State of seo 2016 by Josh Bachynski

SEO GUIDE2016

Josh Bachynski, SEO, MA, PhD (2nd yr)

joshbachynski@gmail.com(most images courtesy Google images)

ME

SEO != DEAD

SEO

(BIG CHANGES IN 2016!)

THE DEETS...

Positive Ranking Factors

YE OLDE ONPAGE SEO

Onpage SEO For 2016: 1) Research Topics…What Do People Search Most?

Use Google Adwords Keyword plannerGo broad match for page topic (e.g. unusual xmas gifts)

Use exact match from that list only if naturalIn GAKP select for your area (search varies by area)Watch for mobile vs. desktop traffic (mo’ mobile

2016)Haven’t done kw research recently? Do it

again

Onpage SEO For 2016: 2) Make Your Pages1 Topic per Page, name page search query if

NaturalOtherwise put it in Title, H1 & Content... (EMD

for humans now)Write for humans – be precise, not repetitiveUse Title/Desc for CTR (only 49 chars or so)…

websiteadvantage.com.au/Google-SERP-EmulatorStay fresh: update regularly, have an

“updated on”, current copyright, and year in title tag if room

BIGGER IS (STILL) BETTER

More pages = more

rankings

Lose pages = lose rankings

(inc url)...

Max internal links to TOP

pages

ONLY if you can maintain user satisfaction!...

If they don’t convert, it’s notfast/sexy/easy ENOUGH!

SERP CTR MATTERS More Traffic now! Better Title/Desc =

Better Conversion / Panda defence

Better CTR = Better Rankings (Ohye, eg.)[as long as ~bounce]

GET MORE CLICKS:

Find your CTR:SC > Search Analytics > CTR(youtube.com/jbachyns)

Check how it looks:AdPreview or “google SERP emulator”

Differentiate Yourself:If they look like this:

Red Apples | Red Apple …

Stand out w/ this:Wow! Get TOP Red Apples!YOU can get the BEST Apples for LOW Prices. FREE Delivery. *** VISIT TODAY ***

Build value. CTA.Always use the

POWER words: you, free [best], now [today], new, because [reason]

RANKBRAIN

Hi, my name is

RANKBRAIN

Hi, my name is

Sup’

Rankbrain = Hummingbird + Artificial Intelligence

Hummingbird is the memory (reads pages and schema to make an entity database)

RankBrain is the Cognition (roughly “toddler-level”) Watches Searches, clicks, internal

search termination to “guess” what each entity is/means/what the user wants

Rankbrain = Hummingbird + Artificial Intelligence

E.g: User searches “neutragena” Search results have:

neutragenamotors.comneutragenaskincare.com

If more users click “motors”, and are “satisfied”, (as dictated by their user actions) then they change the entity database / rankings...

This is how it works for ALL search queries!

• Know (info), Do (action), Go (inc. brand)

• Global and Local• “3rd biggest factor”…?

(let’s break that down)

2016+ “Ranking Factor” Breakdown*

1. Onsite SemanticURL silo, Pagename, title, h1, text, internal links,

schema2. Offsite Semantic

Backlinks, nofollows, topical mentions, offsite schema (ratings), social action/shares/clicks, brand searches

3. User Actions (clicks, mouse, conversions)SERP Bounce, Internal Bounce, Returns, Conversions

*global rankings (local has geolocation), also ignoring personalization (history, social)

Optimizing for RankBrain: User Searches/Actions!!!

Make sure users are searching for your brand (inc. Brand + service. E.g.: joshsfruitemporium apples)

THESE ARE 2016 LINKS!!! Make sure you have over 60% CTR on brand searches

(if you don’t, check SERP to see why not) Make sure they find what they are looking for

(preferably on that page, above 500px, under 3 seconds, w 60%+ conversion... And...)

DON’T LET THEM BOUNCE BACK TO GOOGLE AND SELECT ANOTHER RESULT!!! (or bounce around your site either)...

Optimizing for RankBrain: User Searches/Clicks!!! (cont.)

How? Short, kitchy, memorable url name (kitchy.fun >

emd.$$$) Advertise, social, blog (on real places ppl see) Obvious, absolute best value for site of your

type Be so good they search/return, bookmark,

share you... Incentivize brand searches / clicks:

Good titles, value, tech, design, cool, “contests”

LOCAL

LOCAL FOR 2016: • “ENHANCED LISTING” IS YOUR FRIEND (G.B.P)• MAXIMIZE YOUR MAPS LISTING!• HAVE A QUALITY SITE – TASK COMPLETION• HAVE MULTIPLE GOOD REVIEWS (BBB, LOCAL

FORUMS, BLOGS, G+, YELP, FACEBOOK, ETC.)• BE MOBILE OPTIMIZED (WATCH USAGE)• HAVE A CLICKABLE BUSINESS NAME TO

START…• BE LOCATED IN GEOGRAPHIC REGION

GET SOCIAL BUZZ GOING!

• ACTIVITY ON YOUR ASSOCIATED PROFILES• Post shareworthy content (brainstorm viral media)• Engage, comment, talk (DON’T SELL / auto-post)

• CLICKS FROM SOCIAL (GOOGLE LEAK, SEO EXP.)

