SEO Publisher Roadmap in 90 Minutes - Magnet€¦ · Ensure you are writing a unique page title tag...

SEO Publisher Roadmap in 90 Minutes

Jessica Bowman CEO, SEOinhouse PRESENTED BY

Jessica Bowman CEO, SEOinhouse Jessica Bowman is a trusted advisor to some of the biggest brand and the best SEOs in the industry. She has advised brands such as GEICO, Microsoft, Salesforce.com, The Home Depot, Yahoo! Inc. and Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Her 2016 book The New SEO Handbook shows executives how to run SEO in a multi-faceted, silo'd organization in a way that transforms you into becoming an SEO Force to Reckon WithSM. Jessica graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in information systems management from Washington University, holds a B.A. in international economics and management from Hiram College, loves foreign travel, kicks butt at the game Connect Four, and has been featured in The Art of SEO, the SEO Bible and Marie Claire magazine.

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SEO Tactics & Everyday Operations

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ALL PILLARS ARE REQUIRED It’s not à la carte.

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We’re going to to get geeky for a few minutes

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PILLAR 1: Indexing & Crawling

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Ensure your site is “SEO Friendly”

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Page load times URL structures Pagination Header Tags JavaScript CSS Title tags Meta descriptions Schema Canonical Etc.

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ACTION ITEM: Conduct a technical SEO audit to determine if your

site is “Search Engine Friendly”

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Example Technical SEO Checks

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Confirm content is visible to search engines 1. Search for the URL in Google

2. Click on “Cache” dropdown

1. Click “Text Only” link

2. Confirm all text and links are visible

Do for all page

templates

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Do for all page

templates

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ACTION ITEM: Review all templates in Google cache to confirm all

content and links you want seen by search engines are seen by search engines

@jessicabowman Is this the only way to view articles?

Not visible to search engines

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If you want to maximize SEO traffic, you need unlocked content

visible to search engines

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Confirm your site is fully indexed

1. Search “site:www.yourdomain.ca”

2. Look at the number of results listed 1. Compare with the number of results with the

number of pages on your site

@jessicabowman Remember this site?

Not visible to search engines

@jessicabowman Only 15 pages indexed

No SEO traffic for

article content

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ACTION ITEM: Confirm your site is fully indexed

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Option 1: First Click Free

Source: https://support.google.com/news/publisher/answer/40543

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Option 2: Subscription Designation

Source: https://support.google.com/news/publisher/answer/40543

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ACTION ITEM: If not all content is currently in search engines,

determine how you want content to be accessible to users:

• Always visible • First click free • Subscription designation

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Ensure pages load fast (Google wants: 3 seconds or less desktop, 1 second or less mobile)

1. Go to Webpagetest.org and type your domain 2. Select a browser (desktop/mobile in Canada) 3. Look at page load times

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Over 19 seconds to load (too slow)

Source: http://www.webpagetest.org/result/160602_3X_QY5/

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Over 12 seconds to load (too slow)

Source: http://www.webpagetest.org/result/160602_SJ_QWQ/

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Download the full study at: http://www.searchmetrics.com/knowledge-base/ranking-factors

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If you produce news-worthy content consider applying for Google Amp Ensure content is optimized before expecting this to drive traffic Get details at: https://www.ampproject.org/ https://www.ampproject.org/docs/get_started/about-amp.html

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North American Google Amp Users

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ACTION ITEMS: Confirm your page load times are at least 5 seconds or less for

desktop devices (Remember Google wants 3 seconds or less)

Confirm your page load times are at least 3 seconds or less for mobile devices (Remember Google wants 1 second or less)

Consider Google Amp if you need it, but don’t expect results

unless content is optimized

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Confirm pagination correctly marked up in the code

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Page What should be in the code

1 <link rel="canonical" href= “Page-1-URL-here" /> <link rel="next" href=”Page-1-URL-here" />

2

<link rel="canonical" href= “Page-2-URL-here" /> <link rel=”prev" href=”Page-1-URL-here" /> <link rel="next" href=”Page-3-URL-here" />

3 (last page)

<link rel="canonical" href= “Page-3-URL-here" /> <link rel=”prev" href=”Page-2-URL-here" />

Example Pagination Code

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This is only the beginning of ensuring your site is

“Search Engine Friendly”

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ACTION ITEM: Conduct a technical SEO audit to determine if

your site is “Search Engine Friendly”

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PILLAR 2: Content

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User intent match Link worthiness Share worthiness Usefulness “Wow” factor Amount of copy Synonym usage Uniqueness Keyword usage

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How much content is needed? See what Google likes

6/15

McKesson Corporation Confidential and Proprietary 39

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40

Search for: Harley-Davidson XG750R Flat Tracker

625 words

471 words, many photos

580 words

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580 Words

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Minimum 250-500 words, but often this isn’t enough See what Google likes

