Understanding & Using Search Engine Optimization

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Barrett Michael [email protected] 678 608 3408 www.ifpeople.net Understanding & Using Search Engine Optimization

description

ifPeople's webinar exploring the three main elements of SEO: coding, content, and linking.

Transcript of Understanding & Using Search Engine Optimization

Page 1: Understanding & Using Search Engine Optimization

Barrett [email protected]

678 608 3408www.ifpeople.net

Understanding & UsingSearch Engine Optimization

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What exactly issearch engine optimization?

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SEO means improving the volume or quality of traffic

to a website from searchengine results.

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When someone searches for youor something relevant to your org...

...you appear in the results.

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So what?

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30% of web traffic deliveredby search engines.

80% of that traffic deliveredBy Google.

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SEO has three separate parts...

technical

content links

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All three must be well-balanced

for best results.

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technical

content links

Let's start with...

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Flash sites look pretty...

...but text in Flash isn'treadable by searches.

A Word on Flash

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Indexible content is more importantthan design.

A Word on Flash

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With SEO, code quality matters.

Code: Overview

Clean, correct code is indexed faster by search engines.

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Use a validator to check code.

Code: Best Practices

http://validator.w3.org/

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Google reads pages from top to bottom.

Code: Best Practices

Keep important content near top.

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Excessive code makes crawling your site difficult.

Code: Best Practices

Keep a low code to copy ratio.

code

copy

code

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Reduce code by moving javascript and CSS to external files.

Code: Best Practices

Multiple lines of code becomeone line of code.

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Give your pages names that describe specific content.

Descriptive Names: Overview

URL

page title

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This associates your page with relevant search engine queries.

Descriptive NamesDescriptive Names: Overview

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Include descriptive words in your URLs...

www.healthpartners.com/fight-for-healthcare-reform

www.healthpartners.com/0001b274cdn

Descriptive Names: URLs

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Descriptive NamesDescriptive Names: URLs

Use hyphens, not underscores...

www.healthpartners.com/fight-for-healthcare-reform

See as separate words

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Descriptive NamesDescriptive Names: URLs

Avoid really long URLs...

www.healthpartners.com/fight-for-healthcare-reform-sign-petition-get-bill-through-congress-for-universal-healthcare

Viewed as disingenuous and “spammy”

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Give descriptive titles to each unique page.

Descriptive NamesDescriptive Names: Page Titles

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Metadata is invisible to web visitors.

Metadata: Overview

It includes bits of descriptive infopicked up by search engines.

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Meta keywords...

Meta DataMetadata: Keywords

• Usually seen in source code

• Still found by search engines

• In Plone, called “categories”

meta data in Plone

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A sitemap gives search engines an overview of your content.

It makes relevant results easierto find.

Sitemaps: Overview

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Big websites need...

Sitemaps: Big Sites

full map of site

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Small websites need...

Sitemaps: Small Sites

navigation bar

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Sitemap Generator

Sitemaps: Creation

http://www.xml-sitemaps.com/

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Now, let's talk about...

technical

content links

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Keywords: Overview

• People find websites based on keywords

• Including relevant keywords in copy can improve your SEO

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Keywords: Selection

Use Google Analytics to see what words people search for before landing on your site.

Step 1:

search term listings

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Keywords: Selection

Brainstorm other related keywords

education advocacyhealth advocacy employment helpmiddle school successgraduate high schooleducation support

universal healthcarelocal volunteer opportunities healthcare for alllive uniteduninsured programs low-income family help

Step 2:

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Keywords: Selection

Use a keyword tool to evaluate the search volume of your keywords.

Step 3:

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

www.wordtracker.com

free paid

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Keywords: Selection

Take note of “search volume,” competition, and relevant synonyms.

Step 4:

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Keywords: Selection

Choose identifying keywords and include them in web copy, page titles, metadata.

Step 5:

uninsured

programs

education support

live united

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Search engines love new content.

For higher rankings, update content regularly.

Update Content: Overview

events

news

stories

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Easiest if you have a CMS.

Update Content: How To

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Also easy if you have a blog connected to your URL.

Update Content: How To

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Finally, there's...

technical

content links

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Links are like academic references.

Links: Overview

More links to and from more credible sources = better SEO.

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Links on your site to other sites.

Links: Two Types

Links on other sites to your site.

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Make your links descriptive.

Links: Your Site

This connects your text to key search terms.

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Links: Your Site

Don't write, “click here.”

Get info about the 2009 Race for the Cure in Indianapolis.

For info about the 2009 Race for the Cure in Indianapolis, click here.

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Appear on other sites by...

...submitting to relevant directories.

Links: Other Sites

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Appear on other sites by...

...leaving blog comments w/ links.

Links: Other Sites

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As you develop online relationships,

Links: Other Sites

ask clients and partners to link to your site.

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But how can I makesure my SEO is continually refined?

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Monitoring: Overview

SEO is a process, not a one time deal.

benchmark

SEOevaluate results

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Monitoring: Overview

Benchmark Questions:

What do I want out of SEO?

How many new hits do I want to achieve?

How many of those hits should turn into reputable leads?

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Monitoring: Tools

Google Analytics

Observe what keywords are associated with your site and increases in traffic.

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Monitoring: Tools

Website GraderAnalyzes:

• Web traffic

• Social popularity

• Technical factors

Includes basic adviceon improving site.

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Monitoring: Tools

SEO Toolbar

• Firefox toolbar

• Competitive research

• Keyword research

• Comparative linking

• Page rank

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Questions?