProven internet marketing knowledge via education and experience

bullUnderstanding of your marketcustomer behaviorbullExperienceknowledge in your field of productsservices (industrial sports real estate law healthcare distribution hellip)

bullEagerly supports what is best for your business and follows your desires

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash13If lead generation for sales is a primary goal then you need to build your marketing expectations around that 1313You may have had a graphics designer andor web developer create your current website Those are critical marketing specialties for your website however those skills alone dont include SEO to the extent required for generating leads Many business owners dont realize that professional marketing services have specialties much like attorneys and that appears to be the reason so many websites lack best SEO practices13 13For internet marketing it is best to hire a firm that has the qualifications shown here Those marketing agnecies typically outsource the skills they dont have in house such as content creaters digital graphics designers web development video production app developers and others Often times outsourcing becomes a pass through transaction which keeps cost down1313Next slide please

Further Questions ndashCommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM

You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like

25

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash 1313Next slide please

Thank You

bull Forum participantsbull WSU - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephaniebull Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative

26

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash Thank you for joining us today We sincerely hope that we made your day and our presentation motivated you to take next steps towards growing your business13We offer special thanks to the Washington State University - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephanie who worked closely with us developing this presentation We also want to thank two other marketing firms Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative out of Portland Oregon for their collaboration with us creating the meadowfoam model that illustrates the combination of the marketing skills it takes for website done right1313Now back to Nolan
  • Digital Marketing Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Introduction
  • Goal of SEO
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google
  • SEO Findability and Usability
  • Content
  • Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships
  • The Search Snippet
  • H Tags
  • Image Alt Tags
  • Robots amp Canonical Tags
  • Anchor Text
  • Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads
  • Usability - Creating human relationships
  • Ease of Use - Site Navigation
  • Clarity
  • Trust
  • Availability
  • Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action
  • Tying it all Together - findability + usability
  • Site Analytics
  • Next Steps
  • Implementation
  • Further Questions ndash CommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like
  • Thank You
Page 7: Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine ......2020/06/17  · Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Customers are searching, but not finding

7

Content

bull Focused on one conceptbull Uses your customers

languagebull Provides clear paths to

addition information bull Leads user to a desired

outcome

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313Content is why you have a website ndash you use content to tell your story sell your service or your product Itrsquos always important to write your content for the user not the search engine 1313Each page on your site should use content that is highly focused on one concept This is where your keyword roadmap comes into play Keywords help focus page content 13Each page should speak the language of your customer Yoursquove already done your keyword research so you know your ideal customerrsquos keywords and phrases which means you know how they think and speak about your products and services ndash use that language to construct page content13Use your content to provide clear paths to more information13And always lead the user to your desired outcome 1313This page on the Natural Plant Products site is a good example ndash it is highly focused provides clear links to more information and leads the user to take action1313Now that we have our content in place we need to drive users to your site ndash this is where findability comes into play1313Next slide please13

Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships

8

Metadata Tags

Backlinks

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash 1313Findability is creating a map for the search engine to crawl (or find) your site When the search engine crawls your site they decide what they site is about Then they index that information or file it into their database1313When a searcher enters their keyword search the search engine for the purpose of our presentation we will use Google as our search engine example searches their indexed database for webpages that are relevant to the searchers inquiry and then serve up those pages on a search results page 1313The order in which they serve the results are based on how they rank each indexed webpage for relevancy to those keywords 1313The goal of your SEO project is to rank on page 1 on a search results page So how do you achieve that goal By applying the findability elements to your site that are deemed important ranking signals for a search engine Since Google has over 200 ranking signals we are going to focus on the ones that we consider most important to get started metadata and backlinks1313Next slide please

The Search Snippet

SEO Page title ndashDescribe what the page is about For most companies keywords appear before your brand

Meta descriptions ndash a short summary of webpage if snippet is clicked

A meta description should contain a call to action to entice users to click

Your search snippet is an excellent sales tool to drive traffic to your site

9

MetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313How does someone find what you have to offer If yoursquove optimized your site well Google indexed and ranked the page high enough to show your search snippet on page 1 of a search results page 1313So what exactly is a search snippet1313Yoursquove all seen a search snippet ndash if appears like the example on the right-hand side of the slide1313It is structured on the backend of your site with an SEO Page Title and Meta Description1313The SEO Page title in this example is Meadowfoam XPR The SEO title should describe what the page is about followed by your brand or company name1313The meta description appears under the SEO page title and is a short summary your page content 1313Your pagersquos most important keyword should appear in title and in the meta description As you can see from this snippet the searcher entered a keyword search for Meadowfoam XPR Google found the relevance between keyword search and their webpage ndash you can see that relevance because Google bolds the searched keyword 1313Search snippet content should be crafted with your sales hat on ndash think of it like your virtual salesperson ndash you want to entice the searcher to click through to your site 1313Itrsquos important that each page on your site must have a unique SEO page title and meta description131313Next slide please

H Tags

H1 H2 H3 tags are the most used H tags They help search engines understand content flow and relevancy

H1 Websites are awesomebull H2 Why we think websites are awesome

bull H3 They give you informationbull H3 You can buy things

bull H2 How do I find a websitebull H3 How to conduct a website search

Backend tag lth1gtWebsites are awesomelth1gt lth2gtWhy we think websites are awesomelth2gt lth3gtThey give you informationlth3gtlth3gtYou can buy thingslth3gt lth2gtHow do I find a websitelth2gt lth3gtHow to conduct a website searchlth3gt

10

MetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH13 13The next meta data element pertains to your webpages These are the H Tags H tags help Google understand your web pages content and flow1313H tags are structured from H1-H6 with the H1 tag being the most important tag 1313Every page on your site should contain a unique H1 tag Itrsquos the pagersquos title It tell users on the frontend what the page is about and it tells Google on the backend the same 1313H2 and beyond tags help the reader and the search engine understand content flow but should be used sparingly to help break up the content of a long page or call attention supporting information 1313Use keywords in tags where appropriate to create a natural flow ndash donrsquot force keywords ndash remember content should always be written with the user in mind not the search engine1313Next slide please

Image Alt Tags

Image alt tags ndash clearly define images to search engines to help them understand how each image relates to the surrounding content for relevancy

ltimg src=ldquocamera1234jpgrdquo alt=ldquocamera black 1234rdquo title=ldquoblack camera model 1234rdquogt

11

MetadataMetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The next metadata element is the Image alt tag 1313Image alt tags help search engines understand the image on the page in context to the content Since Google canrsquot understand the image ndash you must tell it what the image is by using the alt tag Images not only enhance content for the user on the front end of the site they help build content relevancy and authority for the search engine on the backend131313Next slide please

met

Robots amp Canonical Tags

Robots meta tags tell search engines which pages to index on your siteCanonical tags tell search engines which pages contain original content or are most important

Site maps give search engines information about site structure and content

12

MetadataMetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The final metadata tags that Irsquom going to talk about are the Robots and Canonical tags These tags tell Google which pages on your site that you want them to index and rank for importance 1313It might seem counterintuitive to not index all pages on your site but your goal is to have Google index and rank the most important pages for each keyword or concept on your site If you have many pages related to one concept you donrsquot want to dilute your rankings you want to send the searcher to the most important page based on their keyword search 1313The Robots tag tells Google which pages to index and which ones you donrsquot want indexed1313KG breaks in with example of $100k website Robot told Google to stay out1313Canonical tags are used to avoid duplicate content penalties Google likes original content If it feels like you are duplicating content to just improve your rankings they will penalize you For some sites using duplicate content cant be avoided so yoursquod add canonical tags to tell Google which page has the original or most important content to serve up on a search results page 1313Site maps are not tags but I felt this was a good place to mention them You should submit an xml sitemap to a Google when you launch a new site or add new pages to an existing site The sitemap provides Google with a roadmap on how to crawl you site 1313Next slide please

Anchor Text

Anchor textndash provides relevant contextual information about the content of the links destination for the search engine

lta href=httpwwwstarcompanycomgtstar company websiteltagt

13

BacklinksBacklinks

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The last findability element we want to look at are Backlinks which are incoming links to a page on your site from another site Google considers backlinks from high quality highly relevant sites to yours a big vote of confidence 1313So how does this relate to metadata The anchor text is the visual text part of a link that appears usually as the blue underlined text for the hyperlink as in this example1313Anchor text provides both the search engine and the user with relevant information about the content of the links destination For the search engine that would be the URL and for the user that would be the linkable text 1313You canrsquot always control how other sites link to your site but can control the link the other site displays by using anchor text Itrsquos important to make sure your link text is useful descriptive and relevant1313Anchor text is also used for internal linking from one page on your site to another 1313Both internal and external linking use anchor text and help build and strengthen content authority131313Next slide please

Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads

14

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - The ultimate findability goal is to optimize each page on your site to drive searchers to the most relevant page in relationship to their keyword search ndash this is accomplished using optimized metadata elements 1313So now that they have found your page lets look at usability13 13Next slide please

Usability - Creating human relationships

15

Ease of Use Clarity

Trust Availability

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Usability is creating the ultimate user experience For SEO purposes we break the user experience into 4 categories Ease of use Clarity Trust and Availability1313Lets look at Ease of Use first13 13Next slide please

Ease of Use - Site Navigation

Donrsquot Make Me Think ndash keep it simple keep it familiar16

Navigation links

BreadcrumbsURL Structure

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313When we talk about ease of use what we really mean is how easy is it for the visitor to find what they need on your site This is accomplished through site navigation1313The first experience I had having to think about website navigation was years ago A client who used the companys website that I managed called me when he found out we were redesigning our website He urged me to read the book Dont Make Me Think by Steve Krug The book describes how important easy to use and understand navigation is from a usability standpoint Your goal is to create a clear path to information that helps the user make the decision that your product or service solves their need 1313This concept will make a world of difference when developing your sitersquos navigation1313The meadowfoam website does a good of this13Their top-level navigation is clear and where appropriate uses keywords I say appropriate because your navigation titles affect the sitersquos URL structure A simple URL letrsquos the user know at a quick glance that they landed on the correct site And for the search engine a simple URL structure provides a clear indexing path 13The Natural Plants Product site uses breadcrumb navigation on sections of the site that take you deep into the site Breadcrumbs allow the user to easily navigate backward without having to click the top-level navigation and drill down from there ndash again keeping simple1313Its always best practice to use short navigation titles and then use sub-menus to help organize more complex navigation categories 1313Dont forget to add footer navigation ndash it could be top level only or your full navigation ndash whatever makes the most sense for your business The bottom line is that the user should be able to navigate anywhere from the site1313Next slide please

Clarity

17

bull Focusbull Simplicitybull Layoutbull Linkingbull Call to action

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 13 13The next usability element is content clarity We touched briefly on content at the beginning of the presentation But I wanted to emphasize that content clarity is essential for the user1313When structuring your pages ask yourself 1313Is each page focused on one concept 13Are we using simple easy to understand language13Are page titles and subtitles (these are the H tags we talked about on the backend) written in a way to easily help the user understand content and navigate through page 13Do we have enough internal navigation links to other information on the site to enhance and build content relevancy and authority to help the user understand that we have what they need13Do we have a clear call to action on each page This means clearly inviting the visitor to take our desired action1313Next slide please1313

Trust

18

bull Design qualitybull Upfront disclosurebull Comprehensive correct and current contentbull Connection to the rest of the web

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Websites must establish trust and present themselves as credible in order to turn visitors into leads ndash so how do you communicate trustworthiness Through design disclosure content and connection1313Your design is your first impression for the site visitor Take a step back and ask yourself is it professional with clear navigation Is it free of typos and grammatical errors Perfection should be an expectation when designing your site because it exhibits that you have quality service and products1313Disclosure is essential if you sell products Do you clearly communicate any fees and terms associated with a purchase For all sites is your site secure with HTTPS And do you have a privacy policy posted so your customers know how you protect and use their information 1313Is your content current comprehensive and correct to show your subject matter expertise1313And lately are you well connected to the rest of the Web with backlinks in and out of your site to ensure content authority131313Next slide please1313developed by Jakob Nielsen

Availability

19

bull Server Uptimebull Page Speedbull Linksbull Responsiveness

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313Last usability concept is availably 1313Server uptime means your site is always available for the user and search engine Invest in good hosting If a user tries to access your site and it is down they will go elsewhere If a search engine tries to index your site while itrsquos down they leave immediately1313Page Speed means each page on your site is optimized for speed There are many ways to improve speed but one of the biggest causes of a slow loading page is images that arenrsquot optimized If a search engine is trying to crawl your site and they land on a slow loading page they will leave the page without indexing it likewise for the visitor many wonrsquot want to wait for a slow page to load1313Broken links ndash there is nothing more frustrating than clicking a link that looks interesting only to end up on 404 error page1313Mobile responsiveness is very important these days You never know if your visitor is navigating your site on a desktop laptop mobile or tablet You need to ensure your site is not only responsive to different screen sizes all page elements and navigation menus are optimized to display correctly on each device 1313Next slide please

Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action

20

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash The ultimate usability goal is to guide users through your site in a way that allows them to logically easily and quickly find what they need communicate trust and authority and entice them to take a desired action 1313Next slide please

Tying it all Together- findability

+ usability

21

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313When all the pieces are assembled correctly a qualified human lead finds and lands on your site easily discovers that you have the solution to their issue or need and then takes your desired action1313The findability elements you placed on your site drove a qualified lead to your site Then by applying carefully crafted usability elements you turned that lead into a potential customer 1313Next slide please

Site Analytics

SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results which means you need to pay attention to your site analytics 1313Google analytics is a great tool that is free and offers all the data you need to ensure1313That your sites functions as expected1313Keywords rankings are improving to drive the right people to the site (qualified leads)1313That you proactively fix any site errors to avoid penalties1313Next slide please

Next Steps

23

SEO

Google business

PPCEmail

Social

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG - Now you have a better idea on how to turn your website into a lead generating manget by way of Organic search That is a major component and should be the basis of all lead generating websites However many other tactics can be employed to enhance results and meet your marketing goals1313PPC or AdWords campaigns will yield immediate results but can be costly A PPC campaign should be focused and executed with a goal or purpose such as building your brand launching a new product or promoting an existing product13Email marketing will drive traffic to your site ndash You can post your news or new content in your blog and then email information about new posts to your marketing lists13Google My Business will help solidify your online presence for very little cost and provides another path to be found13Social media campaigns ndash create buzz expand your reach and brings in more traffic 1313Next months forum is on Social Media Strategy It would be prudent to regiseter for that session on July 15th1313This has been a lot to take in but we still need to talk about implementation131313Next slide please1313

Implementation

24

Understand the primary role of marketing for your company which is most often lead generation to achieve business growth

Hire a qualified marketing firm right out of the gate to manage your internet marketing

QualificationsbullMarketing strategist who is focused on business growth

bullManaging website projects understanding of graphic designers developers and other skilled roles associated with internet marketing tactics

bullProven internet marketing knowledge via education and experience

bullUnderstanding of your marketcustomer behaviorbullExperienceknowledge in your field of productsservices (industrial sports real estate law healthcare distribution hellip)

bullEagerly supports what is best for your business and follows your desires

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash13If lead generation for sales is a primary goal then you need to build your marketing expectations around that 1313You may have had a graphics designer andor web developer create your current website Those are critical marketing specialties for your website however those skills alone dont include SEO to the extent required for generating leads Many business owners dont realize that professional marketing services have specialties much like attorneys and that appears to be the reason so many websites lack best SEO practices13 13For internet marketing it is best to hire a firm that has the qualifications shown here Those marketing agnecies typically outsource the skills they dont have in house such as content creaters digital graphics designers web development video production app developers and others Often times outsourcing becomes a pass through transaction which keeps cost down1313Next slide please

Further Questions ndashCommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM

You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like

25

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash 1313Next slide please

Thank You

bull Forum participantsbull WSU - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephaniebull Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative

26

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash Thank you for joining us today We sincerely hope that we made your day and our presentation motivated you to take next steps towards growing your business13We offer special thanks to the Washington State University - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephanie who worked closely with us developing this presentation We also want to thank two other marketing firms Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative out of Portland Oregon for their collaboration with us creating the meadowfoam model that illustrates the combination of the marketing skills it takes for website done right1313Now back to Nolan
  • Digital Marketing Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Introduction
  • Goal of SEO
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google
  • SEO Findability and Usability
  • Content
  • Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships
  • The Search Snippet
  • H Tags
  • Image Alt Tags
  • Robots amp Canonical Tags
  • Anchor Text
  • Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads
  • Usability - Creating human relationships
  • Ease of Use - Site Navigation
  • Clarity
  • Trust
  • Availability
  • Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action
  • Tying it all Together - findability + usability
  • Site Analytics
  • Next Steps
  • Implementation
  • Further Questions ndash CommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like
  • Thank You
Page 8: Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine ......2020/06/17  · Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Customers are searching, but not finding

Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships

8

Metadata Tags

Backlinks

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash 1313Findability is creating a map for the search engine to crawl (or find) your site When the search engine crawls your site they decide what they site is about Then they index that information or file it into their database1313When a searcher enters their keyword search the search engine for the purpose of our presentation we will use Google as our search engine example searches their indexed database for webpages that are relevant to the searchers inquiry and then serve up those pages on a search results page 1313The order in which they serve the results are based on how they rank each indexed webpage for relevancy to those keywords 1313The goal of your SEO project is to rank on page 1 on a search results page So how do you achieve that goal By applying the findability elements to your site that are deemed important ranking signals for a search engine Since Google has over 200 ranking signals we are going to focus on the ones that we consider most important to get started metadata and backlinks1313Next slide please

The Search Snippet

SEO Page title ndashDescribe what the page is about For most companies keywords appear before your brand

Meta descriptions ndash a short summary of webpage if snippet is clicked

A meta description should contain a call to action to entice users to click

Your search snippet is an excellent sales tool to drive traffic to your site

9

MetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313How does someone find what you have to offer If yoursquove optimized your site well Google indexed and ranked the page high enough to show your search snippet on page 1 of a search results page 1313So what exactly is a search snippet1313Yoursquove all seen a search snippet ndash if appears like the example on the right-hand side of the slide1313It is structured on the backend of your site with an SEO Page Title and Meta Description1313The SEO Page title in this example is Meadowfoam XPR The SEO title should describe what the page is about followed by your brand or company name1313The meta description appears under the SEO page title and is a short summary your page content 1313Your pagersquos most important keyword should appear in title and in the meta description As you can see from this snippet the searcher entered a keyword search for Meadowfoam XPR Google found the relevance between keyword search and their webpage ndash you can see that relevance because Google bolds the searched keyword 1313Search snippet content should be crafted with your sales hat on ndash think of it like your virtual salesperson ndash you want to entice the searcher to click through to your site 1313Itrsquos important that each page on your site must have a unique SEO page title and meta description131313Next slide please