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Download the full study at: http://www.searchmetrics.com/knowledge-base/ranking-factors

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High Ranking Competitors #1

Ensure this isn’t you

Client Site

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ACTION ITEMS: Ensure your online content length is in line with ranking sites

Adjust editorial guidelines to ensure copy is at least 500 words per

page

Adjust writing process to include checking the search results to see what the length of the competition before determining the length of the article

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Keywords in Article Copy

Meaty, lengthy, robust content that offers more than the competition and

keeps the user on the page

Content so interesting it makes people want to share it

Keywords in Page Title Tag + Meta Description

Keywords in sub-headlines

Keywords in image ALT

Text

SEO Content Strategy Return on Investment

Greatest ROI

Least ROI

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The topic of the page must be obvious What people type in search engines must be in your page copy

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580 Words

XG750R FLAT TRACKER: 1 time on the page Flat Tracker: 2 times on the page XG750R: 13 times on the page

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471 Words

XG750R FLAT TRACKER: 3 times on the page Flat Tracker: 5 times on the page XG750R: 11 times on the page

More image than other ranking

pages

More keyword repetitions

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Search engines care most about content visible in the default view Watch carousels and tabbed content

@jessicabowman Too little content in the default view, this

will hinder SEO rankings

Unique paragraph for each rotation, but only one paragraph is

visible on the main page

Cent for rotations 2+ are slightly less valuable, but you should still

incorporate keywords

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201 Words

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ACTION ITEMS: Adjust writing process to identify keywords prior to writing

Adjust writing process to ensure there are 250-500 words on the page, which adjusts based on the content ranking on page on in search engines

Adjust writing process to review competing pages on page 1 in Google to determine content format, topics addressed, etc. to one-up the competing content

Adjust editorial guidelines to ensure keywords are repeated on the page at least 3-4 times

Adjust editorial guidelines to ensure keywords appear in headlines

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Page title tags become the link in your search results listing Think of it as an ad or email subject line, it’s all about getting the click in the search results

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Meta description tags become the link description your search results listing Think of it as an ad or email subject line, it’s all about getting the click in the search results

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Invest time in crafting page title tags and Meta descriptions Look at Google to see what you’re up against

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Page title tag: Breaking cover: The new Harley-Davidson XG750R flat tracker - Inside Motorcycles Magazine Meta description tag: Breaking cover: The new Harley-Davidson XG750R flat tracker -

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ACTION ITEMS: Ensure you are writing a unique page title tag and Meta

description for each page.

Ensure your writing process requires writers to visit Google search results to see what is performing well in Google before writing the page title tag and Meta description text.

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PILLAR 3: Internal Links (Links from one page on your site to another page on your site)

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Number of links Text in the links Text near the links Location in the architecture

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All links (within your site and on other sites) pass 3 types of value:

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RELEVANCY AUTHORITY TRUST

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Page about Horse Dental Care

Page called: Is Floating a

Horse’s Teeth Necessary?

It must be trust-worthy

Must be related to Horse Dental Care

It must be authoritative

This IS about A process called “floating”

The link text reads: Process called “floating:

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No link

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Be descriptive in internal links.

6/15

McKesson Corporation Confidential and Proprietary 69

Descriptive Not Descriptive

floating a horse’s teeth process called “floating”

Click Here Learn More Get Details

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ACTION ITEMS: Audit the site for internal links that should be added

Ensure your writers link out to other content on your site

Ensure your process gets links from already published

content that should contain a link to newly published content.

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Pillar 4: External Links (other sites linking to your site)

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Number of links Your authority on the topic Your trust Citations External Links to lower-level internal pages Number of external linking domains

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Nurture authorities in your market so they link to your content

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Consider SEO in social media so that the links you get from social media help SEO

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Use caution if you hire an agency to do your SEO link building Links need to look natural, search engines do not want you getting links. You need to earn them because your content is so great that people want to link to you on their own.

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Identify existing processes that get links and see how the links can be enhanced to help SEO

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ACTION ITEMS: Look at what you are already doing get links (sponsorships,

etc.) and identify ways to enhance the links

Consider an influencer nurturing campaign that will get influencers to write about and link to your content more often

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Pillar 4: Social Media (Your posts and external posts)

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Content in social shares Number of shares Who is sharing What is being said Which URL is shared How often shared

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ACTION ITEMS: Use keywords in social posts

In social posts, share pages that you want to rank high in

search engines

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Pillar 6: User Experience (Customer journey from search box to a page on your site)

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Number of times your site is clicked Number of times your site is re-clicked Time spent on the site Bounce rates Site speed

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What are those on page 1 including on their pages that you aren’t?

