Search  Engine  Optimization  101  How  to  begin  the  SEO  process  and  what’s  needed  to  be  successful.  

Becky  Livingston  President  &  CEO  Penheel  MarkeCng    February  2014  

ü Speaker  ü Author  ü Educator  ü Social  Media  &  Digital  MarkeCng  Consultant  

ü 15  yrs.  in  the  financial  services  field  

ü 20  yrs.  markeCng  and  technology  exp.  

©2014  Penheel  MarkeCng  

Becky  Livingston  

What  is  SEO?  Search  Engine  Op.miza.on  (SEO)  is  the  organic  way  your  web  site  appears  on  search  engine  results  pages.  It  is  based  on  several  factors,  including  the  #  of  searches  for  your  site,  the  content  on  your  site,  web  site  code,  keywords,  and  so  much  more!    

PAID

ORGANIC

How  do  search  engines  work?  Every  search  engine  has  what  are  referred  to  as  bots,  or  crawlers,  that  constantly  scan  the  web,  indexing  websites  for  content  and  following  links  on  each  webpage  to  other  webpages.  

Image  source:  Hubspot  

What  do  crawlers  @ind  important?  

ü   Content  ü   Who’s  linking  TO  you  

It  takes  into  consideraCon:  •  Geographic  locaCon  of  the  searcher    •  Historical  performance  of  a  lisCng  (clicks,  bounce  rates,  etc.)    •  Link  quality  (reciprocal  vs.  one-­‐way)    •  Webpage  content  (keywords,  tags,  pictures)    •  Back-­‐end  code  or  HTML  of  webpage    •  Link  type  (social  media  sharing,  link  from  media  outlet,  blog,  etc.)    

Search  Engine  Market  Share  

Search  Engine  Market  Share,  cont.  

Image  credit:  weidert.com  

What’s  your  rank?  1.   Rank  –  the  

locaCon  your  site  falls  in  the  search  results  for  a  specific  search  query  

2.   Authority  –  authoritaCve  and  credible  is  the  site?  

3.   Relevance  –  how  relevant  is  your  content?  

On-­‐Page  Optimization  •  Pick  a  primary  keyword    •  for  each  page  •  in  the  body  content  •  in  the  file  name  of  images  

•  page  URL  •  write  for  humans  first,  search  engines  second  

e.g., “internet marketing”

Example  <.tle>HubSpot  Home  Page</Ctle>    <meta  id="MetaDescripCon"  name="descrip.on"  content="HubSpot's  inbound  markeCng  sofware  offers  businesses  an  all-­‐in-­‐one  markeCng  soluCon;  blogging,  analyCcs,  social  media,  email,  automaCon  &amp;  more.”>  <meta  id="MetaKeywords"  name="keywords"  content="markeCng  sofware,  inbound  markeCng,  email,  automaCon,  social  media,  CMS,  seo”>  <meta  id="MetaAuthor"  name="author">        

On-­‐Page  Optimization  •  Title  &  Meta  Tags  •  On  the  web  page  code,  leverage  the  power  of  the  meta  tags!  

<title>Jim Stenerson’s SEO Course</title>

<meta name="Description" content=”Jim Stenerson’s course is about how to create effective web pages and increase SEO through…"> <meta name=“keywords” content=“SEO, Pace University, Jim Stenerson, Dr. James Stenerson, Pace SEO course content”

Jim Stenerson’s SEO Course www.JimStenerson.com Jim Stenerson’s course is about how to create effective web pages and increase SEO through…

Keywords  –  Long-­‐  &  Short-­‐tail  

Example  “swimming  pools”  vs.  “fiberglass  in-­‐ground  pool  installaCon”                    Short-­‐tail      Long-­‐tail    “fiberglass  in-­‐ground  pool  installaCon”  becomes  “fiberglass  in-­‐ground  pool  installaCon  in  Boston,  MA.”  

Long-­‐tail  becomes  locaCon  specific  

Putting  It  Together  

Image  Source:  e-­‐seo  SoluCons  

Get  ‘Er  Done!  1.  Make  a  list  of  keywords  2.  Build  keyword-­‐focused  pages  3.  Set  up  a  blog    4.  Create  a  link-­‐building  plan  –  connecCng  with  reputable  

sources  5.  Stay  current  with  SEO  news  and  pracCces  

Conclusion  

•  Take  .me  to  think  about  the  content  on  each  page  •  Create  a  keywords  worksheet  to  help  keep  it  all  straight  •  Check  the  lisCng  once  it’s  live  to  see  how  it  looks  on  engines    

•  Review  and  update  keywords  throughout  the  year  •  Leverage  keywords  and  more  on  social  media  plamorms  

Resources  

•  Keyword  Tools  •  Google  Preview  •  Google  AdWord  Keyword  Tool  •  Google  Trends  /  Twiner  Trends  •  Top  25  free  keyword  grader  tools  [hnp://upcity.com/blog/2013/04/top-­‐25-­‐free-­‐website-­‐grader-­‐tools/]    

•  Site  Ranking  Tools  •  Google’s  Page  Rank  •  Rank  Checker  by  SEOCentro  •  Check  Page  Rank  

Who  is  Penheel  Marketing?  Social  media  and  digital  markeCng  consulCng  firm  for  CPA  firms,  small  businesses,  and  non-­‐profits.    

hnp://Penheel.com  

Marke.ng  Analy.cs  Website  analyCcs,  online    adverCsing  analyCcs.  See    which  sources  are  generaCng    the  most  leads.    

Email  Send  personalized,  segmented    Emails  based  on  any  informaCon    in  your  contact  database.  

Search  Engine  Op.miza.ons  Improve  your  rank  in  search    engines  by  finding  and  tracking    your  most  effecCve  keywords.  

Lead  Management  Track  leads  with  a  complete  Cmeline-­‐view  of  their  interacCons    with  your  firm.  

Blogging  Create  blog  content  quickly    while  gerng  SEO  Cps  and    best  pracCces  pointers.  

Social  Media  Publish  content  to  your  social  accounts,  then  nurture  leads    based  on  their  social  engagement.