H Tags

H1 H2 H3 tags are the most used H tags They help search engines understand content flow and relevancy

H1 Websites are awesomebull H2 Why we think websites are awesome

bull H3 They give you informationbull H3 You can buy things

bull H2 How do I find a websitebull H3 How to conduct a website search

Backend tag lth1gtWebsites are awesomelth1gt lth2gtWhy we think websites are awesomelth2gt lth3gtThey give you informationlth3gtlth3gtYou can buy thingslth3gt lth2gtHow do I find a websitelth2gt lth3gtHow to conduct a website searchlth3gt

10

MetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH13 13The next meta data element pertains to your webpages These are the H Tags H tags help Google understand your web pages content and flow1313H tags are structured from H1-H6 with the H1 tag being the most important tag 1313Every page on your site should contain a unique H1 tag Itrsquos the pagersquos title It tell users on the frontend what the page is about and it tells Google on the backend the same 1313H2 and beyond tags help the reader and the search engine understand content flow but should be used sparingly to help break up the content of a long page or call attention supporting information 1313Use keywords in tags where appropriate to create a natural flow ndash donrsquot force keywords ndash remember content should always be written with the user in mind not the search engine1313Next slide please

Image Alt Tags

Image alt tags ndash clearly define images to search engines to help them understand how each image relates to the surrounding content for relevancy

ltimg src=ldquocamera1234jpgrdquo alt=ldquocamera black 1234rdquo title=ldquoblack camera model 1234rdquogt

11

MetadataMetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The next metadata element is the Image alt tag 1313Image alt tags help search engines understand the image on the page in context to the content Since Google canrsquot understand the image ndash you must tell it what the image is by using the alt tag Images not only enhance content for the user on the front end of the site they help build content relevancy and authority for the search engine on the backend131313Next slide please

met

Robots amp Canonical Tags

Robots meta tags tell search engines which pages to index on your siteCanonical tags tell search engines which pages contain original content or are most important

Site maps give search engines information about site structure and content

12

MetadataMetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The final metadata tags that Irsquom going to talk about are the Robots and Canonical tags These tags tell Google which pages on your site that you want them to index and rank for importance 1313It might seem counterintuitive to not index all pages on your site but your goal is to have Google index and rank the most important pages for each keyword or concept on your site If you have many pages related to one concept you donrsquot want to dilute your rankings you want to send the searcher to the most important page based on their keyword search 1313The Robots tag tells Google which pages to index and which ones you donrsquot want indexed1313KG breaks in with example of $100k website Robot told Google to stay out1313Canonical tags are used to avoid duplicate content penalties Google likes original content If it feels like you are duplicating content to just improve your rankings they will penalize you For some sites using duplicate content cant be avoided so yoursquod add canonical tags to tell Google which page has the original or most important content to serve up on a search results page 1313Site maps are not tags but I felt this was a good place to mention them You should submit an xml sitemap to a Google when you launch a new site or add new pages to an existing site The sitemap provides Google with a roadmap on how to crawl you site 1313Next slide please

Anchor Text

Anchor textndash provides relevant contextual information about the content of the links destination for the search engine

lta href=httpwwwstarcompanycomgtstar company websiteltagt

13

BacklinksBacklinks

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The last findability element we want to look at are Backlinks which are incoming links to a page on your site from another site Google considers backlinks from high quality highly relevant sites to yours a big vote of confidence 1313So how does this relate to metadata The anchor text is the visual text part of a link that appears usually as the blue underlined text for the hyperlink as in this example1313Anchor text provides both the search engine and the user with relevant information about the content of the links destination For the search engine that would be the URL and for the user that would be the linkable text 1313You canrsquot always control how other sites link to your site but can control the link the other site displays by using anchor text Itrsquos important to make sure your link text is useful descriptive and relevant1313Anchor text is also used for internal linking from one page on your site to another 1313Both internal and external linking use anchor text and help build and strengthen content authority131313Next slide please

Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads

14

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - The ultimate findability goal is to optimize each page on your site to drive searchers to the most relevant page in relationship to their keyword search ndash this is accomplished using optimized metadata elements 1313So now that they have found your page lets look at usability13 13Next slide please

Usability - Creating human relationships

15

Ease of Use Clarity

Trust Availability

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Usability is creating the ultimate user experience For SEO purposes we break the user experience into 4 categories Ease of use Clarity Trust and Availability1313Lets look at Ease of Use first13 13Next slide please

Ease of Use - Site Navigation

Donrsquot Make Me Think ndash keep it simple keep it familiar16

Navigation links

BreadcrumbsURL Structure

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313When we talk about ease of use what we really mean is how easy is it for the visitor to find what they need on your site This is accomplished through site navigation1313The first experience I had having to think about website navigation was years ago A client who used the companys website that I managed called me when he found out we were redesigning our website He urged me to read the book Dont Make Me Think by Steve Krug The book describes how important easy to use and understand navigation is from a usability standpoint Your goal is to create a clear path to information that helps the user make the decision that your product or service solves their need 1313This concept will make a world of difference when developing your sitersquos navigation1313The meadowfoam website does a good of this13Their top-level navigation is clear and where appropriate uses keywords I say appropriate because your navigation titles affect the sitersquos URL structure A simple URL letrsquos the user know at a quick glance that they landed on the correct site And for the search engine a simple URL structure provides a clear indexing path 13The Natural Plants Product site uses breadcrumb navigation on sections of the site that take you deep into the site Breadcrumbs allow the user to easily navigate backward without having to click the top-level navigation and drill down from there ndash again keeping simple1313Its always best practice to use short navigation titles and then use sub-menus to help organize more complex navigation categories 1313Dont forget to add footer navigation ndash it could be top level only or your full navigation ndash whatever makes the most sense for your business The bottom line is that the user should be able to navigate anywhere from the site1313Next slide please

Clarity

17

bull Focusbull Simplicitybull Layoutbull Linkingbull Call to action

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 13 13The next usability element is content clarity We touched briefly on content at the beginning of the presentation But I wanted to emphasize that content clarity is essential for the user1313When structuring your pages ask yourself 1313Is each page focused on one concept 13Are we using simple easy to understand language13Are page titles and subtitles (these are the H tags we talked about on the backend) written in a way to easily help the user understand content and navigate through page 13Do we have enough internal navigation links to other information on the site to enhance and build content relevancy and authority to help the user understand that we have what they need13Do we have a clear call to action on each page This means clearly inviting the visitor to take our desired action1313Next slide please1313

Trust

18

bull Design qualitybull Upfront disclosurebull Comprehensive correct and current contentbull Connection to the rest of the web

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Websites must establish trust and present themselves as credible in order to turn visitors into leads ndash so how do you communicate trustworthiness Through design disclosure content and connection1313Your design is your first impression for the site visitor Take a step back and ask yourself is it professional with clear navigation Is it free of typos and grammatical errors Perfection should be an expectation when designing your site because it exhibits that you have quality service and products1313Disclosure is essential if you sell products Do you clearly communicate any fees and terms associated with a purchase For all sites is your site secure with HTTPS And do you have a privacy policy posted so your customers know how you protect and use their information 1313Is your content current comprehensive and correct to show your subject matter expertise1313And lately are you well connected to the rest of the Web with backlinks in and out of your site to ensure content authority131313Next slide please1313developed by Jakob Nielsen

Availability

19

bull Server Uptimebull Page Speedbull Linksbull Responsiveness

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313Last usability concept is availably 1313Server uptime means your site is always available for the user and search engine Invest in good hosting If a user tries to access your site and it is down they will go elsewhere If a search engine tries to index your site while itrsquos down they leave immediately1313Page Speed means each page on your site is optimized for speed There are many ways to improve speed but one of the biggest causes of a slow loading page is images that arenrsquot optimized If a search engine is trying to crawl your site and they land on a slow loading page they will leave the page without indexing it likewise for the visitor many wonrsquot want to wait for a slow page to load1313Broken links ndash there is nothing more frustrating than clicking a link that looks interesting only to end up on 404 error page1313Mobile responsiveness is very important these days You never know if your visitor is navigating your site on a desktop laptop mobile or tablet You need to ensure your site is not only responsive to different screen sizes all page elements and navigation menus are optimized to display correctly on each device 1313Next slide please

Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action

20

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash The ultimate usability goal is to guide users through your site in a way that allows them to logically easily and quickly find what they need communicate trust and authority and entice them to take a desired action 1313Next slide please

Tying it all Together- findability

+ usability

21

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313When all the pieces are assembled correctly a qualified human lead finds and lands on your site easily discovers that you have the solution to their issue or need and then takes your desired action1313The findability elements you placed on your site drove a qualified lead to your site Then by applying carefully crafted usability elements you turned that lead into a potential customer 1313Next slide please

Site Analytics

SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results which means you need to pay attention to your site analytics 1313Google analytics is a great tool that is free and offers all the data you need to ensure1313That your sites functions as expected1313Keywords rankings are improving to drive the right people to the site (qualified leads)1313That you proactively fix any site errors to avoid penalties1313Next slide please

Next Steps

23

SEO

Google business

PPCEmail

Social

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG - Now you have a better idea on how to turn your website into a lead generating manget by way of Organic search That is a major component and should be the basis of all lead generating websites However many other tactics can be employed to enhance results and meet your marketing goals1313PPC or AdWords campaigns will yield immediate results but can be costly A PPC campaign should be focused and executed with a goal or purpose such as building your brand launching a new product or promoting an existing product13Email marketing will drive traffic to your site ndash You can post your news or new content in your blog and then email information about new posts to your marketing lists13Google My Business will help solidify your online presence for very little cost and provides another path to be found13Social media campaigns ndash create buzz expand your reach and brings in more traffic 1313Next months forum is on Social Media Strategy It would be prudent to regiseter for that session on July 15th1313This has been a lot to take in but we still need to talk about implementation131313Next slide please1313

Implementation

24

Understand the primary role of marketing for your company which is most often lead generation to achieve business growth

Hire a qualified marketing firm right out of the gate to manage your internet marketing

QualificationsbullMarketing strategist who is focused on business growth

bullManaging website projects understanding of graphic designers developers and other skilled roles associated with internet marketing tactics

bullProven internet marketing knowledge via education and experience

bullUnderstanding of your marketcustomer behaviorbullExperienceknowledge in your field of productsservices (industrial sports real estate law healthcare distribution hellip)

bullEagerly supports what is best for your business and follows your desires

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash13If lead generation for sales is a primary goal then you need to build your marketing expectations around that 1313You may have had a graphics designer andor web developer create your current website Those are critical marketing specialties for your website however those skills alone dont include SEO to the extent required for generating leads Many business owners dont realize that professional marketing services have specialties much like attorneys and that appears to be the reason so many websites lack best SEO practices13 13For internet marketing it is best to hire a firm that has the qualifications shown here Those marketing agnecies typically outsource the skills they dont have in house such as content creaters digital graphics designers web development video production app developers and others Often times outsourcing becomes a pass through transaction which keeps cost down1313Next slide please

Further Questions ndashCommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM

You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like

25

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash 1313Next slide please

Thank You

bull Forum participantsbull WSU - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephaniebull Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative

26

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash Thank you for joining us today We sincerely hope that we made your day and our presentation motivated you to take next steps towards growing your business13We offer special thanks to the Washington State University - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephanie who worked closely with us developing this presentation We also want to thank two other marketing firms Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative out of Portland Oregon for their collaboration with us creating the meadowfoam model that illustrates the combination of the marketing skills it takes for website done right1313Now back to Nolan
  • Digital Marketing Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Introduction
  • Goal of SEO
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google
  • SEO Findability and Usability
  • Content
  • Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships
  • The Search Snippet
  • H Tags
  • Image Alt Tags
  • Robots amp Canonical Tags
  • Anchor Text
  • Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads
  • Usability - Creating human relationships
  • Ease of Use - Site Navigation
  • Clarity
  • Trust
  • Availability
  • Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action
  • Tying it all Together - findability + usability
  • Site Analytics
  • Next Steps
  • Implementation
  • Further Questions ndash CommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like
  • Thank You
Page 9: Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine ......2020/06/17  · Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Customers are searching, but not finding

The Search Snippet

SEO Page title ndashDescribe what the page is about For most companies keywords appear before your brand

Meta descriptions ndash a short summary of webpage if snippet is clicked

A meta description should contain a call to action to entice users to click

Your search snippet is an excellent sales tool to drive traffic to your site

9

MetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313How does someone find what you have to offer If yoursquove optimized your site well Google indexed and ranked the page high enough to show your search snippet on page 1 of a search results page 1313So what exactly is a search snippet1313Yoursquove all seen a search snippet ndash if appears like the example on the right-hand side of the slide1313It is structured on the backend of your site with an SEO Page Title and Meta Description1313The SEO Page title in this example is Meadowfoam XPR The SEO title should describe what the page is about followed by your brand or company name1313The meta description appears under the SEO page title and is a short summary your page content 1313Your pagersquos most important keyword should appear in title and in the meta description As you can see from this snippet the searcher entered a keyword search for Meadowfoam XPR Google found the relevance between keyword search and their webpage ndash you can see that relevance because Google bolds the searched keyword 1313Search snippet content should be crafted with your sales hat on ndash think of it like your virtual salesperson ndash you want to entice the searcher to click through to your site 1313Itrsquos important that each page on your site must have a unique SEO page title and meta description131313Next slide please

H Tags

H1 H2 H3 tags are the most used H tags They help search engines understand content flow and relevancy

H1 Websites are awesomebull H2 Why we think websites are awesome

bull H3 They give you informationbull H3 You can buy things

bull H2 How do I find a websitebull H3 How to conduct a website search

Backend tag lth1gtWebsites are awesomelth1gt lth2gtWhy we think websites are awesomelth2gt lth3gtThey give you informationlth3gtlth3gtYou can buy thingslth3gt lth2gtHow do I find a websitelth2gt lth3gtHow to conduct a website searchlth3gt

10

MetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH13 13The next meta data element pertains to your webpages These are the H Tags H tags help Google understand your web pages content and flow1313H tags are structured from H1-H6 with the H1 tag being the most important tag 1313Every page on your site should contain a unique H1 tag Itrsquos the pagersquos title It tell users on the frontend what the page is about and it tells Google on the backend the same 1313H2 and beyond tags help the reader and the search engine understand content flow but should be used sparingly to help break up the content of a long page or call attention supporting information 1313Use keywords in tags where appropriate to create a natural flow ndash donrsquot force keywords ndash remember content should always be written with the user in mind not the search engine1313Next slide please

Image Alt Tags

Image alt tags ndash clearly define images to search engines to help them understand how each image relates to the surrounding content for relevancy

ltimg src=ldquocamera1234jpgrdquo alt=ldquocamera black 1234rdquo title=ldquoblack camera model 1234rdquogt

11

MetadataMetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The next metadata element is the Image alt tag 1313Image alt tags help search engines understand the image on the page in context to the content Since Google canrsquot understand the image ndash you must tell it what the image is by using the alt tag Images not only enhance content for the user on the front end of the site they help build content relevancy and authority for the search engine on the backend131313Next slide please

met

Robots amp Canonical Tags

Robots meta tags tell search engines which pages to index on your siteCanonical tags tell search engines which pages contain original content or are most important

Site maps give search engines information about site structure and content

12

MetadataMetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The final metadata tags that Irsquom going to talk about are the Robots and Canonical tags These tags tell Google which pages on your site that you want them to index and rank for importance 1313It might seem counterintuitive to not index all pages on your site but your goal is to have Google index and rank the most important pages for each keyword or concept on your site If you have many pages related to one concept you donrsquot want to dilute your rankings you want to send the searcher to the most important page based on their keyword search 1313The Robots tag tells Google which pages to index and which ones you donrsquot want indexed1313KG breaks in with example of $100k website Robot told Google to stay out1313Canonical tags are used to avoid duplicate content penalties Google likes original content If it feels like you are duplicating content to just improve your rankings they will penalize you For some sites using duplicate content cant be avoided so yoursquod add canonical tags to tell Google which page has the original or most important content to serve up on a search results page 1313Site maps are not tags but I felt this was a good place to mention them You should submit an xml sitemap to a Google when you launch a new site or add new pages to an existing site The sitemap provides Google with a roadmap on how to crawl you site 1313Next slide please

Anchor Text

Anchor textndash provides relevant contextual information about the content of the links destination for the search engine

lta href=httpwwwstarcompanycomgtstar company websiteltagt

13

BacklinksBacklinks

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The last findability element we want to look at are Backlinks which are incoming links to a page on your site from another site Google considers backlinks from high quality highly relevant sites to yours a big vote of confidence 1313So how does this relate to metadata The anchor text is the visual text part of a link that appears usually as the blue underlined text for the hyperlink as in this example1313Anchor text provides both the search engine and the user with relevant information about the content of the links destination For the search engine that would be the URL and for the user that would be the linkable text 1313You canrsquot always control how other sites link to your site but can control the link the other site displays by using anchor text Itrsquos important to make sure your link text is useful descriptive and relevant1313Anchor text is also used for internal linking from one page on your site to another 1313Both internal and external linking use anchor text and help build and strengthen content authority131313Next slide please

Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads

14

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - The ultimate findability goal is to optimize each page on your site to drive searchers to the most relevant page in relationship to their keyword search ndash this is accomplished using optimized metadata elements 1313So now that they have found your page lets look at usability13 13Next slide please

Usability - Creating human relationships

15

Ease of Use Clarity

Trust Availability

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Usability is creating the ultimate user experience For SEO purposes we break the user experience into 4 categories Ease of use Clarity Trust and Availability1313Lets look at Ease of Use first13 13Next slide please

Ease of Use - Site Navigation

Donrsquot Make Me Think ndash keep it simple keep it familiar16

Navigation links

BreadcrumbsURL Structure

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313When we talk about ease of use what we really mean is how easy is it for the visitor to find what they need on your site This is accomplished through site navigation1313The first experience I had having to think about website navigation was years ago A client who used the companys website that I managed called me when he found out we were redesigning our website He urged me to read the book Dont Make Me Think by Steve Krug The book describes how important easy to use and understand navigation is from a usability standpoint Your goal is to create a clear path to information that helps the user make the decision that your product or service solves their need 1313This concept will make a world of difference when developing your sitersquos navigation1313The meadowfoam website does a good of this13Their top-level navigation is clear and where appropriate uses keywords I say appropriate because your navigation titles affect the sitersquos URL structure A simple URL letrsquos the user know at a quick glance that they landed on the correct site And for the search engine a simple URL structure provides a clear indexing path 13The Natural Plants Product site uses breadcrumb navigation on sections of the site that take you deep into the site Breadcrumbs allow the user to easily navigate backward without having to click the top-level navigation and drill down from there ndash again keeping simple1313Its always best practice to use short navigation titles and then use sub-menus to help organize more complex navigation categories 1313Dont forget to add footer navigation ndash it could be top level only or your full navigation ndash whatever makes the most sense for your business The bottom line is that the user should be able to navigate anywhere from the site1313Next slide please