• SHARES OF YOUR PAGES (TW, G+, PIN, DIS, RED, ETC. ?FB)

• GET BUZZ FROM EXPERTS: (BUZZSUMO)• Get Experts talking about you (reach out)

EXACTLY WHAT SOCIAL FACTORS HELP?...

LINKS(LESS AND LESS VALUE)

Links They Trust:

- High authority site(real business: News, Charity)- Not where everyone else is- Main Content Link- Anchor w/ natural stop words “good site for fruit”, “great resource”, etc.- appropriate amount

don’t match SEO spam patterns!

Links They 98% Ignore:

- New blogs- Manual post sites- Multi-topic sites/page- PR, Directories, Articles- Followed sidebar or footer links (manual)- Comments, Social bookmarks, Forum Prof.* No more than 8% EMQ, PMQ, or commercial dofollow anchors (even if in URL – that doesn’t matter)

OK, HOW DO I GET THOSE TRUSTED

LINKS?

DON’T BOTHER.

DID HE JUST SAY THAT?

TRY TO RANK ON OTHER, SAFER SIGNALS FIRST.

The more popular, the more you will rank for your topic

Internal Links

Topical Mentions

Internal LinksFast/Mo/Pro Site

Social Shares

Brand Searches + Variations

Social Profile Proof

Good & Reviews

Page(what)

Title(what/why)H1(what/why)

Content (what/why/how)

(ctr, 60%+ convertschema)No Pogo

SOUNDS EASY... HUH?

SOUNDS EASY... HUH?

Sup’

DEMOTERS

PANDA

Panda Single BIGGEST Demoter Algo Moving Forward

Panda is like the Nazi’s TRUMP banging on your door and he checks every house monthly, unannounced

Based upon Usage Metrics & Onsite Factorsthemoralconcept.net/pandalist.html

Automatically updating in 2016! Many quality algos: daily dance (CTR / SERP Bounce),

quarterly adj. => monthly => weekly (internal + page crawl)

Do:

• Users Satisfied / converting over 60%

• Professional Finishing• Legit Business

signals• Outlink to authorities• Be shared, liked,

reviewed, rated

Don’t:

• Have a boring blog• Have superfluous kws• Have a bad reputation• Annoy users with Ads• Have Affiliate links• Have URL Pars in

navigation / canonical• Have a bad design/html

PENGUIN!

PENGUIN

Penguin: “webspam” or “over-optimization” algo

Works on onpage and offpage over-optimization Relation between EMQ -> EMQ(D) This includes title/alt, title tags, URL, content and anchors Page based (like “negative link juice”) PUNITIVE: Real-time(?) Disavow might not do anything!

How to remove? Remove onpage keyword repetition Delete (Disavow?) 80% + EMQ backlinks Or 404 or delete target page

Is there another way?

“PAID” LINKS

“PAID” LINKS

“Paid” links, affiliate links, advertorials Looked for by Google’s manual team (inc.

questionable / borderline spam links) Over 12,000 Google Manual Reviewers (2012) Algo bubbles up suspects, and “spam form”

Avoid: Sidebar, footer, directory list, blogroll, sitemap,

“compilation of sources”, style links (on or off) At best devalued, at worst triggers manual

action

MANUAL ACTIONS

Manual Actions or “Penalties” Manual Actions come from the Manual Web Spam Team 6 or more types of manual actions Listed in Search Console under “Search Traffic” Must have SC installed to see them (SC = WMT)

(2) Most Important are “Unnatural Link Notices” Action vs SITE vs. Action vs LINKS Vs SITE, must delete links, show good faith, disavow

rest, and submit for reconsideration (can get out but…)

Vs LINKS you must… DO NOTHING (warning to change)

DUPLICATION

Duplicate Content Penalty? No such thing as a duplicate content penalty… but… (2) Problems with Dup Content:1. It forces Google to choose which page to

rank.• They always choose the legacy trust + authority

2. John Mueller has admitted they “trust sites” with duplicate content “LESS”• Any canonical (technical) issues are quality issues

Duplicate Content Tips: Use PubSubHubUb or XIndexer or SC to spider content Use right-click copy paste and view source blockers Use copyscape to find copiers (use batch search) File DMCA requests with google Maintain an accurate sitemap in Search Console Or finally, just rewrite the content – especially if it

poorly performs, add in video and images, “Did you know” factoid blocks, etc.

NEGATIVE SEO

Negative SEO is (still) HEEEEEEEEEEEERE....Link Based Neg SEO:• Spam like it was 2008 e.g. “kw1 kw1 kw1 kw1”• Penguin 3 picked it up – Cutts admitted Penguin would

Other Neg SEO:• Report them to JM/spam form, DOS for 50x error, make

1000s fake URLs (? Or #) on their site w/ “kw1” links, bad reviews, attack their backlinks, scrape their articles, spam their comments/posts, fake “good” users… and more!

Protect Yourself

Make a great site – be the “thing” people are looking for – satisfy them

Older spam domains more susceptible: Sub-brand

Have the signals they don’t know about / can’t get

Be “the” site (or fake it well)

Internal Links

Topical Refs

Internal LinksAwesome Site

Social Share

Brand Searches

Social Profile Proof

Ratings/Reviews

No Pogo

Page(what)Title(why)

H1-4

Content (how)(ctr, 60%+ convert

schema)

JOSHBACHYNSKI@GMAIL.COM

QUESTIONS?

AUDITS, CCS, HELP?