Notes from workshop

1. SEO Workshop

2. Background
• Practising SEO since 2004
• Marketing background
• Run one of Kent’s leading SEO agencies
• Also Social Media, Content, PR

3. Aims
• Understand how SEO works
• Decode some of the jargon
• Create an SEO strategy
• Running an SEO campaign
• Useful tools and tips
• Real life examples

4. INTRODUCTION TO SEO

5. Why Bother with SEO?
• More visits
• More enquiries
• More orders
• More competitive advantage
• More cost savings

6. Basic Fundamentals
• Search Engines = Google
• SEO is both an art and a science
• Optimising is like following a checklist
• SEO is an ongoing process
• SEO overlaps with Social Media and PR

7. How Search Engines Work
• Algorithm: set of calculations and
decisions.
• Spiders: software which follows links.
Popularity + Content = Rankings

8. SEO Myth Busting
• You can’t phone Google to get listed.
• You can’t pay to submit your website.
• Google results are not in real time.
• There are no short cuts or magic bullets.

9. Anatomy of Search Results

13. SETTING AN SEO STRATEGY

14. Strategic Aims
• Conversion Focused?
(increase sales or leads)
• Visitor Focused?
(increase visitor numbers)
• Keyword Focused?
(rank at the top for xxxxxx)

15. Keyword Research
• Short Tail Search Terms
(high volume + high competition +
low conversion)
• Long Tail Search Terms
(low volume + low competition + high
conversion)

16. Examples of long and short tail
search terms

17. Current Search Terms
• Ask enquirers
• Google Analytics
• Google Adwords
• Google Webmaster Tools

18. Potential Search Terms
• Lateral thinking
• Ask web users
• Competitor websites
• Keyword Research Tools

19. Google Adwords Keyword Tool

20. Google Adwords Keyword Tool

21. Refine Search Terms
• Check Rankings (clean browser)
• Check ranking URL
• Group into clusters of relevance

22. Choosing Targets
• Cross check with behaviour/conversions
• Brand/commercial aims (Trophy phrases)
• Target current rankings first
• Target a manageable number
• How achievable within resources?
• Test using PPC

24. Setting Targets
• Phrases not ranking at all can take
1-4 months.
• Phrases on pages 2-3 can reach
page 1 in 2-8 weeks.
• Phrases in bottom half of page 1
can reach top half in 2-6 weeks.

25. ON PAGE SEO

26. On Page SEO Helps..
...Make it easy for search engines to
crawl your site.
...Search engines identify what your
content is about.

27. The Golden Rule
You’ll only get ranked for a search
term if it’s in your website!

28. Fix Site-Wide Issues
• Canonical Redirect (http:// to www)
• Duplicate Content (copies of site)
• Set Up Key Tools
• Content Structure (page per topic)

29. Page Level SEO
• Depth of content
• Vary the search term on the page
• Talk around the subject
• Link in and out
http://disabledgear.com/pages/handbikes

30. Optimisation
Pyramid....
Page Title
Content Headings, H1,
H2, H3 etc
URL
Unique relevant and targeted content including
keywords in Bold
Unique meta description and keywords (but not too many)
Inbound Links anchor text, internal and external
Keywords in content (but not overdone) including keyword variations
THE REST: Links in content, internal and outbound (but not too many), image alt tags
NO GO: keyword stuffing, duplicate page titles/meta data, meaningless headings, headings as
images, duplicate content, no links

31. Optimising Titles and Headings
• Include Search Terms
• Most important words first
• Unique to every page
• Not just a list of keywords
• Vary use of search terms

32. Review examples – SEO site audits

33. OFF PAGE SEO

34. Backlinking
• Backlinks are seen as votes of
popularity and signs of credibility.
• Quality and relevance, not quantity.
• Backlinks can be manipulated to
boost rankings of specific search terms.

35. Backlinking campaigns should:
• Increase the number of links to your
website or web page.
• Insert relevant search terms into links
to improve your rankings.

36. Note: The best backlinking
campaigns can use old fashioned
marketing techniques!

38. Where can we get links from?

39. The Backlink Pyramid....
Wikipedia,
.ac, .gov
Key media; BBC, Times,
Telegraph, Mail etc
Social Media shares/follows/likes on
Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest
Blogs; Blog Comments, Sponsored blog posts,
Blogroll links, reviews/real blog posts
Quality content hubs; Squidoo, HubPages, some good
quality article sites
Quality Social Bookmarking sites; Stumblepon, Reddit, Folkd
Good quality online directories i.e. Local/regional directories, industry
specific directories, paid directories
THE REST: mid quality article sites, other social bookmarking sites, niche blogs, PR
and news sites
NO GO: paid blog networks, link circles, reciprocal links, link farms, low grade directories, footers
of client sites, paid links, high cost PR sites

40. Social Media
• Social Signals now part of algorithm
• Encourage Likes, follows, shares
• Offers, promotions, competitions
• Link social media output to your
target terms/pages
• Niche social sites like Pinterest

41. PR
• Request links from media publishing
your stories
• Publish stories to news websites
• Target bloggers as well as traditional
media

42. Blogs
Links from blogs have high SEO value
• Offer guest blog posts
• Comment on blog posts with search
term in your name
• Request reviews or ‘sponsored posts’
• Flatter via social media
• Create your own blogs

43. Content
• Write or commission unique content
• Link content to target search terms
• Place content on articles sites and
content hubs

44. Link Requests
• Say why the backlink adds value for
their website users
• Low success rate

45. TOP SEO TOOLS

46. Free Tools
• Google Analytics
• Google Webmaster Tools
• SEO Moz Site Explorer
Paid Tools
• SEO Moz Pro

47. NEED HELP?
Josh Whiten
Webscape Marketing
josh@webscapeseo.com
07850 093471