Clarity

17

bull Focusbull Simplicitybull Layoutbull Linkingbull Call to action

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 13 13The next usability element is content clarity We touched briefly on content at the beginning of the presentation But I wanted to emphasize that content clarity is essential for the user1313When structuring your pages ask yourself 1313Is each page focused on one concept 13Are we using simple easy to understand language13Are page titles and subtitles (these are the H tags we talked about on the backend) written in a way to easily help the user understand content and navigate through page 13Do we have enough internal navigation links to other information on the site to enhance and build content relevancy and authority to help the user understand that we have what they need13Do we have a clear call to action on each page This means clearly inviting the visitor to take our desired action1313Next slide please1313

Trust

18

bull Design qualitybull Upfront disclosurebull Comprehensive correct and current contentbull Connection to the rest of the web

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Websites must establish trust and present themselves as credible in order to turn visitors into leads ndash so how do you communicate trustworthiness Through design disclosure content and connection1313Your design is your first impression for the site visitor Take a step back and ask yourself is it professional with clear navigation Is it free of typos and grammatical errors Perfection should be an expectation when designing your site because it exhibits that you have quality service and products1313Disclosure is essential if you sell products Do you clearly communicate any fees and terms associated with a purchase For all sites is your site secure with HTTPS And do you have a privacy policy posted so your customers know how you protect and use their information 1313Is your content current comprehensive and correct to show your subject matter expertise1313And lately are you well connected to the rest of the Web with backlinks in and out of your site to ensure content authority131313Next slide please1313developed by Jakob Nielsen

Availability

19

bull Server Uptimebull Page Speedbull Linksbull Responsiveness

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313Last usability concept is availably 1313Server uptime means your site is always available for the user and search engine Invest in good hosting If a user tries to access your site and it is down they will go elsewhere If a search engine tries to index your site while itrsquos down they leave immediately1313Page Speed means each page on your site is optimized for speed There are many ways to improve speed but one of the biggest causes of a slow loading page is images that arenrsquot optimized If a search engine is trying to crawl your site and they land on a slow loading page they will leave the page without indexing it likewise for the visitor many wonrsquot want to wait for a slow page to load1313Broken links ndash there is nothing more frustrating than clicking a link that looks interesting only to end up on 404 error page1313Mobile responsiveness is very important these days You never know if your visitor is navigating your site on a desktop laptop mobile or tablet You need to ensure your site is not only responsive to different screen sizes all page elements and navigation menus are optimized to display correctly on each device 1313Next slide please

Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action

20

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash The ultimate usability goal is to guide users through your site in a way that allows them to logically easily and quickly find what they need communicate trust and authority and entice them to take a desired action 1313Next slide please

Tying it all Together- findability

+ usability

21

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313When all the pieces are assembled correctly a qualified human lead finds and lands on your site easily discovers that you have the solution to their issue or need and then takes your desired action1313The findability elements you placed on your site drove a qualified lead to your site Then by applying carefully crafted usability elements you turned that lead into a potential customer 1313Next slide please

Site Analytics

SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results which means you need to pay attention to your site analytics 1313Google analytics is a great tool that is free and offers all the data you need to ensure1313That your sites functions as expected1313Keywords rankings are improving to drive the right people to the site (qualified leads)1313That you proactively fix any site errors to avoid penalties1313Next slide please

Next Steps

23

SEO

Google business

PPCEmail

Social

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG - Now you have a better idea on how to turn your website into a lead generating manget by way of Organic search That is a major component and should be the basis of all lead generating websites However many other tactics can be employed to enhance results and meet your marketing goals1313PPC or AdWords campaigns will yield immediate results but can be costly A PPC campaign should be focused and executed with a goal or purpose such as building your brand launching a new product or promoting an existing product13Email marketing will drive traffic to your site ndash You can post your news or new content in your blog and then email information about new posts to your marketing lists13Google My Business will help solidify your online presence for very little cost and provides another path to be found13Social media campaigns ndash create buzz expand your reach and brings in more traffic 1313Next months forum is on Social Media Strategy It would be prudent to regiseter for that session on July 15th1313This has been a lot to take in but we still need to talk about implementation131313Next slide please1313

Implementation

24

Understand the primary role of marketing for your company which is most often lead generation to achieve business growth

Hire a qualified marketing firm right out of the gate to manage your internet marketing

QualificationsbullMarketing strategist who is focused on business growth

bullManaging website projects understanding of graphic designers developers and other skilled roles associated with internet marketing tactics

bullProven internet marketing knowledge via education and experience

bullUnderstanding of your marketcustomer behaviorbullExperienceknowledge in your field of productsservices (industrial sports real estate law healthcare distribution hellip)

bullEagerly supports what is best for your business and follows your desires

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash13If lead generation for sales is a primary goal then you need to build your marketing expectations around that 1313You may have had a graphics designer andor web developer create your current website Those are critical marketing specialties for your website however those skills alone dont include SEO to the extent required for generating leads Many business owners dont realize that professional marketing services have specialties much like attorneys and that appears to be the reason so many websites lack best SEO practices13 13For internet marketing it is best to hire a firm that has the qualifications shown here Those marketing agnecies typically outsource the skills they dont have in house such as content creaters digital graphics designers web development video production app developers and others Often times outsourcing becomes a pass through transaction which keeps cost down1313Next slide please

Further Questions ndashCommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM

You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like

25

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash 1313Next slide please

Thank You

bull Forum participantsbull WSU - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephaniebull Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative

26

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash Thank you for joining us today We sincerely hope that we made your day and our presentation motivated you to take next steps towards growing your business13We offer special thanks to the Washington State University - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephanie who worked closely with us developing this presentation We also want to thank two other marketing firms Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative out of Portland Oregon for their collaboration with us creating the meadowfoam model that illustrates the combination of the marketing skills it takes for website done right1313Now back to Nolan
  • Digital Marketing Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Introduction
  • Goal of SEO
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google
  • SEO Findability and Usability
  • Content
  • Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships
  • The Search Snippet
  • H Tags
  • Image Alt Tags
  • Robots amp Canonical Tags
  • Anchor Text
  • Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads
  • Usability - Creating human relationships
  • Ease of Use - Site Navigation
  • Clarity
  • Trust
  • Availability
  • Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action
  • Tying it all Together - findability + usability
  • Site Analytics
  • Next Steps
  • Implementation
  • Further Questions ndash CommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like
  • Thank You
Page 10: Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine ......2020/06/17  · Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Customers are searching, but not finding

H Tags

H1 H2 H3 tags are the most used H tags They help search engines understand content flow and relevancy

H1 Websites are awesomebull H2 Why we think websites are awesome

bull H3 They give you informationbull H3 You can buy things

bull H2 How do I find a websitebull H3 How to conduct a website search

Backend tag lth1gtWebsites are awesomelth1gt lth2gtWhy we think websites are awesomelth2gt lth3gtThey give you informationlth3gtlth3gtYou can buy thingslth3gt lth2gtHow do I find a websitelth2gt lth3gtHow to conduct a website searchlth3gt

10

MetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH13 13The next meta data element pertains to your webpages These are the H Tags H tags help Google understand your web pages content and flow1313H tags are structured from H1-H6 with the H1 tag being the most important tag 1313Every page on your site should contain a unique H1 tag Itrsquos the pagersquos title It tell users on the frontend what the page is about and it tells Google on the backend the same 1313H2 and beyond tags help the reader and the search engine understand content flow but should be used sparingly to help break up the content of a long page or call attention supporting information 1313Use keywords in tags where appropriate to create a natural flow ndash donrsquot force keywords ndash remember content should always be written with the user in mind not the search engine1313Next slide please

Image Alt Tags

Image alt tags ndash clearly define images to search engines to help them understand how each image relates to the surrounding content for relevancy

ltimg src=ldquocamera1234jpgrdquo alt=ldquocamera black 1234rdquo title=ldquoblack camera model 1234rdquogt

11

MetadataMetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The next metadata element is the Image alt tag 1313Image alt tags help search engines understand the image on the page in context to the content Since Google canrsquot understand the image ndash you must tell it what the image is by using the alt tag Images not only enhance content for the user on the front end of the site they help build content relevancy and authority for the search engine on the backend131313Next slide please

met

Robots amp Canonical Tags

Robots meta tags tell search engines which pages to index on your siteCanonical tags tell search engines which pages contain original content or are most important

Site maps give search engines information about site structure and content

12

MetadataMetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The final metadata tags that Irsquom going to talk about are the Robots and Canonical tags These tags tell Google which pages on your site that you want them to index and rank for importance 1313It might seem counterintuitive to not index all pages on your site but your goal is to have Google index and rank the most important pages for each keyword or concept on your site If you have many pages related to one concept you donrsquot want to dilute your rankings you want to send the searcher to the most important page based on their keyword search 1313The Robots tag tells Google which pages to index and which ones you donrsquot want indexed1313KG breaks in with example of $100k website Robot told Google to stay out1313Canonical tags are used to avoid duplicate content penalties Google likes original content If it feels like you are duplicating content to just improve your rankings they will penalize you For some sites using duplicate content cant be avoided so yoursquod add canonical tags to tell Google which page has the original or most important content to serve up on a search results page 1313Site maps are not tags but I felt this was a good place to mention them You should submit an xml sitemap to a Google when you launch a new site or add new pages to an existing site The sitemap provides Google with a roadmap on how to crawl you site 1313Next slide please

Anchor Text

Anchor textndash provides relevant contextual information about the content of the links destination for the search engine

lta href=httpwwwstarcompanycomgtstar company websiteltagt

13

BacklinksBacklinks

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The last findability element we want to look at are Backlinks which are incoming links to a page on your site from another site Google considers backlinks from high quality highly relevant sites to yours a big vote of confidence 1313So how does this relate to metadata The anchor text is the visual text part of a link that appears usually as the blue underlined text for the hyperlink as in this example1313Anchor text provides both the search engine and the user with relevant information about the content of the links destination For the search engine that would be the URL and for the user that would be the linkable text 1313You canrsquot always control how other sites link to your site but can control the link the other site displays by using anchor text Itrsquos important to make sure your link text is useful descriptive and relevant1313Anchor text is also used for internal linking from one page on your site to another 1313Both internal and external linking use anchor text and help build and strengthen content authority131313Next slide please

Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads

14

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - The ultimate findability goal is to optimize each page on your site to drive searchers to the most relevant page in relationship to their keyword search ndash this is accomplished using optimized metadata elements 1313So now that they have found your page lets look at usability13 13Next slide please

Usability - Creating human relationships

15

Ease of Use Clarity

Trust Availability

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Usability is creating the ultimate user experience For SEO purposes we break the user experience into 4 categories Ease of use Clarity Trust and Availability1313Lets look at Ease of Use first13 13Next slide please

Ease of Use - Site Navigation

Donrsquot Make Me Think ndash keep it simple keep it familiar16

Navigation links

BreadcrumbsURL Structure

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313When we talk about ease of use what we really mean is how easy is it for the visitor to find what they need on your site This is accomplished through site navigation1313The first experience I had having to think about website navigation was years ago A client who used the companys website that I managed called me when he found out we were redesigning our website He urged me to read the book Dont Make Me Think by Steve Krug The book describes how important easy to use and understand navigation is from a usability standpoint Your goal is to create a clear path to information that helps the user make the decision that your product or service solves their need 1313This concept will make a world of difference when developing your sitersquos navigation1313The meadowfoam website does a good of this13Their top-level navigation is clear and where appropriate uses keywords I say appropriate because your navigation titles affect the sitersquos URL structure A simple URL letrsquos the user know at a quick glance that they landed on the correct site And for the search engine a simple URL structure provides a clear indexing path 13The Natural Plants Product site uses breadcrumb navigation on sections of the site that take you deep into the site Breadcrumbs allow the user to easily navigate backward without having to click the top-level navigation and drill down from there ndash again keeping simple1313Its always best practice to use short navigation titles and then use sub-menus to help organize more complex navigation categories 1313Dont forget to add footer navigation ndash it could be top level only or your full navigation ndash whatever makes the most sense for your business The bottom line is that the user should be able to navigate anywhere from the site1313Next slide please

Clarity

17

bull Focusbull Simplicitybull Layoutbull Linkingbull Call to action

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 13 13The next usability element is content clarity We touched briefly on content at the beginning of the presentation But I wanted to emphasize that content clarity is essential for the user1313When structuring your pages ask yourself 1313Is each page focused on one concept 13Are we using simple easy to understand language13Are page titles and subtitles (these are the H tags we talked about on the backend) written in a way to easily help the user understand content and navigate through page 13Do we have enough internal navigation links to other information on the site to enhance and build content relevancy and authority to help the user understand that we have what they need13Do we have a clear call to action on each page This means clearly inviting the visitor to take our desired action1313Next slide please1313

Trust

18

bull Design qualitybull Upfront disclosurebull Comprehensive correct and current contentbull Connection to the rest of the web

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Websites must establish trust and present themselves as credible in order to turn visitors into leads ndash so how do you communicate trustworthiness Through design disclosure content and connection1313Your design is your first impression for the site visitor Take a step back and ask yourself is it professional with clear navigation Is it free of typos and grammatical errors Perfection should be an expectation when designing your site because it exhibits that you have quality service and products1313Disclosure is essential if you sell products Do you clearly communicate any fees and terms associated with a purchase For all sites is your site secure with HTTPS And do you have a privacy policy posted so your customers know how you protect and use their information 1313Is your content current comprehensive and correct to show your subject matter expertise1313And lately are you well connected to the rest of the Web with backlinks in and out of your site to ensure content authority131313Next slide please1313developed by Jakob Nielsen

Availability

19

bull Server Uptimebull Page Speedbull Linksbull Responsiveness

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313Last usability concept is availably 1313Server uptime means your site is always available for the user and search engine Invest in good hosting If a user tries to access your site and it is down they will go elsewhere If a search engine tries to index your site while itrsquos down they leave immediately1313Page Speed means each page on your site is optimized for speed There are many ways to improve speed but one of the biggest causes of a slow loading page is images that arenrsquot optimized If a search engine is trying to crawl your site and they land on a slow loading page they will leave the page without indexing it likewise for the visitor many wonrsquot want to wait for a slow page to load1313Broken links ndash there is nothing more frustrating than clicking a link that looks interesting only to end up on 404 error page1313Mobile responsiveness is very important these days You never know if your visitor is navigating your site on a desktop laptop mobile or tablet You need to ensure your site is not only responsive to different screen sizes all page elements and navigation menus are optimized to display correctly on each device 1313Next slide please

Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action

20

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash The ultimate usability goal is to guide users through your site in a way that allows them to logically easily and quickly find what they need communicate trust and authority and entice them to take a desired action 1313Next slide please

Tying it all Together- findability

+ usability

21

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313When all the pieces are assembled correctly a qualified human lead finds and lands on your site easily discovers that you have the solution to their issue or need and then takes your desired action1313The findability elements you placed on your site drove a qualified lead to your site Then by applying carefully crafted usability elements you turned that lead into a potential customer 1313Next slide please

Site Analytics

SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results which means you need to pay attention to your site analytics 1313Google analytics is a great tool that is free and offers all the data you need to ensure1313That your sites functions as expected1313Keywords rankings are improving to drive the right people to the site (qualified leads)1313That you proactively fix any site errors to avoid penalties1313Next slide please

Next Steps

23

SEO

Google business

PPCEmail

Social

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG - Now you have a better idea on how to turn your website into a lead generating manget by way of Organic search That is a major component and should be the basis of all lead generating websites However many other tactics can be employed to enhance results and meet your marketing goals1313PPC or AdWords campaigns will yield immediate results but can be costly A PPC campaign should be focused and executed with a goal or purpose such as building your brand launching a new product or promoting an existing product13Email marketing will drive traffic to your site ndash You can post your news or new content in your blog and then email information about new posts to your marketing lists13Google My Business will help solidify your online presence for very little cost and provides another path to be found13Social media campaigns ndash create buzz expand your reach and brings in more traffic 1313Next months forum is on Social Media Strategy It would be prudent to regiseter for that session on July 15th1313This has been a lot to take in but we still need to talk about implementation131313Next slide please1313

Implementation

24

Understand the primary role of marketing for your company which is most often lead generation to achieve business growth

Hire a qualified marketing firm right out of the gate to manage your internet marketing

QualificationsbullMarketing strategist who is focused on business growth

bullManaging website projects understanding of graphic designers developers and other skilled roles associated with internet marketing tactics

bullProven internet marketing knowledge via education and experience

bullUnderstanding of your marketcustomer behaviorbullExperienceknowledge in your field of productsservices (industrial sports real estate law healthcare distribution hellip)

bullEagerly supports what is best for your business and follows your desires

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash13If lead generation for sales is a primary goal then you need to build your marketing expectations around that 1313You may have had a graphics designer andor web developer create your current website Those are critical marketing specialties for your website however those skills alone dont include SEO to the extent required for generating leads Many business owners dont realize that professional marketing services have specialties much like attorneys and that appears to be the reason so many websites lack best SEO practices13 13For internet marketing it is best to hire a firm that has the qualifications shown here Those marketing agnecies typically outsource the skills they dont have in house such as content creaters digital graphics designers web development video production app developers and others Often times outsourcing becomes a pass through transaction which keeps cost down1313Next slide please

Further Questions ndashCommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM

You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like

25

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash 1313Next slide please

Thank You

bull Forum participantsbull WSU - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephaniebull Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative

26

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash Thank you for joining us today We sincerely hope that we made your day and our presentation motivated you to take next steps towards growing your business13We offer special thanks to the Washington State University - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephanie who worked closely with us developing this presentation We also want to thank two other marketing firms Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative out of Portland Oregon for their collaboration with us creating the meadowfoam model that illustrates the combination of the marketing skills it takes for website done right1313Now back to Nolan
  • Digital Marketing Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Introduction
  • Goal of SEO
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google
  • SEO Findability and Usability
  • Content
  • Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships
  • The Search Snippet
  • H Tags
  • Image Alt Tags
  • Robots amp Canonical Tags
  • Anchor Text
  • Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads
  • Usability - Creating human relationships
  • Ease of Use - Site Navigation
  • Clarity
  • Trust
  • Availability
  • Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action
  • Tying it all Together - findability + usability
  • Site Analytics
  • Next Steps
  • Implementation
  • Further Questions ndash CommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like
  • Thank You
Page 11: Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine ......2020/06/17  · Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Customers are searching, but not finding

