SEO Will Become “Search Experience Optimization”

How Successful Online Enterprises are Navigating the Rough Seas of SEO Using a “User-First” Approach

If that’s true, SEO is the least absurd industry

Google’s Rate of Change Accelerating

This graph stops at the end of 2013

What is new since 2013?

Hummingbird and Artificial Intelligence

What is Hummingbird?

Successive Search with Context

Successive Search with Context

Uses Conversational Queries

Now… Imagine Manually Engineering this for 100+ Countries…

…and thousands of regional dialects.

東京式 / とうきょうしき

vs.

京阪式 / けいはんしき

Google’s Dilemma1. We cannot write algorithms for each task we want to

accomplish separately

From Jeff Dean’s keynote, “Large Scale Deep Learning”http://static.googleusercontent.com/media/research.google.com/en//people/jeff/CIKM-keynote-Nov2014.pdf

A successful business cannot perpetually increase its headcount.

Google’s Dilemma2. We need to write general algorithms that learn from

observations

From Jeff Dean’s keynote, “Large Scale Deep Learning”http://static.googleusercontent.com/media/research.google.com/en//people/jeff/CIKM-keynote-Nov2014.pdf

Google’s Solution?

RankBrain

Uses AI to make sense of words

and phrases

It’s part of the algorithm, not a ranking factor

Bases assumptions on

context and similar words and phrases

Tested against human

engineers

80% success rate compared to 70% human success rate

As a result, it is the 3rd most important

ranking factor

TensorFlow

TensorFlow is open-sourced AI

This allows Google to gain

engineering help without having

to hire new developers

Combining Human Ingenuity and Machine Learning

Google and Machine Learning “Machine learning … is a core transformative way by which we are rethinking everything we are doing. … We’re thoughtfully applying it across all of our products…”

Sundar PichaiCEO

Google Inc.

22

14

15

16

AI

Deep Learning – Google PhotosI never labeled these photos

with the keyword “guitar”

Google is using visual pattern recognition to detect picture elements that

look like guitars.“guitar”

Where else do we see it?

16.3%Queries Show Fewer than 100 Results

Google is Reducing the Size of SERPs

10.2%Of Queries in Our Study Had

Fewer than 10 Results on Page 1!

Google’s Big Squeeze

Users Receiving This Message Sooner

Goodbye, Similar Content

Panda is now fully integrated into Google’s Algorithm

Google’s Big Squeeze

Google is Rewriting Titles

23%Titles for Top 5 Ranking URLs

Rewritten

Google is Rewriting Titles

What you want

What you get

1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 71-80 81-90 91-100 >1000%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Rewritten Not Rewritten

Too Long or Too Short = Rewrite

Local Results Aren’t Just for Local Queries

6.1%of ALL Keywords

Contain Local Listings

No Local Intent in my search

Lost Real Estate

“Hey! Searchers. Please scroll down. There are organic results down here.”

Google is Showing Instant Answers for Non-question Queries

3.6% of Keywords

Contain Instant Answers

Knowledge Graph Instant Answers

Wait! Did I ask a question?

Position 5 isn’t as good as it used to

be.

Google’s Vision

One algorithm

for Everyone

One algorithm

per type of search

One algorithm

per person!

This leads us to the question…

https://flic.kr/p/emQ7ku

What Do I Do With This Information?

For more on Search Experience Optimization: http://bit.ly/1JKxigC

Change Your Perspective,Change Your World

1. Lay a Solid Technical Foundation

Is Your Online Ecosystem…

Responsive? Crawlable? Indexable?

Fast? Properly marked up (Schema)? Regionalized?

Notice that I didn’t limit this to “website.”

Search Experience Beyond Desktop

Search Experience Beyond Desktop

Search Experience Beyond Desktop

2. Build Relevance with Great Content

Is Your Content…

Unique? Entertaining? Informative?

Inspiring? Contextual?10X Better Than

Your Competition’s Content?

More importantly…

Does your content fulfill the promise?

Think of SERPs as Google’s Promises

Google’s SERP Promises Include:I promise you will find the product you are seeking.I promise you will receive the answer you need.I promise you will be entertained by these results.I promise you will find the place to which you want to

go.I promise you will book a vacation to remember.Etc.

You Don’t Have to be Brilliant

Just be 10X Better than Your Competition

Sometimes, This is Easy

3. Earn Authority by Building a Great Brand and Great Relationships

Do You Have the Right Focus?

Do You Build Relationships

instead of Links?

Do You Interact in Social Media or Just

Post?

Do You Have a Consistent Brand?

Do you do anything link-worthy?

Are you present in the appropriate social channels?

Does your SEO team work with your PR team?

First Things First

Build a Product or Service People Willingly Promote

Man Bullies Robot

Make Your Content Easily Shareable.

Let’s See what Amazon Does…

Lots of shareable

pictures and videos

Many ways to share

User-generated content encouraged

Social Presence and Interaction

Use the appropriate channels to build relationships in your industry

Your Presenter

20 years of Online Experience• AMD• HomeAway.com• Builders Digital Experience• SpareFoot.com

Dell (4 years)• SEO Technology Lead, DCS (formerly eDell)• Technical SEO Instructor

Currently• Chief SEO Evangelist, seoClarity

www.linkedin.com/in/keithlgoode

@keithgoode

Keith L. Goode, Chief SEO Evangelist