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Are you getting the CTR from search results?

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Pillar 7: SEO Team

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Level of technical SEO skills Tools used Continuing education SEO Budget SEO Team structure Number of people on the team Level of detail in SEO requirements Activity allocation Level of respect from non-SEO teams Ability to predict SEO issues Effectiveness of SEO training Effectiveness of SEO toolkits for non-SEO teams

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Pillar 8: Non-SEO Teams

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Who are the non-SEO teams? • Writers • Content Strategists • Editors • Public Relations • Corporate Sponsorships • Graphical Designers • User Interface Designers • Developers • Project Managers • QA Testers • And anyone else who impacts anything online

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Are they doing their 20% that makes 80% of the impact? Are they using job aids to help them implement their 20% of SEO? Are they properly trained to apply their 20% of SEO? Are accountabilities in place to ensure they’re doing their 20% of SEO

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Example: Writers Have they been trained on keyword selection? Have they been trained on copy optimization? Are they doing keyword selection? Are they doing copy optimization?

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Example: Designers Have they been trained on graphic optimization for the web? Are they optimizing graphics for the web?

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Example: Public Relations When they get placement, are they trying to get a link? Are they trying to get journalists to use keyword-rich messaging?

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Example: Developers Have they been trained on technical SEO? Are they ensuring the site is optimal for search engines?

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ACTION ITEMS: Identify every role that impacts anything online (your website or third party

websites), then determine: Have they been trained to apply their 20% of SEO that makes 80% of the impact? Do they have the job aids to remind/help them apply their 20% of SEO? Are they actually doing their 20% of SEO? Are there accountabilities in place to ensure they’re doing their 20% of SEO?

Train roles that need SEO training Create the job aids for each role Implement SEO accountabilities organization-wide

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Pillar 9: SEO Processes

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Is SEO incorporated into the processes/workflows that impact the website, such as:

Editorial calendar creation Content preparation process Writing Process Editing Process Posting Process Creating a new template Moving a Page Removing a Page

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Example: Removing a Page

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WEBPAGE

You take it down, you lose all the

value

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WEBPAGE WEBPAGE 301 redirect

Roughly 90% of all value is passed

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WEBPAGE WEBPAGE 302 redirect

Roughly 90% of all value is passed

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ACTION ITEMS: Review your process for how redirects are handled to ensure

they account for SEO needs of permanent, 301 redirect

Identify all SEO processes to determine if SEO needs have been integrated into the process

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Pillar 10: SEO Metrics

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Typical SEO Metrics, such as: SEO visits SEO conversions SEO # of pages viewed SEO bounce rates Priority keywords doing well Priority keywords that need work Search volume on page 1, 2, etc.

Measure the critical drivers, such as: What % of articles are not optimized What % of articles are not getting internal links

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ACTION ITEMS: Ensure you are monitoring key SEO metrics and adjusting

processes, content, links and strategies based on performance

Ensure you are monitoring Google Search Console data

Determine the critical drivers vital to SEO success for your strategy/roadmap, find ways to measure them, then report them to executives so they can manage teams accordingly

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SEO is Extremely Holistic

@jessicabowman Your Current Performance Scorecard

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@jessicabowman Your Current Performance Scorecard

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@jessicabowman Your Current Performance Scorecard

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@jessicabowman Your Current Performance Scorecard

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Add internal link check & updates to new article process

High Medium High High

Audit top 200 priority pages for links pointing to it from other pages

High

Train writers to select keywords and optimize copy

High

Create job aids for writers & editors

Medium Medium

Adjust writing process to review competing content to determine how one-up

High

Your SEO Strategy Scorecard

@jessicabowman

Add internal link check & updates to new article process

High Medium High High

Audit top 200 priority pages for links pointing to it from other pages

High

Train writers to select keywords and optimize copy

High

Create job aids for writers & editors

Medium Medium

Adjust writing process to review competing content to determine how one-up

High

Your SEO Strategy Scorecard

@jessicabowman Your SEO Strategy Scorecard

Add internal link check & updates to new article process

High Medium High High

Audit top 200 priority pages for links pointing to it from other pages

High

Train writers to select keywords and optimize copy

High

Create job aids for writers & editors

Medium Medium

Adjust writing process to review competing content to determine how one-up

High

Conduct a Technical SEO audit and allocate large budget to fix issues

High

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ALL PILLARS ARE REQUIRED It’s not à la carte.

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ACTION ITEM: Determine which pillars you are going to work on in your

roadmap, and what you’ll do for each

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☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐

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Background 14 years of dedicated SEO experience SEO training live and online Worked with some of the biggest brands online

Questions? Jessica Bowman SEOinhouse.com

jessica@seoinhouse.com