Image Alt Tags

Image alt tags ndash clearly define images to search engines to help them understand how each image relates to the surrounding content for relevancy

ltimg src=ldquocamera1234jpgrdquo alt=ldquocamera black 1234rdquo title=ldquoblack camera model 1234rdquogt

11

MetadataMetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The next metadata element is the Image alt tag 1313Image alt tags help search engines understand the image on the page in context to the content Since Google canrsquot understand the image ndash you must tell it what the image is by using the alt tag Images not only enhance content for the user on the front end of the site they help build content relevancy and authority for the search engine on the backend131313Next slide please

met

Robots amp Canonical Tags

Robots meta tags tell search engines which pages to index on your siteCanonical tags tell search engines which pages contain original content or are most important

Site maps give search engines information about site structure and content

12

MetadataMetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The final metadata tags that Irsquom going to talk about are the Robots and Canonical tags These tags tell Google which pages on your site that you want them to index and rank for importance 1313It might seem counterintuitive to not index all pages on your site but your goal is to have Google index and rank the most important pages for each keyword or concept on your site If you have many pages related to one concept you donrsquot want to dilute your rankings you want to send the searcher to the most important page based on their keyword search 1313The Robots tag tells Google which pages to index and which ones you donrsquot want indexed1313KG breaks in with example of $100k website Robot told Google to stay out1313Canonical tags are used to avoid duplicate content penalties Google likes original content If it feels like you are duplicating content to just improve your rankings they will penalize you For some sites using duplicate content cant be avoided so yoursquod add canonical tags to tell Google which page has the original or most important content to serve up on a search results page 1313Site maps are not tags but I felt this was a good place to mention them You should submit an xml sitemap to a Google when you launch a new site or add new pages to an existing site The sitemap provides Google with a roadmap on how to crawl you site 1313Next slide please

Anchor Text

Anchor textndash provides relevant contextual information about the content of the links destination for the search engine

lta href=httpwwwstarcompanycomgtstar company websiteltagt

13

BacklinksBacklinks

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The last findability element we want to look at are Backlinks which are incoming links to a page on your site from another site Google considers backlinks from high quality highly relevant sites to yours a big vote of confidence 1313So how does this relate to metadata The anchor text is the visual text part of a link that appears usually as the blue underlined text for the hyperlink as in this example1313Anchor text provides both the search engine and the user with relevant information about the content of the links destination For the search engine that would be the URL and for the user that would be the linkable text 1313You canrsquot always control how other sites link to your site but can control the link the other site displays by using anchor text Itrsquos important to make sure your link text is useful descriptive and relevant1313Anchor text is also used for internal linking from one page on your site to another 1313Both internal and external linking use anchor text and help build and strengthen content authority131313Next slide please

Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads

14

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - The ultimate findability goal is to optimize each page on your site to drive searchers to the most relevant page in relationship to their keyword search ndash this is accomplished using optimized metadata elements 1313So now that they have found your page lets look at usability13 13Next slide please

Usability - Creating human relationships

15

Ease of Use Clarity

Trust Availability

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Usability is creating the ultimate user experience For SEO purposes we break the user experience into 4 categories Ease of use Clarity Trust and Availability1313Lets look at Ease of Use first13 13Next slide please

Ease of Use - Site Navigation

Donrsquot Make Me Think ndash keep it simple keep it familiar16

Navigation links

BreadcrumbsURL Structure

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313When we talk about ease of use what we really mean is how easy is it for the visitor to find what they need on your site This is accomplished through site navigation1313The first experience I had having to think about website navigation was years ago A client who used the companys website that I managed called me when he found out we were redesigning our website He urged me to read the book Dont Make Me Think by Steve Krug The book describes how important easy to use and understand navigation is from a usability standpoint Your goal is to create a clear path to information that helps the user make the decision that your product or service solves their need 1313This concept will make a world of difference when developing your sitersquos navigation1313The meadowfoam website does a good of this13Their top-level navigation is clear and where appropriate uses keywords I say appropriate because your navigation titles affect the sitersquos URL structure A simple URL letrsquos the user know at a quick glance that they landed on the correct site And for the search engine a simple URL structure provides a clear indexing path 13The Natural Plants Product site uses breadcrumb navigation on sections of the site that take you deep into the site Breadcrumbs allow the user to easily navigate backward without having to click the top-level navigation and drill down from there ndash again keeping simple1313Its always best practice to use short navigation titles and then use sub-menus to help organize more complex navigation categories 1313Dont forget to add footer navigation ndash it could be top level only or your full navigation ndash whatever makes the most sense for your business The bottom line is that the user should be able to navigate anywhere from the site1313Next slide please

Clarity

17

bull Focusbull Simplicitybull Layoutbull Linkingbull Call to action

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 13 13The next usability element is content clarity We touched briefly on content at the beginning of the presentation But I wanted to emphasize that content clarity is essential for the user1313When structuring your pages ask yourself 1313Is each page focused on one concept 13Are we using simple easy to understand language13Are page titles and subtitles (these are the H tags we talked about on the backend) written in a way to easily help the user understand content and navigate through page 13Do we have enough internal navigation links to other information on the site to enhance and build content relevancy and authority to help the user understand that we have what they need13Do we have a clear call to action on each page This means clearly inviting the visitor to take our desired action1313Next slide please1313

Trust

18

bull Design qualitybull Upfront disclosurebull Comprehensive correct and current contentbull Connection to the rest of the web

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Websites must establish trust and present themselves as credible in order to turn visitors into leads ndash so how do you communicate trustworthiness Through design disclosure content and connection1313Your design is your first impression for the site visitor Take a step back and ask yourself is it professional with clear navigation Is it free of typos and grammatical errors Perfection should be an expectation when designing your site because it exhibits that you have quality service and products1313Disclosure is essential if you sell products Do you clearly communicate any fees and terms associated with a purchase For all sites is your site secure with HTTPS And do you have a privacy policy posted so your customers know how you protect and use their information 1313Is your content current comprehensive and correct to show your subject matter expertise1313And lately are you well connected to the rest of the Web with backlinks in and out of your site to ensure content authority131313Next slide please1313developed by Jakob Nielsen

Availability

19

bull Server Uptimebull Page Speedbull Linksbull Responsiveness

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313Last usability concept is availably 1313Server uptime means your site is always available for the user and search engine Invest in good hosting If a user tries to access your site and it is down they will go elsewhere If a search engine tries to index your site while itrsquos down they leave immediately1313Page Speed means each page on your site is optimized for speed There are many ways to improve speed but one of the biggest causes of a slow loading page is images that arenrsquot optimized If a search engine is trying to crawl your site and they land on a slow loading page they will leave the page without indexing it likewise for the visitor many wonrsquot want to wait for a slow page to load1313Broken links ndash there is nothing more frustrating than clicking a link that looks interesting only to end up on 404 error page1313Mobile responsiveness is very important these days You never know if your visitor is navigating your site on a desktop laptop mobile or tablet You need to ensure your site is not only responsive to different screen sizes all page elements and navigation menus are optimized to display correctly on each device 1313Next slide please

Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action

20

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash The ultimate usability goal is to guide users through your site in a way that allows them to logically easily and quickly find what they need communicate trust and authority and entice them to take a desired action 1313Next slide please

Tying it all Together- findability

+ usability

21

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313When all the pieces are assembled correctly a qualified human lead finds and lands on your site easily discovers that you have the solution to their issue or need and then takes your desired action1313The findability elements you placed on your site drove a qualified lead to your site Then by applying carefully crafted usability elements you turned that lead into a potential customer 1313Next slide please

Site Analytics

SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results which means you need to pay attention to your site analytics 1313Google analytics is a great tool that is free and offers all the data you need to ensure1313That your sites functions as expected1313Keywords rankings are improving to drive the right people to the site (qualified leads)1313That you proactively fix any site errors to avoid penalties1313Next slide please

Next Steps

23

SEO

Google business

PPCEmail

Social

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG - Now you have a better idea on how to turn your website into a lead generating manget by way of Organic search That is a major component and should be the basis of all lead generating websites However many other tactics can be employed to enhance results and meet your marketing goals1313PPC or AdWords campaigns will yield immediate results but can be costly A PPC campaign should be focused and executed with a goal or purpose such as building your brand launching a new product or promoting an existing product13Email marketing will drive traffic to your site ndash You can post your news or new content in your blog and then email information about new posts to your marketing lists13Google My Business will help solidify your online presence for very little cost and provides another path to be found13Social media campaigns ndash create buzz expand your reach and brings in more traffic 1313Next months forum is on Social Media Strategy It would be prudent to regiseter for that session on July 15th1313This has been a lot to take in but we still need to talk about implementation131313Next slide please1313

Implementation

24

Understand the primary role of marketing for your company which is most often lead generation to achieve business growth

Hire a qualified marketing firm right out of the gate to manage your internet marketing

QualificationsbullMarketing strategist who is focused on business growth

bullManaging website projects understanding of graphic designers developers and other skilled roles associated with internet marketing tactics

bullProven internet marketing knowledge via education and experience

bullUnderstanding of your marketcustomer behaviorbullExperienceknowledge in your field of productsservices (industrial sports real estate law healthcare distribution hellip)

bullEagerly supports what is best for your business and follows your desires

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash13If lead generation for sales is a primary goal then you need to build your marketing expectations around that 1313You may have had a graphics designer andor web developer create your current website Those are critical marketing specialties for your website however those skills alone dont include SEO to the extent required for generating leads Many business owners dont realize that professional marketing services have specialties much like attorneys and that appears to be the reason so many websites lack best SEO practices13 13For internet marketing it is best to hire a firm that has the qualifications shown here Those marketing agnecies typically outsource the skills they dont have in house such as content creaters digital graphics designers web development video production app developers and others Often times outsourcing becomes a pass through transaction which keeps cost down1313Next slide please

Further Questions ndashCommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM

You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like

25

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash 1313Next slide please

Thank You

bull Forum participantsbull WSU - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephaniebull Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative

26

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash Thank you for joining us today We sincerely hope that we made your day and our presentation motivated you to take next steps towards growing your business13We offer special thanks to the Washington State University - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephanie who worked closely with us developing this presentation We also want to thank two other marketing firms Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative out of Portland Oregon for their collaboration with us creating the meadowfoam model that illustrates the combination of the marketing skills it takes for website done right1313Now back to Nolan
  • Digital Marketing Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Introduction
  • Goal of SEO
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google
  • SEO Findability and Usability
  • Content
  • Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships
  • The Search Snippet
  • H Tags
  • Image Alt Tags
  • Robots amp Canonical Tags
  • Anchor Text
  • Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads
  • Usability - Creating human relationships
  • Ease of Use - Site Navigation
  • Clarity
  • Trust
  • Availability
  • Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action
  • Tying it all Together - findability + usability
  • Site Analytics
  • Next Steps
  • Implementation
  • Further Questions ndash CommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like
  • Thank You
Page 12: Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine ......2020/06/17  · Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Customers are searching, but not finding

met

Robots amp Canonical Tags

Robots meta tags tell search engines which pages to index on your siteCanonical tags tell search engines which pages contain original content or are most important

Site maps give search engines information about site structure and content

12

MetadataMetadataMetadata

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The final metadata tags that Irsquom going to talk about are the Robots and Canonical tags These tags tell Google which pages on your site that you want them to index and rank for importance 1313It might seem counterintuitive to not index all pages on your site but your goal is to have Google index and rank the most important pages for each keyword or concept on your site If you have many pages related to one concept you donrsquot want to dilute your rankings you want to send the searcher to the most important page based on their keyword search 1313The Robots tag tells Google which pages to index and which ones you donrsquot want indexed1313KG breaks in with example of $100k website Robot told Google to stay out1313Canonical tags are used to avoid duplicate content penalties Google likes original content If it feels like you are duplicating content to just improve your rankings they will penalize you For some sites using duplicate content cant be avoided so yoursquod add canonical tags to tell Google which page has the original or most important content to serve up on a search results page 1313Site maps are not tags but I felt this was a good place to mention them You should submit an xml sitemap to a Google when you launch a new site or add new pages to an existing site The sitemap provides Google with a roadmap on how to crawl you site 1313Next slide please

Anchor Text

Anchor textndash provides relevant contextual information about the content of the links destination for the search engine

lta href=httpwwwstarcompanycomgtstar company websiteltagt

13

BacklinksBacklinks

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The last findability element we want to look at are Backlinks which are incoming links to a page on your site from another site Google considers backlinks from high quality highly relevant sites to yours a big vote of confidence 1313So how does this relate to metadata The anchor text is the visual text part of a link that appears usually as the blue underlined text for the hyperlink as in this example1313Anchor text provides both the search engine and the user with relevant information about the content of the links destination For the search engine that would be the URL and for the user that would be the linkable text 1313You canrsquot always control how other sites link to your site but can control the link the other site displays by using anchor text Itrsquos important to make sure your link text is useful descriptive and relevant1313Anchor text is also used for internal linking from one page on your site to another 1313Both internal and external linking use anchor text and help build and strengthen content authority131313Next slide please

Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads

14

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - The ultimate findability goal is to optimize each page on your site to drive searchers to the most relevant page in relationship to their keyword search ndash this is accomplished using optimized metadata elements 1313So now that they have found your page lets look at usability13 13Next slide please

Usability - Creating human relationships

15

Ease of Use Clarity

Trust Availability

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Usability is creating the ultimate user experience For SEO purposes we break the user experience into 4 categories Ease of use Clarity Trust and Availability1313Lets look at Ease of Use first13 13Next slide please

Ease of Use - Site Navigation

Donrsquot Make Me Think ndash keep it simple keep it familiar16

Navigation links

BreadcrumbsURL Structure

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313When we talk about ease of use what we really mean is how easy is it for the visitor to find what they need on your site This is accomplished through site navigation1313The first experience I had having to think about website navigation was years ago A client who used the companys website that I managed called me when he found out we were redesigning our website He urged me to read the book Dont Make Me Think by Steve Krug The book describes how important easy to use and understand navigation is from a usability standpoint Your goal is to create a clear path to information that helps the user make the decision that your product or service solves their need 1313This concept will make a world of difference when developing your sitersquos navigation1313The meadowfoam website does a good of this13Their top-level navigation is clear and where appropriate uses keywords I say appropriate because your navigation titles affect the sitersquos URL structure A simple URL letrsquos the user know at a quick glance that they landed on the correct site And for the search engine a simple URL structure provides a clear indexing path 13The Natural Plants Product site uses breadcrumb navigation on sections of the site that take you deep into the site Breadcrumbs allow the user to easily navigate backward without having to click the top-level navigation and drill down from there ndash again keeping simple1313Its always best practice to use short navigation titles and then use sub-menus to help organize more complex navigation categories 1313Dont forget to add footer navigation ndash it could be top level only or your full navigation ndash whatever makes the most sense for your business The bottom line is that the user should be able to navigate anywhere from the site1313Next slide please

Clarity

17

bull Focusbull Simplicitybull Layoutbull Linkingbull Call to action

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 13 13The next usability element is content clarity We touched briefly on content at the beginning of the presentation But I wanted to emphasize that content clarity is essential for the user1313When structuring your pages ask yourself 1313Is each page focused on one concept 13Are we using simple easy to understand language13Are page titles and subtitles (these are the H tags we talked about on the backend) written in a way to easily help the user understand content and navigate through page 13Do we have enough internal navigation links to other information on the site to enhance and build content relevancy and authority to help the user understand that we have what they need13Do we have a clear call to action on each page This means clearly inviting the visitor to take our desired action1313Next slide please1313

Trust

18

bull Design qualitybull Upfront disclosurebull Comprehensive correct and current contentbull Connection to the rest of the web

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Websites must establish trust and present themselves as credible in order to turn visitors into leads ndash so how do you communicate trustworthiness Through design disclosure content and connection1313Your design is your first impression for the site visitor Take a step back and ask yourself is it professional with clear navigation Is it free of typos and grammatical errors Perfection should be an expectation when designing your site because it exhibits that you have quality service and products1313Disclosure is essential if you sell products Do you clearly communicate any fees and terms associated with a purchase For all sites is your site secure with HTTPS And do you have a privacy policy posted so your customers know how you protect and use their information 1313Is your content current comprehensive and correct to show your subject matter expertise1313And lately are you well connected to the rest of the Web with backlinks in and out of your site to ensure content authority131313Next slide please1313developed by Jakob Nielsen

Availability

19

bull Server Uptimebull Page Speedbull Linksbull Responsiveness

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313Last usability concept is availably 1313Server uptime means your site is always available for the user and search engine Invest in good hosting If a user tries to access your site and it is down they will go elsewhere If a search engine tries to index your site while itrsquos down they leave immediately1313Page Speed means each page on your site is optimized for speed There are many ways to improve speed but one of the biggest causes of a slow loading page is images that arenrsquot optimized If a search engine is trying to crawl your site and they land on a slow loading page they will leave the page without indexing it likewise for the visitor many wonrsquot want to wait for a slow page to load1313Broken links ndash there is nothing more frustrating than clicking a link that looks interesting only to end up on 404 error page1313Mobile responsiveness is very important these days You never know if your visitor is navigating your site on a desktop laptop mobile or tablet You need to ensure your site is not only responsive to different screen sizes all page elements and navigation menus are optimized to display correctly on each device 1313Next slide please

Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action

20

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash The ultimate usability goal is to guide users through your site in a way that allows them to logically easily and quickly find what they need communicate trust and authority and entice them to take a desired action 1313Next slide please

Tying it all Together- findability

+ usability

21

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313When all the pieces are assembled correctly a qualified human lead finds and lands on your site easily discovers that you have the solution to their issue or need and then takes your desired action1313The findability elements you placed on your site drove a qualified lead to your site Then by applying carefully crafted usability elements you turned that lead into a potential customer 1313Next slide please

Site Analytics

SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results which means you need to pay attention to your site analytics 1313Google analytics is a great tool that is free and offers all the data you need to ensure1313That your sites functions as expected1313Keywords rankings are improving to drive the right people to the site (qualified leads)1313That you proactively fix any site errors to avoid penalties1313Next slide please

Next Steps

23

SEO

Google business

PPCEmail

Social

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG - Now you have a better idea on how to turn your website into a lead generating manget by way of Organic search That is a major component and should be the basis of all lead generating websites However many other tactics can be employed to enhance results and meet your marketing goals1313PPC or AdWords campaigns will yield immediate results but can be costly A PPC campaign should be focused and executed with a goal or purpose such as building your brand launching a new product or promoting an existing product13Email marketing will drive traffic to your site ndash You can post your news or new content in your blog and then email information about new posts to your marketing lists13Google My Business will help solidify your online presence for very little cost and provides another path to be found13Social media campaigns ndash create buzz expand your reach and brings in more traffic 1313Next months forum is on Social Media Strategy It would be prudent to regiseter for that session on July 15th1313This has been a lot to take in but we still need to talk about implementation131313Next slide please1313

