Affiliate Summit West 2010

Fixing Failing SEO efforts

Wil Reynolds (@wilreynolds)SEER Interactive

Be a Tiger – Be Focused

Be a Tiger

Regardless of transgressions, Tiger Woods is someone who always wants to be on top.

Be a Tiger

Seriously, even when at the top of his game, he re-invented his swing. Its hard to change when you are #1.

Always room for improvement• IDENTIFY Low Competition Opportunities• KILLING the Long Tail• ANALYZING Universal search impact• Analysis of relationship ranking/traffic

You all need an SEO…..

Company?

SEO

Get off the SEO CRACK

No Crack?Good

Lets get to work

How competitive is the space?• How do you determine “competitiveness”?

• Homepages vs sub pages ranking on page 1?• # of links pointing in?• # of deep links?• Adwords competitiveness?• CPCs?

How competitive is the space?#1 – 1,200#2 – 1,250,000#3 – 355,000#4 – 4,000#5 – 13,000#6 – 3,200#7 – 300,000#8 – 1,240,000#9 – 186#10 – 4,400

* Yahoo Site Explorer

SearchesBroad = 335,000Phrase = 275,000

Advertiser Competition = Highest possible

* Google Adwords Sandbox

Raw # of links - wrong• # of links vs # of unique linking domains – start

• How do you find this?• Linkscape (paid)• Majestic SEO (paid)• Yahoo Site Explorer

• Authority of linking sites?• Sometimes these get buried?• Links from NYT – Redbook – GQ – Shape – O Magazine

can be useless

Raw # of links - wrong• Authority of linking sites?

• Sometimes these get buried?• Links from NYT – Redbook – GQ – Shape – O Magazine

can be useless• Develop strategies to maximize the impact

• Deep links to these pages• Social site submissions / promotion

How Linkscape helped me• VERY competitive space • Client is consistently around 18 – 25 (started in 100’s)• Was on page 1 (3M searches / mo – highly commercial)• Had links from authority sites / magazines• Well respected CEO• Great tech team implementing our recommendations

We’re not moving up anymore!!

Who to Analyze?• Sites that were clearly inferior but OUTRANKING

us• Not a major brand / household name• Did not have keywords in the domain• Less domain age

Who to Analyze?

Picking the wrong sites will render your research useless

Who to Analyze?• You learn about linking strategies much

more from a site that is NOT a major brand

• You can’t always replicate the ways big brands get links

• Or their massive ad budgets

How I used LinkscapeI was able to bring in the following data about back links:

• Anchor text• Image or text link• # of links• No-followed?• IP Block• Domain Trust/Authority• PageRank (MozTrust)

MUST bring this into Excel!!!

Linkscape Analysis – Common TrendsDo competitors beat you on?

Mozrank Passed?No followed links?Authority?Age?Raw # of links?

Greatest Findings• Authority links were not passing juice• Deep into archives (10-12 clicks away)• Never used target anchor text• Competitors were getting hundreds of

anchor text links, from lower authority sites (blogrolls)

Biggest Findings

1 authority link from NYT (buried) ≠ 15 anchor text links in blogrolls / homepage sponsors

New link strategy was required

New Link Strategy

Not about one offs (guest blog posts)Not about authority

Unless we can dictate anchor textUnless we can get placement in plain

HTMLIS about heavy anchor textIS about networks

Your Takeaways

DEEP analysis of your competitors (who are ranking above you) is one of the first steps in SEO today.

Your Takeaways – Anchor Text# of links is no longer sufficient

Authority links are not always better than ads / sponsorships where you can’t dictate anchor text.

Watch anchor text rich links in blog posts (they get archived).

Homepage anchor text links to something 4 clicks away = ranking fluctuations

Affiliate Threat Level is Severe

Biggest Threat to affiliates – Shopping Results

Biggest Threat to Affiliates – Universal Search

Don’t WHINE about GOOGLE

Fight Back

Fight Back•Buying Guides•Review / Best / Top Content•Niche, Niche, Niche

Fight Back – Buying Guides

Fight BackListing buying guides in shopping results is new

Google is in a constant state of flux

It is a hint that Google may like “guide” content

Fight Back – Buying Guides

Fight Back – Niche Content

Fight Back – Niche Content

Fight Back – Niche Content

Minimal UNIVERSAL RESULTS

Go where the big brands aren’t

Hit the long tail, HARD

Athletic Shoes Site – Google Adwords Sandbox

Hit the long tail, HARD

Athletic Shoes Site – Google Suggest (generate content ideas)

Hit the long tail, HARD

Athletic Shoes Site – Yahoo Search Assist

Hit the long tail, HARDAthletic Shoes Site – Google Insights

Hit the long tail, HARD

Athletic Shoes Site – Google Insights

Hit the long tail, HARD

Athletic Shoes Site – Google Insights Rising Searches

Google Insights – Rising Searches

2004 - Present Last 12 months

Know the optionsInsights is a powerful tool, but without setting the right options, you’ll be making decisions on wrong data

Impact of Threat

Running in a panic is never a good thing

Panic = you become someone’s floor cover

Ask these guys

Panicking Zebra’s become food or floors

Ask these guys

Impact of Threat – Get Smart, Get Strategic

What you’ll needRanking Checker

Capture the SERPSAnalytics w/ AlertsWebmaster Tools

Determining the Impact

My ranking checker of choice is Raven Tools•API•Captures SERPs•Tons of other features

Impact of Threat – Rank Checking

Universal search can impact CTRs for your top traffic driving queries

Rank CheckerOpen your historical ranking trackerDon’t look for a BIG ranking dropLook for inclusion of universal search

Impact of Threat – Google Analytics

Analytics AlertsAt least 2 weeks Traffic and/or conversions declines significantlyGoogle Intelligence Report (Beta)

Automatic Notification!!!!!

Impact of Threat – Google Analytics – How-To

Impact of Threat – Google Analytics – How-To

Google Webmaster Tools

Webmaster Tools – Identify Impact of Universal

View Click through Percentage By Month

If your position is similar yet your click through % decreases / increases that is an indication to look deeper into universal search factors impacting your CTR.

Note: I have seen Google be way off in the ranking report, but it appears to be getting better.

Never rest, Google isn’t!

Why Can’t We Be Friends?

http://www.twitter.com/wilreynolds

http://www.youtube.com/wilreynolds

http://www.delicious.com/wilreynolds

http://www.seerinteractive.com/blog