Implementation

24

Understand the primary role of marketing for your company which is most often lead generation to achieve business growth

Hire a qualified marketing firm right out of the gate to manage your internet marketing

QualificationsbullMarketing strategist who is focused on business growth

bullManaging website projects understanding of graphic designers developers and other skilled roles associated with internet marketing tactics

bullProven internet marketing knowledge via education and experience

bullUnderstanding of your marketcustomer behaviorbullExperienceknowledge in your field of productsservices (industrial sports real estate law healthcare distribution hellip)

bullEagerly supports what is best for your business and follows your desires

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash13If lead generation for sales is a primary goal then you need to build your marketing expectations around that 1313You may have had a graphics designer andor web developer create your current website Those are critical marketing specialties for your website however those skills alone dont include SEO to the extent required for generating leads Many business owners dont realize that professional marketing services have specialties much like attorneys and that appears to be the reason so many websites lack best SEO practices13 13For internet marketing it is best to hire a firm that has the qualifications shown here Those marketing agnecies typically outsource the skills they dont have in house such as content creaters digital graphics designers web development video production app developers and others Often times outsourcing becomes a pass through transaction which keeps cost down1313Next slide please

Further Questions ndashCommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM

You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like

25

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash 1313Next slide please

Thank You

bull Forum participantsbull WSU - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephaniebull Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative

26

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash Thank you for joining us today We sincerely hope that we made your day and our presentation motivated you to take next steps towards growing your business13We offer special thanks to the Washington State University - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephanie who worked closely with us developing this presentation We also want to thank two other marketing firms Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative out of Portland Oregon for their collaboration with us creating the meadowfoam model that illustrates the combination of the marketing skills it takes for website done right1313Now back to Nolan
  • Digital Marketing Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Introduction
  • Goal of SEO
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google
  • SEO Findability and Usability
  • Content
  • Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships
  • The Search Snippet
  • H Tags
  • Image Alt Tags
  • Robots amp Canonical Tags
  • Anchor Text
  • Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads
  • Usability - Creating human relationships
  • Ease of Use - Site Navigation
  • Clarity
  • Trust
  • Availability
  • Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action
  • Tying it all Together - findability + usability
  • Site Analytics
  • Next Steps
  • Implementation
  • Further Questions ndash CommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like
  • Thank You
Page 13: Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine ......2020/06/17  · Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Customers are searching, but not finding

Anchor Text

Anchor textndash provides relevant contextual information about the content of the links destination for the search engine

lta href=httpwwwstarcompanycomgtstar company websiteltagt

13

BacklinksBacklinks

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313The last findability element we want to look at are Backlinks which are incoming links to a page on your site from another site Google considers backlinks from high quality highly relevant sites to yours a big vote of confidence 1313So how does this relate to metadata The anchor text is the visual text part of a link that appears usually as the blue underlined text for the hyperlink as in this example1313Anchor text provides both the search engine and the user with relevant information about the content of the links destination For the search engine that would be the URL and for the user that would be the linkable text 1313You canrsquot always control how other sites link to your site but can control the link the other site displays by using anchor text Itrsquos important to make sure your link text is useful descriptive and relevant1313Anchor text is also used for internal linking from one page on your site to another 1313Both internal and external linking use anchor text and help build and strengthen content authority131313Next slide please

Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads

14

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - The ultimate findability goal is to optimize each page on your site to drive searchers to the most relevant page in relationship to their keyword search ndash this is accomplished using optimized metadata elements 1313So now that they have found your page lets look at usability13 13Next slide please

Usability - Creating human relationships

15

Ease of Use Clarity

Trust Availability

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Usability is creating the ultimate user experience For SEO purposes we break the user experience into 4 categories Ease of use Clarity Trust and Availability1313Lets look at Ease of Use first13 13Next slide please

Ease of Use - Site Navigation

Donrsquot Make Me Think ndash keep it simple keep it familiar16

Navigation links

BreadcrumbsURL Structure

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313When we talk about ease of use what we really mean is how easy is it for the visitor to find what they need on your site This is accomplished through site navigation1313The first experience I had having to think about website navigation was years ago A client who used the companys website that I managed called me when he found out we were redesigning our website He urged me to read the book Dont Make Me Think by Steve Krug The book describes how important easy to use and understand navigation is from a usability standpoint Your goal is to create a clear path to information that helps the user make the decision that your product or service solves their need 1313This concept will make a world of difference when developing your sitersquos navigation1313The meadowfoam website does a good of this13Their top-level navigation is clear and where appropriate uses keywords I say appropriate because your navigation titles affect the sitersquos URL structure A simple URL letrsquos the user know at a quick glance that they landed on the correct site And for the search engine a simple URL structure provides a clear indexing path 13The Natural Plants Product site uses breadcrumb navigation on sections of the site that take you deep into the site Breadcrumbs allow the user to easily navigate backward without having to click the top-level navigation and drill down from there ndash again keeping simple1313Its always best practice to use short navigation titles and then use sub-menus to help organize more complex navigation categories 1313Dont forget to add footer navigation ndash it could be top level only or your full navigation ndash whatever makes the most sense for your business The bottom line is that the user should be able to navigate anywhere from the site1313Next slide please

Clarity

17

bull Focusbull Simplicitybull Layoutbull Linkingbull Call to action

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 13 13The next usability element is content clarity We touched briefly on content at the beginning of the presentation But I wanted to emphasize that content clarity is essential for the user1313When structuring your pages ask yourself 1313Is each page focused on one concept 13Are we using simple easy to understand language13Are page titles and subtitles (these are the H tags we talked about on the backend) written in a way to easily help the user understand content and navigate through page 13Do we have enough internal navigation links to other information on the site to enhance and build content relevancy and authority to help the user understand that we have what they need13Do we have a clear call to action on each page This means clearly inviting the visitor to take our desired action1313Next slide please1313

Trust

18

bull Design qualitybull Upfront disclosurebull Comprehensive correct and current contentbull Connection to the rest of the web

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Websites must establish trust and present themselves as credible in order to turn visitors into leads ndash so how do you communicate trustworthiness Through design disclosure content and connection1313Your design is your first impression for the site visitor Take a step back and ask yourself is it professional with clear navigation Is it free of typos and grammatical errors Perfection should be an expectation when designing your site because it exhibits that you have quality service and products1313Disclosure is essential if you sell products Do you clearly communicate any fees and terms associated with a purchase For all sites is your site secure with HTTPS And do you have a privacy policy posted so your customers know how you protect and use their information 1313Is your content current comprehensive and correct to show your subject matter expertise1313And lately are you well connected to the rest of the Web with backlinks in and out of your site to ensure content authority131313Next slide please1313developed by Jakob Nielsen

Availability

19

bull Server Uptimebull Page Speedbull Linksbull Responsiveness

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313Last usability concept is availably 1313Server uptime means your site is always available for the user and search engine Invest in good hosting If a user tries to access your site and it is down they will go elsewhere If a search engine tries to index your site while itrsquos down they leave immediately1313Page Speed means each page on your site is optimized for speed There are many ways to improve speed but one of the biggest causes of a slow loading page is images that arenrsquot optimized If a search engine is trying to crawl your site and they land on a slow loading page they will leave the page without indexing it likewise for the visitor many wonrsquot want to wait for a slow page to load1313Broken links ndash there is nothing more frustrating than clicking a link that looks interesting only to end up on 404 error page1313Mobile responsiveness is very important these days You never know if your visitor is navigating your site on a desktop laptop mobile or tablet You need to ensure your site is not only responsive to different screen sizes all page elements and navigation menus are optimized to display correctly on each device 1313Next slide please

Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action

20

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash The ultimate usability goal is to guide users through your site in a way that allows them to logically easily and quickly find what they need communicate trust and authority and entice them to take a desired action 1313Next slide please

Tying it all Together- findability

+ usability

21

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313When all the pieces are assembled correctly a qualified human lead finds and lands on your site easily discovers that you have the solution to their issue or need and then takes your desired action1313The findability elements you placed on your site drove a qualified lead to your site Then by applying carefully crafted usability elements you turned that lead into a potential customer 1313Next slide please

Site Analytics

SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results which means you need to pay attention to your site analytics 1313Google analytics is a great tool that is free and offers all the data you need to ensure1313That your sites functions as expected1313Keywords rankings are improving to drive the right people to the site (qualified leads)1313That you proactively fix any site errors to avoid penalties1313Next slide please

Next Steps

23

SEO

Google business

PPCEmail

Social

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG - Now you have a better idea on how to turn your website into a lead generating manget by way of Organic search That is a major component and should be the basis of all lead generating websites However many other tactics can be employed to enhance results and meet your marketing goals1313PPC or AdWords campaigns will yield immediate results but can be costly A PPC campaign should be focused and executed with a goal or purpose such as building your brand launching a new product or promoting an existing product13Email marketing will drive traffic to your site ndash You can post your news or new content in your blog and then email information about new posts to your marketing lists13Google My Business will help solidify your online presence for very little cost and provides another path to be found13Social media campaigns ndash create buzz expand your reach and brings in more traffic 1313Next months forum is on Social Media Strategy It would be prudent to regiseter for that session on July 15th1313This has been a lot to take in but we still need to talk about implementation131313Next slide please1313

Implementation

24

Understand the primary role of marketing for your company which is most often lead generation to achieve business growth

Hire a qualified marketing firm right out of the gate to manage your internet marketing

QualificationsbullMarketing strategist who is focused on business growth

bullManaging website projects understanding of graphic designers developers and other skilled roles associated with internet marketing tactics

bullProven internet marketing knowledge via education and experience

bullUnderstanding of your marketcustomer behaviorbullExperienceknowledge in your field of productsservices (industrial sports real estate law healthcare distribution hellip)

bullEagerly supports what is best for your business and follows your desires

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash13If lead generation for sales is a primary goal then you need to build your marketing expectations around that 1313You may have had a graphics designer andor web developer create your current website Those are critical marketing specialties for your website however those skills alone dont include SEO to the extent required for generating leads Many business owners dont realize that professional marketing services have specialties much like attorneys and that appears to be the reason so many websites lack best SEO practices13 13For internet marketing it is best to hire a firm that has the qualifications shown here Those marketing agnecies typically outsource the skills they dont have in house such as content creaters digital graphics designers web development video production app developers and others Often times outsourcing becomes a pass through transaction which keeps cost down1313Next slide please

Further Questions ndashCommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM

You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like

25

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash 1313Next slide please

Thank You

bull Forum participantsbull WSU - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephaniebull Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative

26

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash Thank you for joining us today We sincerely hope that we made your day and our presentation motivated you to take next steps towards growing your business13We offer special thanks to the Washington State University - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephanie who worked closely with us developing this presentation We also want to thank two other marketing firms Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative out of Portland Oregon for their collaboration with us creating the meadowfoam model that illustrates the combination of the marketing skills it takes for website done right1313Now back to Nolan
  • Digital Marketing Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Introduction
  • Goal of SEO
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google
  • SEO Findability and Usability
  • Content
  • Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships
  • The Search Snippet
  • H Tags
  • Image Alt Tags
  • Robots amp Canonical Tags
  • Anchor Text
  • Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads
  • Usability - Creating human relationships
  • Ease of Use - Site Navigation
  • Clarity
  • Trust
  • Availability
  • Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action
  • Tying it all Together - findability + usability
  • Site Analytics
  • Next Steps
  • Implementation
  • Further Questions ndash CommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like
  • Thank You
Page 14: Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine ......2020/06/17  · Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Customers are searching, but not finding

Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads

14

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - The ultimate findability goal is to optimize each page on your site to drive searchers to the most relevant page in relationship to their keyword search ndash this is accomplished using optimized metadata elements 1313So now that they have found your page lets look at usability13 13Next slide please

Usability - Creating human relationships

15

Ease of Use Clarity

Trust Availability

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Usability is creating the ultimate user experience For SEO purposes we break the user experience into 4 categories Ease of use Clarity Trust and Availability1313Lets look at Ease of Use first13 13Next slide please

Ease of Use - Site Navigation

Donrsquot Make Me Think ndash keep it simple keep it familiar16

Navigation links

BreadcrumbsURL Structure

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313When we talk about ease of use what we really mean is how easy is it for the visitor to find what they need on your site This is accomplished through site navigation1313The first experience I had having to think about website navigation was years ago A client who used the companys website that I managed called me when he found out we were redesigning our website He urged me to read the book Dont Make Me Think by Steve Krug The book describes how important easy to use and understand navigation is from a usability standpoint Your goal is to create a clear path to information that helps the user make the decision that your product or service solves their need 1313This concept will make a world of difference when developing your sitersquos navigation1313The meadowfoam website does a good of this13Their top-level navigation is clear and where appropriate uses keywords I say appropriate because your navigation titles affect the sitersquos URL structure A simple URL letrsquos the user know at a quick glance that they landed on the correct site And for the search engine a simple URL structure provides a clear indexing path 13The Natural Plants Product site uses breadcrumb navigation on sections of the site that take you deep into the site Breadcrumbs allow the user to easily navigate backward without having to click the top-level navigation and drill down from there ndash again keeping simple1313Its always best practice to use short navigation titles and then use sub-menus to help organize more complex navigation categories 1313Dont forget to add footer navigation ndash it could be top level only or your full navigation ndash whatever makes the most sense for your business The bottom line is that the user should be able to navigate anywhere from the site1313Next slide please

Clarity

17

bull Focusbull Simplicitybull Layoutbull Linkingbull Call to action

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 13 13The next usability element is content clarity We touched briefly on content at the beginning of the presentation But I wanted to emphasize that content clarity is essential for the user1313When structuring your pages ask yourself 1313Is each page focused on one concept 13Are we using simple easy to understand language13Are page titles and subtitles (these are the H tags we talked about on the backend) written in a way to easily help the user understand content and navigate through page 13Do we have enough internal navigation links to other information on the site to enhance and build content relevancy and authority to help the user understand that we have what they need13Do we have a clear call to action on each page This means clearly inviting the visitor to take our desired action1313Next slide please1313

Trust

18

bull Design qualitybull Upfront disclosurebull Comprehensive correct and current contentbull Connection to the rest of the web

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Websites must establish trust and present themselves as credible in order to turn visitors into leads ndash so how do you communicate trustworthiness Through design disclosure content and connection1313Your design is your first impression for the site visitor Take a step back and ask yourself is it professional with clear navigation Is it free of typos and grammatical errors Perfection should be an expectation when designing your site because it exhibits that you have quality service and products1313Disclosure is essential if you sell products Do you clearly communicate any fees and terms associated with a purchase For all sites is your site secure with HTTPS And do you have a privacy policy posted so your customers know how you protect and use their information 1313Is your content current comprehensive and correct to show your subject matter expertise1313And lately are you well connected to the rest of the Web with backlinks in and out of your site to ensure content authority131313Next slide please1313developed by Jakob Nielsen

Availability

19

bull Server Uptimebull Page Speedbull Linksbull Responsiveness

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313Last usability concept is availably 1313Server uptime means your site is always available for the user and search engine Invest in good hosting If a user tries to access your site and it is down they will go elsewhere If a search engine tries to index your site while itrsquos down they leave immediately1313Page Speed means each page on your site is optimized for speed There are many ways to improve speed but one of the biggest causes of a slow loading page is images that arenrsquot optimized If a search engine is trying to crawl your site and they land on a slow loading page they will leave the page without indexing it likewise for the visitor many wonrsquot want to wait for a slow page to load1313Broken links ndash there is nothing more frustrating than clicking a link that looks interesting only to end up on 404 error page1313Mobile responsiveness is very important these days You never know if your visitor is navigating your site on a desktop laptop mobile or tablet You need to ensure your site is not only responsive to different screen sizes all page elements and navigation menus are optimized to display correctly on each device 1313Next slide please

Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action

20

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash The ultimate usability goal is to guide users through your site in a way that allows them to logically easily and quickly find what they need communicate trust and authority and entice them to take a desired action 1313Next slide please

Tying it all Together- findability

+ usability

21

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313When all the pieces are assembled correctly a qualified human lead finds and lands on your site easily discovers that you have the solution to their issue or need and then takes your desired action1313The findability elements you placed on your site drove a qualified lead to your site Then by applying carefully crafted usability elements you turned that lead into a potential customer 1313Next slide please

Site Analytics

SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results which means you need to pay attention to your site analytics 1313Google analytics is a great tool that is free and offers all the data you need to ensure1313That your sites functions as expected1313Keywords rankings are improving to drive the right people to the site (qualified leads)1313That you proactively fix any site errors to avoid penalties1313Next slide please

Next Steps

23

SEO

Google business

PPCEmail

Social

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG - Now you have a better idea on how to turn your website into a lead generating manget by way of Organic search That is a major component and should be the basis of all lead generating websites However many other tactics can be employed to enhance results and meet your marketing goals1313PPC or AdWords campaigns will yield immediate results but can be costly A PPC campaign should be focused and executed with a goal or purpose such as building your brand launching a new product or promoting an existing product13Email marketing will drive traffic to your site ndash You can post your news or new content in your blog and then email information about new posts to your marketing lists13Google My Business will help solidify your online presence for very little cost and provides another path to be found13Social media campaigns ndash create buzz expand your reach and brings in more traffic 1313Next months forum is on Social Media Strategy It would be prudent to regiseter for that session on July 15th1313This has been a lot to take in but we still need to talk about implementation131313Next slide please1313

Implementation

24

Understand the primary role of marketing for your company which is most often lead generation to achieve business growth

Hire a qualified marketing firm right out of the gate to manage your internet marketing

QualificationsbullMarketing strategist who is focused on business growth

bullManaging website projects understanding of graphic designers developers and other skilled roles associated with internet marketing tactics

bullProven internet marketing knowledge via education and experience

bullUnderstanding of your marketcustomer behaviorbullExperienceknowledge in your field of productsservices (industrial sports real estate law healthcare distribution hellip)

bullEagerly supports what is best for your business and follows your desires

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash13If lead generation for sales is a primary goal then you need to build your marketing expectations around that 1313You may have had a graphics designer andor web developer create your current website Those are critical marketing specialties for your website however those skills alone dont include SEO to the extent required for generating leads Many business owners dont realize that professional marketing services have specialties much like attorneys and that appears to be the reason so many websites lack best SEO practices13 13For internet marketing it is best to hire a firm that has the qualifications shown here Those marketing agnecies typically outsource the skills they dont have in house such as content creaters digital graphics designers web development video production app developers and others Often times outsourcing becomes a pass through transaction which keeps cost down1313Next slide please

Further Questions ndashCommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM

You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like

25

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash 1313Next slide please

Thank You

bull Forum participantsbull WSU - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephaniebull Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative

26

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash Thank you for joining us today We sincerely hope that we made your day and our presentation motivated you to take next steps towards growing your business13We offer special thanks to the Washington State University - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephanie who worked closely with us developing this presentation We also want to thank two other marketing firms Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative out of Portland Oregon for their collaboration with us creating the meadowfoam model that illustrates the combination of the marketing skills it takes for website done right1313Now back to Nolan
  • Digital Marketing Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Introduction
  • Goal of SEO
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google
  • SEO Findability and Usability
  • Content
  • Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships
  • The Search Snippet
  • H Tags
  • Image Alt Tags
  • Robots amp Canonical Tags
  • Anchor Text
  • Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads
  • Usability - Creating human relationships
  • Ease of Use - Site Navigation
  • Clarity
  • Trust
  • Availability
  • Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action
  • Tying it all Together - findability + usability
  • Site Analytics
  • Next Steps
  • Implementation
  • Further Questions ndash CommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like
  • Thank You
Page 15: Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine ......2020/06/17  · Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Customers are searching, but not finding

Usability - Creating human relationships

15

Ease of Use Clarity

Trust Availability

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Usability is creating the ultimate user experience For SEO purposes we break the user experience into 4 categories Ease of use Clarity Trust and Availability1313Lets look at Ease of Use first13 13Next slide please

Ease of Use - Site Navigation

Donrsquot Make Me Think ndash keep it simple keep it familiar16

Navigation links

BreadcrumbsURL Structure

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313When we talk about ease of use what we really mean is how easy is it for the visitor to find what they need on your site This is accomplished through site navigation1313The first experience I had having to think about website navigation was years ago A client who used the companys website that I managed called me when he found out we were redesigning our website He urged me to read the book Dont Make Me Think by Steve Krug The book describes how important easy to use and understand navigation is from a usability standpoint Your goal is to create a clear path to information that helps the user make the decision that your product or service solves their need 1313This concept will make a world of difference when developing your sitersquos navigation1313The meadowfoam website does a good of this13Their top-level navigation is clear and where appropriate uses keywords I say appropriate because your navigation titles affect the sitersquos URL structure A simple URL letrsquos the user know at a quick glance that they landed on the correct site And for the search engine a simple URL structure provides a clear indexing path 13The Natural Plants Product site uses breadcrumb navigation on sections of the site that take you deep into the site Breadcrumbs allow the user to easily navigate backward without having to click the top-level navigation and drill down from there ndash again keeping simple1313Its always best practice to use short navigation titles and then use sub-menus to help organize more complex navigation categories 1313Dont forget to add footer navigation ndash it could be top level only or your full navigation ndash whatever makes the most sense for your business The bottom line is that the user should be able to navigate anywhere from the site1313Next slide please

Clarity

17

bull Focusbull Simplicitybull Layoutbull Linkingbull Call to action

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 13 13The next usability element is content clarity We touched briefly on content at the beginning of the presentation But I wanted to emphasize that content clarity is essential for the user1313When structuring your pages ask yourself 1313Is each page focused on one concept 13Are we using simple easy to understand language13Are page titles and subtitles (these are the H tags we talked about on the backend) written in a way to easily help the user understand content and navigate through page 13Do we have enough internal navigation links to other information on the site to enhance and build content relevancy and authority to help the user understand that we have what they need13Do we have a clear call to action on each page This means clearly inviting the visitor to take our desired action1313Next slide please1313

Trust

18

bull Design qualitybull Upfront disclosurebull Comprehensive correct and current contentbull Connection to the rest of the web

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Websites must establish trust and present themselves as credible in order to turn visitors into leads ndash so how do you communicate trustworthiness Through design disclosure content and connection1313Your design is your first impression for the site visitor Take a step back and ask yourself is it professional with clear navigation Is it free of typos and grammatical errors Perfection should be an expectation when designing your site because it exhibits that you have quality service and products1313Disclosure is essential if you sell products Do you clearly communicate any fees and terms associated with a purchase For all sites is your site secure with HTTPS And do you have a privacy policy posted so your customers know how you protect and use their information 1313Is your content current comprehensive and correct to show your subject matter expertise1313And lately are you well connected to the rest of the Web with backlinks in and out of your site to ensure content authority131313Next slide please1313developed by Jakob Nielsen

Availability

19

bull Server Uptimebull Page Speedbull Linksbull Responsiveness

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313Last usability concept is availably 1313Server uptime means your site is always available for the user and search engine Invest in good hosting If a user tries to access your site and it is down they will go elsewhere If a search engine tries to index your site while itrsquos down they leave immediately1313Page Speed means each page on your site is optimized for speed There are many ways to improve speed but one of the biggest causes of a slow loading page is images that arenrsquot optimized If a search engine is trying to crawl your site and they land on a slow loading page they will leave the page without indexing it likewise for the visitor many wonrsquot want to wait for a slow page to load1313Broken links ndash there is nothing more frustrating than clicking a link that looks interesting only to end up on 404 error page1313Mobile responsiveness is very important these days You never know if your visitor is navigating your site on a desktop laptop mobile or tablet You need to ensure your site is not only responsive to different screen sizes all page elements and navigation menus are optimized to display correctly on each device 1313Next slide please

Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action

20

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash The ultimate usability goal is to guide users through your site in a way that allows them to logically easily and quickly find what they need communicate trust and authority and entice them to take a desired action 1313Next slide please

Tying it all Together- findability

+ usability

21

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313When all the pieces are assembled correctly a qualified human lead finds and lands on your site easily discovers that you have the solution to their issue or need and then takes your desired action1313The findability elements you placed on your site drove a qualified lead to your site Then by applying carefully crafted usability elements you turned that lead into a potential customer 1313Next slide please

Site Analytics

SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results which means you need to pay attention to your site analytics 1313Google analytics is a great tool that is free and offers all the data you need to ensure1313That your sites functions as expected1313Keywords rankings are improving to drive the right people to the site (qualified leads)1313That you proactively fix any site errors to avoid penalties1313Next slide please

Next Steps

23

SEO

Google business

PPCEmail

Social

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG - Now you have a better idea on how to turn your website into a lead generating manget by way of Organic search That is a major component and should be the basis of all lead generating websites However many other tactics can be employed to enhance results and meet your marketing goals1313PPC or AdWords campaigns will yield immediate results but can be costly A PPC campaign should be focused and executed with a goal or purpose such as building your brand launching a new product or promoting an existing product13Email marketing will drive traffic to your site ndash You can post your news or new content in your blog and then email information about new posts to your marketing lists13Google My Business will help solidify your online presence for very little cost and provides another path to be found13Social media campaigns ndash create buzz expand your reach and brings in more traffic 1313Next months forum is on Social Media Strategy It would be prudent to regiseter for that session on July 15th1313This has been a lot to take in but we still need to talk about implementation131313Next slide please1313

Implementation

24

Understand the primary role of marketing for your company which is most often lead generation to achieve business growth

Hire a qualified marketing firm right out of the gate to manage your internet marketing

QualificationsbullMarketing strategist who is focused on business growth

bullManaging website projects understanding of graphic designers developers and other skilled roles associated with internet marketing tactics

bullProven internet marketing knowledge via education and experience

bullUnderstanding of your marketcustomer behaviorbullExperienceknowledge in your field of productsservices (industrial sports real estate law healthcare distribution hellip)

bullEagerly supports what is best for your business and follows your desires

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash13If lead generation for sales is a primary goal then you need to build your marketing expectations around that 1313You may have had a graphics designer andor web developer create your current website Those are critical marketing specialties for your website however those skills alone dont include SEO to the extent required for generating leads Many business owners dont realize that professional marketing services have specialties much like attorneys and that appears to be the reason so many websites lack best SEO practices13 13For internet marketing it is best to hire a firm that has the qualifications shown here Those marketing agnecies typically outsource the skills they dont have in house such as content creaters digital graphics designers web development video production app developers and others Often times outsourcing becomes a pass through transaction which keeps cost down1313Next slide please

Further Questions ndashCommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM

You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like

25

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash 1313Next slide please

Thank You

bull Forum participantsbull WSU - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephaniebull Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative

26

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash Thank you for joining us today We sincerely hope that we made your day and our presentation motivated you to take next steps towards growing your business13We offer special thanks to the Washington State University - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephanie who worked closely with us developing this presentation We also want to thank two other marketing firms Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative out of Portland Oregon for their collaboration with us creating the meadowfoam model that illustrates the combination of the marketing skills it takes for website done right1313Now back to Nolan
  • Digital Marketing Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Introduction
  • Goal of SEO
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google
  • SEO Findability and Usability
  • Content
  • Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships
  • The Search Snippet
  • H Tags
  • Image Alt Tags
  • Robots amp Canonical Tags
  • Anchor Text
  • Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads
  • Usability - Creating human relationships
  • Ease of Use - Site Navigation
  • Clarity
  • Trust
  • Availability
  • Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action
  • Tying it all Together - findability + usability
  • Site Analytics
  • Next Steps
  • Implementation
  • Further Questions ndash CommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like
  • Thank You
Page 16: Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine ......2020/06/17  · Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Customers are searching, but not finding

Ease of Use - Site Navigation

Donrsquot Make Me Think ndash keep it simple keep it familiar16

Navigation links

BreadcrumbsURL Structure

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313When we talk about ease of use what we really mean is how easy is it for the visitor to find what they need on your site This is accomplished through site navigation1313The first experience I had having to think about website navigation was years ago A client who used the companys website that I managed called me when he found out we were redesigning our website He urged me to read the book Dont Make Me Think by Steve Krug The book describes how important easy to use and understand navigation is from a usability standpoint Your goal is to create a clear path to information that helps the user make the decision that your product or service solves their need 1313This concept will make a world of difference when developing your sitersquos navigation1313The meadowfoam website does a good of this13Their top-level navigation is clear and where appropriate uses keywords I say appropriate because your navigation titles affect the sitersquos URL structure A simple URL letrsquos the user know at a quick glance that they landed on the correct site And for the search engine a simple URL structure provides a clear indexing path 13The Natural Plants Product site uses breadcrumb navigation on sections of the site that take you deep into the site Breadcrumbs allow the user to easily navigate backward without having to click the top-level navigation and drill down from there ndash again keeping simple1313Its always best practice to use short navigation titles and then use sub-menus to help organize more complex navigation categories 1313Dont forget to add footer navigation ndash it could be top level only or your full navigation ndash whatever makes the most sense for your business The bottom line is that the user should be able to navigate anywhere from the site1313Next slide please

Clarity

17

bull Focusbull Simplicitybull Layoutbull Linkingbull Call to action

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 13 13The next usability element is content clarity We touched briefly on content at the beginning of the presentation But I wanted to emphasize that content clarity is essential for the user1313When structuring your pages ask yourself 1313Is each page focused on one concept 13Are we using simple easy to understand language13Are page titles and subtitles (these are the H tags we talked about on the backend) written in a way to easily help the user understand content and navigate through page 13Do we have enough internal navigation links to other information on the site to enhance and build content relevancy and authority to help the user understand that we have what they need13Do we have a clear call to action on each page This means clearly inviting the visitor to take our desired action1313Next slide please1313

Trust

18

bull Design qualitybull Upfront disclosurebull Comprehensive correct and current contentbull Connection to the rest of the web

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Websites must establish trust and present themselves as credible in order to turn visitors into leads ndash so how do you communicate trustworthiness Through design disclosure content and connection1313Your design is your first impression for the site visitor Take a step back and ask yourself is it professional with clear navigation Is it free of typos and grammatical errors Perfection should be an expectation when designing your site because it exhibits that you have quality service and products1313Disclosure is essential if you sell products Do you clearly communicate any fees and terms associated with a purchase For all sites is your site secure with HTTPS And do you have a privacy policy posted so your customers know how you protect and use their information 1313Is your content current comprehensive and correct to show your subject matter expertise1313And lately are you well connected to the rest of the Web with backlinks in and out of your site to ensure content authority131313Next slide please1313developed by Jakob Nielsen

Availability

19

bull Server Uptimebull Page Speedbull Linksbull Responsiveness

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313Last usability concept is availably 1313Server uptime means your site is always available for the user and search engine Invest in good hosting If a user tries to access your site and it is down they will go elsewhere If a search engine tries to index your site while itrsquos down they leave immediately1313Page Speed means each page on your site is optimized for speed There are many ways to improve speed but one of the biggest causes of a slow loading page is images that arenrsquot optimized If a search engine is trying to crawl your site and they land on a slow loading page they will leave the page without indexing it likewise for the visitor many wonrsquot want to wait for a slow page to load1313Broken links ndash there is nothing more frustrating than clicking a link that looks interesting only to end up on 404 error page1313Mobile responsiveness is very important these days You never know if your visitor is navigating your site on a desktop laptop mobile or tablet You need to ensure your site is not only responsive to different screen sizes all page elements and navigation menus are optimized to display correctly on each device 1313Next slide please

Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action

20

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash The ultimate usability goal is to guide users through your site in a way that allows them to logically easily and quickly find what they need communicate trust and authority and entice them to take a desired action 1313Next slide please

Tying it all Together- findability

+ usability

21

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313When all the pieces are assembled correctly a qualified human lead finds and lands on your site easily discovers that you have the solution to their issue or need and then takes your desired action1313The findability elements you placed on your site drove a qualified lead to your site Then by applying carefully crafted usability elements you turned that lead into a potential customer 1313Next slide please

Site Analytics

SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results which means you need to pay attention to your site analytics 1313Google analytics is a great tool that is free and offers all the data you need to ensure1313That your sites functions as expected1313Keywords rankings are improving to drive the right people to the site (qualified leads)1313That you proactively fix any site errors to avoid penalties1313Next slide please

Next Steps

23

SEO

Google business

PPCEmail

Social

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG - Now you have a better idea on how to turn your website into a lead generating manget by way of Organic search That is a major component and should be the basis of all lead generating websites However many other tactics can be employed to enhance results and meet your marketing goals1313PPC or AdWords campaigns will yield immediate results but can be costly A PPC campaign should be focused and executed with a goal or purpose such as building your brand launching a new product or promoting an existing product13Email marketing will drive traffic to your site ndash You can post your news or new content in your blog and then email information about new posts to your marketing lists13Google My Business will help solidify your online presence for very little cost and provides another path to be found13Social media campaigns ndash create buzz expand your reach and brings in more traffic 1313Next months forum is on Social Media Strategy It would be prudent to regiseter for that session on July 15th1313This has been a lot to take in but we still need to talk about implementation131313Next slide please1313

Implementation

24

Understand the primary role of marketing for your company which is most often lead generation to achieve business growth

Hire a qualified marketing firm right out of the gate to manage your internet marketing

QualificationsbullMarketing strategist who is focused on business growth

bullManaging website projects understanding of graphic designers developers and other skilled roles associated with internet marketing tactics

bullProven internet marketing knowledge via education and experience

bullUnderstanding of your marketcustomer behaviorbullExperienceknowledge in your field of productsservices (industrial sports real estate law healthcare distribution hellip)

bullEagerly supports what is best for your business and follows your desires

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash13If lead generation for sales is a primary goal then you need to build your marketing expectations around that 1313You may have had a graphics designer andor web developer create your current website Those are critical marketing specialties for your website however those skills alone dont include SEO to the extent required for generating leads Many business owners dont realize that professional marketing services have specialties much like attorneys and that appears to be the reason so many websites lack best SEO practices13 13For internet marketing it is best to hire a firm that has the qualifications shown here Those marketing agnecies typically outsource the skills they dont have in house such as content creaters digital graphics designers web development video production app developers and others Often times outsourcing becomes a pass through transaction which keeps cost down1313Next slide please

Further Questions ndashCommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM

You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like

25

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash 1313Next slide please

Thank You

bull Forum participantsbull WSU - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephaniebull Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative

26

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash Thank you for joining us today We sincerely hope that we made your day and our presentation motivated you to take next steps towards growing your business13We offer special thanks to the Washington State University - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephanie who worked closely with us developing this presentation We also want to thank two other marketing firms Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative out of Portland Oregon for their collaboration with us creating the meadowfoam model that illustrates the combination of the marketing skills it takes for website done right1313Now back to Nolan
  • Digital Marketing Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Introduction
  • Goal of SEO
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google
  • SEO Findability and Usability
  • Content
  • Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships
  • The Search Snippet
  • H Tags
  • Image Alt Tags
  • Robots amp Canonical Tags
  • Anchor Text
  • Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads
  • Usability - Creating human relationships
  • Ease of Use - Site Navigation
  • Clarity
  • Trust
  • Availability
  • Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action
  • Tying it all Together - findability + usability
  • Site Analytics
  • Next Steps
  • Implementation
  • Further Questions ndash CommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like
  • Thank You
Page 17: Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine ......2020/06/17  · Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Customers are searching, but not finding

Clarity

17

bull Focusbull Simplicitybull Layoutbull Linkingbull Call to action

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 13 13The next usability element is content clarity We touched briefly on content at the beginning of the presentation But I wanted to emphasize that content clarity is essential for the user1313When structuring your pages ask yourself 1313Is each page focused on one concept 13Are we using simple easy to understand language13Are page titles and subtitles (these are the H tags we talked about on the backend) written in a way to easily help the user understand content and navigate through page 13Do we have enough internal navigation links to other information on the site to enhance and build content relevancy and authority to help the user understand that we have what they need13Do we have a clear call to action on each page This means clearly inviting the visitor to take our desired action1313Next slide please1313

Trust

18

bull Design qualitybull Upfront disclosurebull Comprehensive correct and current contentbull Connection to the rest of the web

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Websites must establish trust and present themselves as credible in order to turn visitors into leads ndash so how do you communicate trustworthiness Through design disclosure content and connection1313Your design is your first impression for the site visitor Take a step back and ask yourself is it professional with clear navigation Is it free of typos and grammatical errors Perfection should be an expectation when designing your site because it exhibits that you have quality service and products1313Disclosure is essential if you sell products Do you clearly communicate any fees and terms associated with a purchase For all sites is your site secure with HTTPS And do you have a privacy policy posted so your customers know how you protect and use their information 1313Is your content current comprehensive and correct to show your subject matter expertise1313And lately are you well connected to the rest of the Web with backlinks in and out of your site to ensure content authority131313Next slide please1313developed by Jakob Nielsen

Availability

19

bull Server Uptimebull Page Speedbull Linksbull Responsiveness

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313Last usability concept is availably 1313Server uptime means your site is always available for the user and search engine Invest in good hosting If a user tries to access your site and it is down they will go elsewhere If a search engine tries to index your site while itrsquos down they leave immediately1313Page Speed means each page on your site is optimized for speed There are many ways to improve speed but one of the biggest causes of a slow loading page is images that arenrsquot optimized If a search engine is trying to crawl your site and they land on a slow loading page they will leave the page without indexing it likewise for the visitor many wonrsquot want to wait for a slow page to load1313Broken links ndash there is nothing more frustrating than clicking a link that looks interesting only to end up on 404 error page1313Mobile responsiveness is very important these days You never know if your visitor is navigating your site on a desktop laptop mobile or tablet You need to ensure your site is not only responsive to different screen sizes all page elements and navigation menus are optimized to display correctly on each device 1313Next slide please

Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action

20

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash The ultimate usability goal is to guide users through your site in a way that allows them to logically easily and quickly find what they need communicate trust and authority and entice them to take a desired action 1313Next slide please

Tying it all Together- findability

+ usability

21

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313When all the pieces are assembled correctly a qualified human lead finds and lands on your site easily discovers that you have the solution to their issue or need and then takes your desired action1313The findability elements you placed on your site drove a qualified lead to your site Then by applying carefully crafted usability elements you turned that lead into a potential customer 1313Next slide please

Site Analytics

SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results which means you need to pay attention to your site analytics 1313Google analytics is a great tool that is free and offers all the data you need to ensure1313That your sites functions as expected1313Keywords rankings are improving to drive the right people to the site (qualified leads)1313That you proactively fix any site errors to avoid penalties1313Next slide please

Next Steps

23

SEO

Google business

PPCEmail

Social

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG - Now you have a better idea on how to turn your website into a lead generating manget by way of Organic search That is a major component and should be the basis of all lead generating websites However many other tactics can be employed to enhance results and meet your marketing goals1313PPC or AdWords campaigns will yield immediate results but can be costly A PPC campaign should be focused and executed with a goal or purpose such as building your brand launching a new product or promoting an existing product13Email marketing will drive traffic to your site ndash You can post your news or new content in your blog and then email information about new posts to your marketing lists13Google My Business will help solidify your online presence for very little cost and provides another path to be found13Social media campaigns ndash create buzz expand your reach and brings in more traffic 1313Next months forum is on Social Media Strategy It would be prudent to regiseter for that session on July 15th1313This has been a lot to take in but we still need to talk about implementation131313Next slide please1313

Implementation

24

Understand the primary role of marketing for your company which is most often lead generation to achieve business growth

Hire a qualified marketing firm right out of the gate to manage your internet marketing

QualificationsbullMarketing strategist who is focused on business growth

bullManaging website projects understanding of graphic designers developers and other skilled roles associated with internet marketing tactics

bullProven internet marketing knowledge via education and experience

bullUnderstanding of your marketcustomer behaviorbullExperienceknowledge in your field of productsservices (industrial sports real estate law healthcare distribution hellip)

bullEagerly supports what is best for your business and follows your desires

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash13If lead generation for sales is a primary goal then you need to build your marketing expectations around that 1313You may have had a graphics designer andor web developer create your current website Those are critical marketing specialties for your website however those skills alone dont include SEO to the extent required for generating leads Many business owners dont realize that professional marketing services have specialties much like attorneys and that appears to be the reason so many websites lack best SEO practices13 13For internet marketing it is best to hire a firm that has the qualifications shown here Those marketing agnecies typically outsource the skills they dont have in house such as content creaters digital graphics designers web development video production app developers and others Often times outsourcing becomes a pass through transaction which keeps cost down1313Next slide please

Further Questions ndashCommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM

You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like

25

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash 1313Next slide please

Thank You

bull Forum participantsbull WSU - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephaniebull Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative

26

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash Thank you for joining us today We sincerely hope that we made your day and our presentation motivated you to take next steps towards growing your business13We offer special thanks to the Washington State University - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephanie who worked closely with us developing this presentation We also want to thank two other marketing firms Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative out of Portland Oregon for their collaboration with us creating the meadowfoam model that illustrates the combination of the marketing skills it takes for website done right1313Now back to Nolan
  • Digital Marketing Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Introduction
  • Goal of SEO
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google
  • SEO Findability and Usability
  • Content
  • Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships
  • The Search Snippet
  • H Tags
  • Image Alt Tags
  • Robots amp Canonical Tags
  • Anchor Text
  • Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads
  • Usability - Creating human relationships
  • Ease of Use - Site Navigation
  • Clarity
  • Trust
  • Availability
  • Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action
  • Tying it all Together - findability + usability
  • Site Analytics
  • Next Steps
  • Implementation
  • Further Questions ndash CommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like
  • Thank You
Page 18: Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine ......2020/06/17  · Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Customers are searching, but not finding

Trust

18

bull Design qualitybull Upfront disclosurebull Comprehensive correct and current contentbull Connection to the rest of the web

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH - 1313Websites must establish trust and present themselves as credible in order to turn visitors into leads ndash so how do you communicate trustworthiness Through design disclosure content and connection1313Your design is your first impression for the site visitor Take a step back and ask yourself is it professional with clear navigation Is it free of typos and grammatical errors Perfection should be an expectation when designing your site because it exhibits that you have quality service and products1313Disclosure is essential if you sell products Do you clearly communicate any fees and terms associated with a purchase For all sites is your site secure with HTTPS And do you have a privacy policy posted so your customers know how you protect and use their information 1313Is your content current comprehensive and correct to show your subject matter expertise1313And lately are you well connected to the rest of the Web with backlinks in and out of your site to ensure content authority131313Next slide please1313developed by Jakob Nielsen

Availability

19

bull Server Uptimebull Page Speedbull Linksbull Responsiveness

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313Last usability concept is availably 1313Server uptime means your site is always available for the user and search engine Invest in good hosting If a user tries to access your site and it is down they will go elsewhere If a search engine tries to index your site while itrsquos down they leave immediately1313Page Speed means each page on your site is optimized for speed There are many ways to improve speed but one of the biggest causes of a slow loading page is images that arenrsquot optimized If a search engine is trying to crawl your site and they land on a slow loading page they will leave the page without indexing it likewise for the visitor many wonrsquot want to wait for a slow page to load1313Broken links ndash there is nothing more frustrating than clicking a link that looks interesting only to end up on 404 error page1313Mobile responsiveness is very important these days You never know if your visitor is navigating your site on a desktop laptop mobile or tablet You need to ensure your site is not only responsive to different screen sizes all page elements and navigation menus are optimized to display correctly on each device 1313Next slide please

Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action

20

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash The ultimate usability goal is to guide users through your site in a way that allows them to logically easily and quickly find what they need communicate trust and authority and entice them to take a desired action 1313Next slide please

Tying it all Together- findability

+ usability

21

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313When all the pieces are assembled correctly a qualified human lead finds and lands on your site easily discovers that you have the solution to their issue or need and then takes your desired action1313The findability elements you placed on your site drove a qualified lead to your site Then by applying carefully crafted usability elements you turned that lead into a potential customer 1313Next slide please

Site Analytics

SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results which means you need to pay attention to your site analytics 1313Google analytics is a great tool that is free and offers all the data you need to ensure1313That your sites functions as expected1313Keywords rankings are improving to drive the right people to the site (qualified leads)1313That you proactively fix any site errors to avoid penalties1313Next slide please

Next Steps

23

SEO

Google business

PPCEmail

Social

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG - Now you have a better idea on how to turn your website into a lead generating manget by way of Organic search That is a major component and should be the basis of all lead generating websites However many other tactics can be employed to enhance results and meet your marketing goals1313PPC or AdWords campaigns will yield immediate results but can be costly A PPC campaign should be focused and executed with a goal or purpose such as building your brand launching a new product or promoting an existing product13Email marketing will drive traffic to your site ndash You can post your news or new content in your blog and then email information about new posts to your marketing lists13Google My Business will help solidify your online presence for very little cost and provides another path to be found13Social media campaigns ndash create buzz expand your reach and brings in more traffic 1313Next months forum is on Social Media Strategy It would be prudent to regiseter for that session on July 15th1313This has been a lot to take in but we still need to talk about implementation131313Next slide please1313

Implementation

24

Understand the primary role of marketing for your company which is most often lead generation to achieve business growth

Hire a qualified marketing firm right out of the gate to manage your internet marketing

QualificationsbullMarketing strategist who is focused on business growth

bullManaging website projects understanding of graphic designers developers and other skilled roles associated with internet marketing tactics

bullProven internet marketing knowledge via education and experience

bullUnderstanding of your marketcustomer behaviorbullExperienceknowledge in your field of productsservices (industrial sports real estate law healthcare distribution hellip)

bullEagerly supports what is best for your business and follows your desires

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash13If lead generation for sales is a primary goal then you need to build your marketing expectations around that 1313You may have had a graphics designer andor web developer create your current website Those are critical marketing specialties for your website however those skills alone dont include SEO to the extent required for generating leads Many business owners dont realize that professional marketing services have specialties much like attorneys and that appears to be the reason so many websites lack best SEO practices13 13For internet marketing it is best to hire a firm that has the qualifications shown here Those marketing agnecies typically outsource the skills they dont have in house such as content creaters digital graphics designers web development video production app developers and others Often times outsourcing becomes a pass through transaction which keeps cost down1313Next slide please

Further Questions ndashCommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM

You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like

25

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash 1313Next slide please

Thank You

bull Forum participantsbull WSU - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephaniebull Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative

26

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash Thank you for joining us today We sincerely hope that we made your day and our presentation motivated you to take next steps towards growing your business13We offer special thanks to the Washington State University - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephanie who worked closely with us developing this presentation We also want to thank two other marketing firms Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative out of Portland Oregon for their collaboration with us creating the meadowfoam model that illustrates the combination of the marketing skills it takes for website done right1313Now back to Nolan
  • Digital Marketing Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Introduction
  • Goal of SEO
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google
  • SEO Findability and Usability
  • Content
  • Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships
  • The Search Snippet
  • H Tags
  • Image Alt Tags
  • Robots amp Canonical Tags
  • Anchor Text
  • Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads
  • Usability - Creating human relationships
  • Ease of Use - Site Navigation
  • Clarity
  • Trust
  • Availability
  • Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action
  • Tying it all Together - findability + usability
  • Site Analytics
  • Next Steps
  • Implementation
  • Further Questions ndash CommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like
  • Thank You
Page 19: Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine ......2020/06/17  · Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Customers are searching, but not finding

Availability

19

bull Server Uptimebull Page Speedbull Linksbull Responsiveness

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313Last usability concept is availably 1313Server uptime means your site is always available for the user and search engine Invest in good hosting If a user tries to access your site and it is down they will go elsewhere If a search engine tries to index your site while itrsquos down they leave immediately1313Page Speed means each page on your site is optimized for speed There are many ways to improve speed but one of the biggest causes of a slow loading page is images that arenrsquot optimized If a search engine is trying to crawl your site and they land on a slow loading page they will leave the page without indexing it likewise for the visitor many wonrsquot want to wait for a slow page to load1313Broken links ndash there is nothing more frustrating than clicking a link that looks interesting only to end up on 404 error page1313Mobile responsiveness is very important these days You never know if your visitor is navigating your site on a desktop laptop mobile or tablet You need to ensure your site is not only responsive to different screen sizes all page elements and navigation menus are optimized to display correctly on each device 1313Next slide please

Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action

20

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash The ultimate usability goal is to guide users through your site in a way that allows them to logically easily and quickly find what they need communicate trust and authority and entice them to take a desired action 1313Next slide please

Tying it all Together- findability

+ usability

21

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313When all the pieces are assembled correctly a qualified human lead finds and lands on your site easily discovers that you have the solution to their issue or need and then takes your desired action1313The findability elements you placed on your site drove a qualified lead to your site Then by applying carefully crafted usability elements you turned that lead into a potential customer 1313Next slide please

Site Analytics

SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results which means you need to pay attention to your site analytics 1313Google analytics is a great tool that is free and offers all the data you need to ensure1313That your sites functions as expected1313Keywords rankings are improving to drive the right people to the site (qualified leads)1313That you proactively fix any site errors to avoid penalties1313Next slide please

Next Steps

23

SEO

Google business

PPCEmail

Social

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG - Now you have a better idea on how to turn your website into a lead generating manget by way of Organic search That is a major component and should be the basis of all lead generating websites However many other tactics can be employed to enhance results and meet your marketing goals1313PPC or AdWords campaigns will yield immediate results but can be costly A PPC campaign should be focused and executed with a goal or purpose such as building your brand launching a new product or promoting an existing product13Email marketing will drive traffic to your site ndash You can post your news or new content in your blog and then email information about new posts to your marketing lists13Google My Business will help solidify your online presence for very little cost and provides another path to be found13Social media campaigns ndash create buzz expand your reach and brings in more traffic 1313Next months forum is on Social Media Strategy It would be prudent to regiseter for that session on July 15th1313This has been a lot to take in but we still need to talk about implementation131313Next slide please1313

Implementation

24

Understand the primary role of marketing for your company which is most often lead generation to achieve business growth

Hire a qualified marketing firm right out of the gate to manage your internet marketing

QualificationsbullMarketing strategist who is focused on business growth

bullManaging website projects understanding of graphic designers developers and other skilled roles associated with internet marketing tactics

bullProven internet marketing knowledge via education and experience

bullUnderstanding of your marketcustomer behaviorbullExperienceknowledge in your field of productsservices (industrial sports real estate law healthcare distribution hellip)

bullEagerly supports what is best for your business and follows your desires

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash13If lead generation for sales is a primary goal then you need to build your marketing expectations around that 1313You may have had a graphics designer andor web developer create your current website Those are critical marketing specialties for your website however those skills alone dont include SEO to the extent required for generating leads Many business owners dont realize that professional marketing services have specialties much like attorneys and that appears to be the reason so many websites lack best SEO practices13 13For internet marketing it is best to hire a firm that has the qualifications shown here Those marketing agnecies typically outsource the skills they dont have in house such as content creaters digital graphics designers web development video production app developers and others Often times outsourcing becomes a pass through transaction which keeps cost down1313Next slide please

Further Questions ndashCommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM

You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like

25

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash 1313Next slide please

Thank You

bull Forum participantsbull WSU - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephaniebull Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative

26

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash Thank you for joining us today We sincerely hope that we made your day and our presentation motivated you to take next steps towards growing your business13We offer special thanks to the Washington State University - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephanie who worked closely with us developing this presentation We also want to thank two other marketing firms Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative out of Portland Oregon for their collaboration with us creating the meadowfoam model that illustrates the combination of the marketing skills it takes for website done right1313Now back to Nolan
  • Digital Marketing Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Introduction
  • Goal of SEO
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google
  • SEO Findability and Usability
  • Content
  • Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships
  • The Search Snippet
  • H Tags
  • Image Alt Tags
  • Robots amp Canonical Tags
  • Anchor Text
  • Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads
  • Usability - Creating human relationships
  • Ease of Use - Site Navigation
  • Clarity
  • Trust
  • Availability
  • Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action
  • Tying it all Together - findability + usability
  • Site Analytics
  • Next Steps
  • Implementation
  • Further Questions ndash CommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like
  • Thank You
Page 20: Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine ......2020/06/17  · Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Customers are searching, but not finding

Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action

20

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH ndash The ultimate usability goal is to guide users through your site in a way that allows them to logically easily and quickly find what they need communicate trust and authority and entice them to take a desired action 1313Next slide please

Tying it all Together- findability

+ usability

21

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313When all the pieces are assembled correctly a qualified human lead finds and lands on your site easily discovers that you have the solution to their issue or need and then takes your desired action1313The findability elements you placed on your site drove a qualified lead to your site Then by applying carefully crafted usability elements you turned that lead into a potential customer 1313Next slide please

Site Analytics

SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results which means you need to pay attention to your site analytics 1313Google analytics is a great tool that is free and offers all the data you need to ensure1313That your sites functions as expected1313Keywords rankings are improving to drive the right people to the site (qualified leads)1313That you proactively fix any site errors to avoid penalties1313Next slide please

Next Steps

23

SEO

Google business

PPCEmail

Social

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG - Now you have a better idea on how to turn your website into a lead generating manget by way of Organic search That is a major component and should be the basis of all lead generating websites However many other tactics can be employed to enhance results and meet your marketing goals1313PPC or AdWords campaigns will yield immediate results but can be costly A PPC campaign should be focused and executed with a goal or purpose such as building your brand launching a new product or promoting an existing product13Email marketing will drive traffic to your site ndash You can post your news or new content in your blog and then email information about new posts to your marketing lists13Google My Business will help solidify your online presence for very little cost and provides another path to be found13Social media campaigns ndash create buzz expand your reach and brings in more traffic 1313Next months forum is on Social Media Strategy It would be prudent to regiseter for that session on July 15th1313This has been a lot to take in but we still need to talk about implementation131313Next slide please1313

Implementation

24

Understand the primary role of marketing for your company which is most often lead generation to achieve business growth

Hire a qualified marketing firm right out of the gate to manage your internet marketing

QualificationsbullMarketing strategist who is focused on business growth

bullManaging website projects understanding of graphic designers developers and other skilled roles associated with internet marketing tactics

bullProven internet marketing knowledge via education and experience

bullUnderstanding of your marketcustomer behaviorbullExperienceknowledge in your field of productsservices (industrial sports real estate law healthcare distribution hellip)

bullEagerly supports what is best for your business and follows your desires

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash13If lead generation for sales is a primary goal then you need to build your marketing expectations around that 1313You may have had a graphics designer andor web developer create your current website Those are critical marketing specialties for your website however those skills alone dont include SEO to the extent required for generating leads Many business owners dont realize that professional marketing services have specialties much like attorneys and that appears to be the reason so many websites lack best SEO practices13 13For internet marketing it is best to hire a firm that has the qualifications shown here Those marketing agnecies typically outsource the skills they dont have in house such as content creaters digital graphics designers web development video production app developers and others Often times outsourcing becomes a pass through transaction which keeps cost down1313Next slide please

Further Questions ndashCommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM

You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like

25

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash 1313Next slide please

Thank You

bull Forum participantsbull WSU - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephaniebull Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative

26

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash Thank you for joining us today We sincerely hope that we made your day and our presentation motivated you to take next steps towards growing your business13We offer special thanks to the Washington State University - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephanie who worked closely with us developing this presentation We also want to thank two other marketing firms Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative out of Portland Oregon for their collaboration with us creating the meadowfoam model that illustrates the combination of the marketing skills it takes for website done right1313Now back to Nolan
  • Digital Marketing Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Introduction
  • Goal of SEO
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google
  • SEO Findability and Usability
  • Content
  • Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships
  • The Search Snippet
  • H Tags
  • Image Alt Tags
  • Robots amp Canonical Tags
  • Anchor Text
  • Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads
  • Usability - Creating human relationships
  • Ease of Use - Site Navigation
  • Clarity
  • Trust
  • Availability
  • Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action
  • Tying it all Together - findability + usability
  • Site Analytics
  • Next Steps
  • Implementation
  • Further Questions ndash CommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like
  • Thank You
Page 21: Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine ......2020/06/17  · Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Customers are searching, but not finding

Tying it all Together- findability

+ usability

21

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313When all the pieces are assembled correctly a qualified human lead finds and lands on your site easily discovers that you have the solution to their issue or need and then takes your desired action1313The findability elements you placed on your site drove a qualified lead to your site Then by applying carefully crafted usability elements you turned that lead into a potential customer 1313Next slide please

Site Analytics

SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results which means you need to pay attention to your site analytics 1313Google analytics is a great tool that is free and offers all the data you need to ensure1313That your sites functions as expected1313Keywords rankings are improving to drive the right people to the site (qualified leads)1313That you proactively fix any site errors to avoid penalties1313Next slide please

Next Steps

23

SEO

Google business

PPCEmail

Social

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG - Now you have a better idea on how to turn your website into a lead generating manget by way of Organic search That is a major component and should be the basis of all lead generating websites However many other tactics can be employed to enhance results and meet your marketing goals1313PPC or AdWords campaigns will yield immediate results but can be costly A PPC campaign should be focused and executed with a goal or purpose such as building your brand launching a new product or promoting an existing product13Email marketing will drive traffic to your site ndash You can post your news or new content in your blog and then email information about new posts to your marketing lists13Google My Business will help solidify your online presence for very little cost and provides another path to be found13Social media campaigns ndash create buzz expand your reach and brings in more traffic 1313Next months forum is on Social Media Strategy It would be prudent to regiseter for that session on July 15th1313This has been a lot to take in but we still need to talk about implementation131313Next slide please1313

Implementation

24

Understand the primary role of marketing for your company which is most often lead generation to achieve business growth

Hire a qualified marketing firm right out of the gate to manage your internet marketing

QualificationsbullMarketing strategist who is focused on business growth

bullManaging website projects understanding of graphic designers developers and other skilled roles associated with internet marketing tactics

bullProven internet marketing knowledge via education and experience

bullUnderstanding of your marketcustomer behaviorbullExperienceknowledge in your field of productsservices (industrial sports real estate law healthcare distribution hellip)

bullEagerly supports what is best for your business and follows your desires

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash13If lead generation for sales is a primary goal then you need to build your marketing expectations around that 1313You may have had a graphics designer andor web developer create your current website Those are critical marketing specialties for your website however those skills alone dont include SEO to the extent required for generating leads Many business owners dont realize that professional marketing services have specialties much like attorneys and that appears to be the reason so many websites lack best SEO practices13 13For internet marketing it is best to hire a firm that has the qualifications shown here Those marketing agnecies typically outsource the skills they dont have in house such as content creaters digital graphics designers web development video production app developers and others Often times outsourcing becomes a pass through transaction which keeps cost down1313Next slide please

Further Questions ndashCommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM

You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like

25

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash 1313Next slide please

Thank You

bull Forum participantsbull WSU - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephaniebull Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative

26

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash Thank you for joining us today We sincerely hope that we made your day and our presentation motivated you to take next steps towards growing your business13We offer special thanks to the Washington State University - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephanie who worked closely with us developing this presentation We also want to thank two other marketing firms Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative out of Portland Oregon for their collaboration with us creating the meadowfoam model that illustrates the combination of the marketing skills it takes for website done right1313Now back to Nolan
  • Digital Marketing Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Introduction
  • Goal of SEO
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google
  • SEO Findability and Usability
  • Content
  • Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships
  • The Search Snippet
  • H Tags
  • Image Alt Tags
  • Robots amp Canonical Tags
  • Anchor Text
  • Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads
  • Usability - Creating human relationships
  • Ease of Use - Site Navigation
  • Clarity
  • Trust
  • Availability
  • Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action
  • Tying it all Together - findability + usability
  • Site Analytics
  • Next Steps
  • Implementation
  • Further Questions ndash CommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like
  • Thank You
Page 22: Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine ......2020/06/17  · Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Customers are searching, but not finding

Site Analytics

SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results

Presenter
Presentation Notes
MH1313SEO is a long-term project that needs to be consistently nurtured to improve or maintain organic search results which means you need to pay attention to your site analytics 1313Google analytics is a great tool that is free and offers all the data you need to ensure1313That your sites functions as expected1313Keywords rankings are improving to drive the right people to the site (qualified leads)1313That you proactively fix any site errors to avoid penalties1313Next slide please

Next Steps

23

SEO

Google business

PPCEmail

Social

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG - Now you have a better idea on how to turn your website into a lead generating manget by way of Organic search That is a major component and should be the basis of all lead generating websites However many other tactics can be employed to enhance results and meet your marketing goals1313PPC or AdWords campaigns will yield immediate results but can be costly A PPC campaign should be focused and executed with a goal or purpose such as building your brand launching a new product or promoting an existing product13Email marketing will drive traffic to your site ndash You can post your news or new content in your blog and then email information about new posts to your marketing lists13Google My Business will help solidify your online presence for very little cost and provides another path to be found13Social media campaigns ndash create buzz expand your reach and brings in more traffic 1313Next months forum is on Social Media Strategy It would be prudent to regiseter for that session on July 15th1313This has been a lot to take in but we still need to talk about implementation131313Next slide please1313

Implementation

24

Understand the primary role of marketing for your company which is most often lead generation to achieve business growth

Hire a qualified marketing firm right out of the gate to manage your internet marketing

QualificationsbullMarketing strategist who is focused on business growth

bullManaging website projects understanding of graphic designers developers and other skilled roles associated with internet marketing tactics

bullProven internet marketing knowledge via education and experience

bullUnderstanding of your marketcustomer behaviorbullExperienceknowledge in your field of productsservices (industrial sports real estate law healthcare distribution hellip)

bullEagerly supports what is best for your business and follows your desires

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash13If lead generation for sales is a primary goal then you need to build your marketing expectations around that 1313You may have had a graphics designer andor web developer create your current website Those are critical marketing specialties for your website however those skills alone dont include SEO to the extent required for generating leads Many business owners dont realize that professional marketing services have specialties much like attorneys and that appears to be the reason so many websites lack best SEO practices13 13For internet marketing it is best to hire a firm that has the qualifications shown here Those marketing agnecies typically outsource the skills they dont have in house such as content creaters digital graphics designers web development video production app developers and others Often times outsourcing becomes a pass through transaction which keeps cost down1313Next slide please

Further Questions ndashCommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM

You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like

25

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash 1313Next slide please

Thank You

bull Forum participantsbull WSU - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephaniebull Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative

26

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash Thank you for joining us today We sincerely hope that we made your day and our presentation motivated you to take next steps towards growing your business13We offer special thanks to the Washington State University - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephanie who worked closely with us developing this presentation We also want to thank two other marketing firms Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative out of Portland Oregon for their collaboration with us creating the meadowfoam model that illustrates the combination of the marketing skills it takes for website done right1313Now back to Nolan
  • Digital Marketing Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Introduction
  • Goal of SEO
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google
  • SEO Findability and Usability
  • Content
  • Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships
  • The Search Snippet
  • H Tags
  • Image Alt Tags
  • Robots amp Canonical Tags
  • Anchor Text
  • Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads
  • Usability - Creating human relationships
  • Ease of Use - Site Navigation
  • Clarity
  • Trust
  • Availability
  • Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action
  • Tying it all Together - findability + usability
  • Site Analytics
  • Next Steps
  • Implementation
  • Further Questions ndash CommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like
  • Thank You
Page 23: Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine ......2020/06/17  · Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Customers are searching, but not finding

Next Steps

23

SEO

Google business

PPCEmail

Social

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG - Now you have a better idea on how to turn your website into a lead generating manget by way of Organic search That is a major component and should be the basis of all lead generating websites However many other tactics can be employed to enhance results and meet your marketing goals1313PPC or AdWords campaigns will yield immediate results but can be costly A PPC campaign should be focused and executed with a goal or purpose such as building your brand launching a new product or promoting an existing product13Email marketing will drive traffic to your site ndash You can post your news or new content in your blog and then email information about new posts to your marketing lists13Google My Business will help solidify your online presence for very little cost and provides another path to be found13Social media campaigns ndash create buzz expand your reach and brings in more traffic 1313Next months forum is on Social Media Strategy It would be prudent to regiseter for that session on July 15th1313This has been a lot to take in but we still need to talk about implementation131313Next slide please1313

Implementation

24

Understand the primary role of marketing for your company which is most often lead generation to achieve business growth

Hire a qualified marketing firm right out of the gate to manage your internet marketing

QualificationsbullMarketing strategist who is focused on business growth

bullManaging website projects understanding of graphic designers developers and other skilled roles associated with internet marketing tactics

bullProven internet marketing knowledge via education and experience

bullUnderstanding of your marketcustomer behaviorbullExperienceknowledge in your field of productsservices (industrial sports real estate law healthcare distribution hellip)

bullEagerly supports what is best for your business and follows your desires

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash13If lead generation for sales is a primary goal then you need to build your marketing expectations around that 1313You may have had a graphics designer andor web developer create your current website Those are critical marketing specialties for your website however those skills alone dont include SEO to the extent required for generating leads Many business owners dont realize that professional marketing services have specialties much like attorneys and that appears to be the reason so many websites lack best SEO practices13 13For internet marketing it is best to hire a firm that has the qualifications shown here Those marketing agnecies typically outsource the skills they dont have in house such as content creaters digital graphics designers web development video production app developers and others Often times outsourcing becomes a pass through transaction which keeps cost down1313Next slide please

Further Questions ndashCommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM

You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like

25

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash 1313Next slide please

Thank You

bull Forum participantsbull WSU - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephaniebull Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative

26

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash Thank you for joining us today We sincerely hope that we made your day and our presentation motivated you to take next steps towards growing your business13We offer special thanks to the Washington State University - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephanie who worked closely with us developing this presentation We also want to thank two other marketing firms Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative out of Portland Oregon for their collaboration with us creating the meadowfoam model that illustrates the combination of the marketing skills it takes for website done right1313Now back to Nolan
  • Digital Marketing Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Introduction
  • Goal of SEO
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google
  • SEO Findability and Usability
  • Content
  • Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships
  • The Search Snippet
  • H Tags
  • Image Alt Tags
  • Robots amp Canonical Tags
  • Anchor Text
  • Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads
  • Usability - Creating human relationships
  • Ease of Use - Site Navigation
  • Clarity
  • Trust
  • Availability
  • Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action
  • Tying it all Together - findability + usability
  • Site Analytics
  • Next Steps
  • Implementation
  • Further Questions ndash CommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like
  • Thank You
Page 24: Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine ......2020/06/17  · Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Customers are searching, but not finding

Implementation

24

Understand the primary role of marketing for your company which is most often lead generation to achieve business growth

Hire a qualified marketing firm right out of the gate to manage your internet marketing

QualificationsbullMarketing strategist who is focused on business growth

bullManaging website projects understanding of graphic designers developers and other skilled roles associated with internet marketing tactics

bullProven internet marketing knowledge via education and experience

bullUnderstanding of your marketcustomer behaviorbullExperienceknowledge in your field of productsservices (industrial sports real estate law healthcare distribution hellip)

bullEagerly supports what is best for your business and follows your desires

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash13If lead generation for sales is a primary goal then you need to build your marketing expectations around that 1313You may have had a graphics designer andor web developer create your current website Those are critical marketing specialties for your website however those skills alone dont include SEO to the extent required for generating leads Many business owners dont realize that professional marketing services have specialties much like attorneys and that appears to be the reason so many websites lack best SEO practices13 13For internet marketing it is best to hire a firm that has the qualifications shown here Those marketing agnecies typically outsource the skills they dont have in house such as content creaters digital graphics designers web development video production app developers and others Often times outsourcing becomes a pass through transaction which keeps cost down1313Next slide please

Further Questions ndashCommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM

You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like

25

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash 1313Next slide please

Thank You

bull Forum participantsbull WSU - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephaniebull Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative

26

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash Thank you for joining us today We sincerely hope that we made your day and our presentation motivated you to take next steps towards growing your business13We offer special thanks to the Washington State University - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephanie who worked closely with us developing this presentation We also want to thank two other marketing firms Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative out of Portland Oregon for their collaboration with us creating the meadowfoam model that illustrates the combination of the marketing skills it takes for website done right1313Now back to Nolan
  • Digital Marketing Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Introduction
  • Goal of SEO
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google
  • SEO Findability and Usability
  • Content
  • Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships
  • The Search Snippet
  • H Tags
  • Image Alt Tags
  • Robots amp Canonical Tags
  • Anchor Text
  • Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads
  • Usability - Creating human relationships
  • Ease of Use - Site Navigation
  • Clarity
  • Trust
  • Availability
  • Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action
  • Tying it all Together - findability + usability
  • Site Analytics
  • Next Steps
  • Implementation
  • Further Questions ndash CommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like
  • Thank You
Page 25: Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine ......2020/06/17  · Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Customers are searching, but not finding

Further Questions ndashCommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM

You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like

25

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash 1313Next slide please

Thank You

bull Forum participantsbull WSU - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephaniebull Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative

26

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash Thank you for joining us today We sincerely hope that we made your day and our presentation motivated you to take next steps towards growing your business13We offer special thanks to the Washington State University - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephanie who worked closely with us developing this presentation We also want to thank two other marketing firms Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative out of Portland Oregon for their collaboration with us creating the meadowfoam model that illustrates the combination of the marketing skills it takes for website done right1313Now back to Nolan
  • Digital Marketing Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Introduction
  • Goal of SEO
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google
  • SEO Findability and Usability
  • Content
  • Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships
  • The Search Snippet
  • H Tags
  • Image Alt Tags
  • Robots amp Canonical Tags
  • Anchor Text
  • Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads
  • Usability - Creating human relationships
  • Ease of Use - Site Navigation
  • Clarity
  • Trust
  • Availability
  • Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action
  • Tying it all Together - findability + usability
  • Site Analytics
  • Next Steps
  • Implementation
  • Further Questions ndash CommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like
  • Thank You
Page 26: Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine ......2020/06/17  · Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Customers are searching, but not finding

Thank You

bull Forum participantsbull WSU - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephaniebull Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative

26

Presenter
Presentation Notes
KG ndash Thank you for joining us today We sincerely hope that we made your day and our presentation motivated you to take next steps towards growing your business13We offer special thanks to the Washington State University - Business Growth MAP Alliance especially Nolan and Stephanie who worked closely with us developing this presentation We also want to thank two other marketing firms Cox Marketing Group and Drawbridge Creative out of Portland Oregon for their collaboration with us creating the meadowfoam model that illustrates the combination of the marketing skills it takes for website done right1313Now back to Nolan
  • Digital Marketing Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Introduction
  • Goal of SEO
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Humans
  • How Humans and Google View Things Differently- Google
  • SEO Findability and Usability
  • Content
  • Findability -Creating Search Engine Relationships
  • The Search Snippet
  • H Tags
  • Image Alt Tags
  • Robots amp Canonical Tags
  • Anchor Text
  • Findabilitys Ultimate Goal- quality leads
  • Usability - Creating human relationships
  • Ease of Use - Site Navigation
  • Clarity
  • Trust
  • Availability
  • Usabilitys Ultimate Goal- action
  • Tying it all Together - findability + usability
  • Site Analytics
  • Next Steps
  • Implementation
  • Further Questions ndash CommentsIf you havent already done so please submit questions by way of the Chat option in ZOOM You are also welcome to contact us after this session if you like
  • Thank You

Search Engine Marketing - megasmultimedia.commegasmultimedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/SEMPackage_WEB.pdf · Search Engine Marketing SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING (SEM) Search marketing

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Website Search Engine Optimization: Geographical and Cultural … · 2014-12-18 · Search Engine Optimization, Web Crawlers, Search Engine Algorithms, Search Engine Visibility, Jordan

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That Can Sink Your Firm Dangerous Web Practices...Search Engine History Introduction of Google’s Panda & Penguin Search engines today

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Search Engine Optimization: Rankings, Tactics & Trends I.How Search Engine Rank Pages II.Best Practices for Effective SEO III.Hot Trends in Search .

Search Engine Optimization: Rankings, Tactics & Trends I.How Search Engine Rank Pages II.Best Practices for Effective SEO III.Hot Trends in Search .

150522 Periodic Table jf2 - Search Engine Land · Search engine optimization — SEO — seems like ... some important "ranking factors" and best practices that can lead to success

150522 Periodic Table jf2 - Search Engine Land · Search engine optimization — SEO — seems like ... some important "ranking factors" and best practices that can lead to success

Search engine advertising - courses.ischool.berkeley.educourses.ischool.berkeley.edu/i141/f05/lectures/search-engine-advertising.pdf · Search engine advertising Hal Varian. SIMS

Search engine advertising - courses.ischool.berkeley.educourses.ischool.berkeley.edu/i141/f05/lectures/search-engine-advertising.pdf · Search engine advertising Hal Varian. SIMS

Trends in Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing

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Marketing for Health Practices g - Power Diary · 2020. 5. 11. · SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION (SEO) Search Engine Optimisation is just a fancy way of saying ‘making it easier for

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Search engine optimization service, search engine optimization

Search engine optimization service, search engine optimization

Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing

Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing) - Seminar on Web Search

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing) - Seminar on Web Search

Search Engine Optimisation (Seo) And Search Engine Marketing

Search Engine Optimisation (Seo) And Search Engine Marketing

Best SEO Practices|Search engine optimization|SEO Course in Ghaziabad

Best SEO Practices|Search engine optimization|SEO Course in Ghaziabad

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION FOR DIGITAL COLLECTIONS€¦ · Worst Practices in Search Engine Optimization. MALAGA, ROSS A.. Communications of the ACM, Dec2008, Vol. 51 Issue 12, p147‐150

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION FOR DIGITAL COLLECTIONS€¦ · Worst Practices in Search Engine Optimization. MALAGA, ROSS A.. Communications of the ACM, Dec2008, Vol. 51 Issue 12, p147‐150

Search Engine Optimization: A Survey of Current Best Practices · Search Engine Optimization: A Survey of Current Best Practices Niko Solihin Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids,

Search Engine Optimization: A Survey of Current Best Practices · Search Engine Optimization: A Survey of Current Best Practices Niko Solihin Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids,

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The New SEO: Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization in the Modern SEO Era

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An Analytic Model to Optimize Search Results Using ... · Keywords: Search Engine; Social Search Engine; Real Time Search Engine; Analytic Search Engine Model; Social Rank; Socialytics;

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Search Engine Optimisation. PageRank best Practices · 2016-10-19 · Search Marketing. PageRank best Practices · 2008 2 Abstract Since the explosion of the Internet age the need

Search Engine Optimisation. PageRank best Practices · 2016-10-19 · Search Marketing. PageRank best Practices · 2008 2 Abstract Since the explosion of the Internet age the need