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SEO BASICSIntro to Search Engine Optimisation
1
CONGRATULATIONS!
It’s a Website…
What is the purpose of your website?
• Imparting Information
• A Blog Comment
• Getting a ‘Like’ or new ‘Friend’?
• After Leads/Enquiries?
• After Bookings?
• After Sales?
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HOW will you get traffic to
YOUR WEBSITE?
• Business Card with Web Address
• Printed Material with Web Address
• Newspaper, Magazine, Radio or TV Ad with Web Address
• Yellow Pages Ad with Web Address
• Car or Business Signage with Web Address
• Business Networking
• Social Media
• Web Directory (eg… Wotif, Accomline, Tourism Site etc…)
• Internet Search Engines (like: Google, Yahoo! & Bing)
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Current searches
0 50 100 150 200 250 300
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Monthly Australian Searches
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62 million
88 million
250 million
118 million
180 million
Current searches
0.00% 20.00% 40.00% 60.00% 80.00% 100.00%
Others
Yahoo
Bing
Search Engine Usage (AU – Sept 2013)
5
1.21%
5.17%
92.91%
0.71%
HOW DO I GET ON THE FIRST
PAGE?
• PAID: Pay Per Click (eg… Google AdWords)
• ORGANIC: Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
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PAY PER CLICK (PPC)
• Usually but not limited to paying an amount per click received.
• Price is determined by the competition for that word.
• Can be great for getting a new website onto the front page, before
it is ‘crawled’ by a search engine.
• Regardless it can be expensive.
• Click Cost for ‘Kiama Accommodation’
$5 bid per click
$20 daily budget
Avg position about 2.78
Approx clicks = 6.44 per day
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WHAT’s THE DIFFERENCE?
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What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is:
The process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a
web site from search engines via ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ search
results for targeted keywords.
9Source: Wikipedia
WHY IMPORTANT?
Generally, the earlier a site is presented in ‘organic’
search results or the higher it ranks, the more visits that
site will receive.
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HOW IMPORTANT IS
RANKING WELL?
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WHY ORGANIC?
Click Thru Rates on First Page Search Results:
12Source: Search Engine Watch
PAID
ORGANIC
25%
75%
FIRST THINGS FIRST
Before you do ANYTHING you need to work out what
keywords or key-phrases you will be targeting.
• How realistic & relevant is the query?
• What physical area (if any) will you be targeting?
• Will target customers search it?
• Is there enough volume for that query?
• Is it already too competitive?
• Who is the competition: big brands, booking sites?
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WHY DO I NEED TO DO SEO?
Search engines are smart, but they still need help.
The major engines are always working towards
improving their technology to crawl the web more
deeply and return better results to users.
However, there is a limit to how search engines can
operate. Whereas the right SEO can net you thousands
of visitors and attention, the wrong moves can hide or
bury your site deep in the search results where visibility
is minimal.
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TRAFFIC ESTIMATOR
Google Search: “Google Keyword Planner”
https://adwords.google.com/ko/KeywordPlanner/Home
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TRAFFIC ESTIMATOR
Google Average Searches per Month:
• Kiama Accommodation 5,400
• Accommodation Kiama 1,300
• Accommodation in Kiama 480
• Kiama Motels 320
• Accommodation Kiama NSW 140
• Motels Kiama 90
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First Things First
A draftsman in Kiama wants to optimise his site:
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Kiama House Plans
Sydney House Plans
House Plans
BUT TAKE NOTE:
Please understand that Search Engine Optimisation is:
• NOT an overnight fix.
• Usually it takes between 1 and 3 months to see a
return.
• Can have long tail benefits, but ranks can also drop
overnight.
• Is an ongoing process (eg Competition, Staleness,
Changes in Algorithms).
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HOW TO RANK ORGANICALLY
Two main factors affect organic rankings:
1) On-page Optimisation
2) Off-page Optimisation
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On-Page Optimisation
Simply put, these are elements of YOUR web page
which when evaluated together calculate a ranking for a
particular search term or phrase.
You or your web designer should be able to make
changes to these website elements to (hopefully) boost
web ranking results.
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WEB PAGE ELEMENTS
Some elements are seen by humans, others only seen by
search engine ‘crawlers’ or ‘robots’ all combine to
produce a rating for your website for a particular search
term.
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SIDENOTE: CHECKING YOUR
SOURCE CODE
In the Toolbar Locate “View Source”
Right Click on the Webpage’s Background -> “View
Source”
In Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome = [CTRL] + U
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MAIN ELEMENTS
• Title
• Description
• Heading <H> Tags
• Image ALT Tags
• Descriptive Page URLs
• Content
• Freshness
Our test example will focus on “Newcastle Accommodation”
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TITLE TAG IN A BROWSER
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TITLE TAG IN A SEARCH
ENGINE
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META DESCRIPTION
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Code:
Search Engine Result:
Usage of META description tag
• If you don’t have one a search engine will use the first
text it can find…
• Needs to be a balance between utilising key search
terms with making it compelling to click on…
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<H> Heading Tags
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<H> Heading tags usage
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• Should not just say “Welcome to Our Website”
• One <H1> tag per page
• One (Two Max) <H2> tags per page
• Any number of <H3> per page (less important)
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IMAGE <ALT> TAGS
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Code:
Descriptive DoMAIN NAMES
Can a descriptive (or targeted) domain name give me a
boost in search engine results?
A: No, no longer.
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Descriptive page urls
Once on your website ALL page titles should be descriptive –
and where possible infuse your keywords…
Poor (Useless):
• http://toddsplumbing.com.au/subpage.php?=145
Better:
• http://toddsplumbing.com.au/hot-water-systems.php
Best:
• http://toddsplumbing.com.au/plumbing-services/hot-water-systems.php
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USE_UNDERSCORE OR USE-
HYPHEN? Short answer - Use a hyphen.
An underscore is considered a word joiner, so having the url:
red_sneakers is read as redsneakers to Google – not so effective…
A hyphen is a word seperator.
Best:
• http://toddsplumbing.com.au/plumbing-services/hot-water-systems.php
Don’t go home and break your site trying to convert 3, 5, 50 pages across,
but Google has confirmed there is a minor search benefit.
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Content is KING
Content refers primarily to the text you use.
It also generally refers to images and other multimedia
that might be used).
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Google’s goal is to match each search query
with the best, unique content.
IS IT A
COMPETITIVE TERM?
If there is a lot of competition for a keyword, then
Google may place more emphasis on the freshness of
your page.
A blog can help with this.
(See examples)
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CONTENT TIPS
Bring more to the front page.
Aim for around 200-300 words on the main page.
Make it readable, don’t just throw in huge blocks of text.
Make it interesting to read.
Infuse your keywords and phrases.
A blog with the last two entries also appearing on the main
page (with links to more) is an excellent way of feeding
fresh, varied and relevant content to search engines.
Alternatives are a ‘What’s On’ Calendar, Latest Events,
Latest Specials, Latest News…
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BLACK HAT SEO
Refers to websites that ‘SPAM’ their site with chosen
Keywords. These are progressively found by Search
Engines and either demoted or banned entirely.
Example is a website’s footer that has something like:
Kiama Accommodation, Accommodation Kiama,
Acomodation Kiama, Accomodation Kiama, Kiama Motel,
Kiama B&B, Kiama Apartments, Stay in Kiama,
Accommodation in Kiama, etc..
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ARE MANY MORE FACTORS TO
GOOD SEO…
• Page Load Speed
• W3C Code Validation
• Google Tools Setup
• Robots.txt Creation
• RSS Feeds
• Bolding Text
• Bulletpoint Lists
• Internal Links
• Duplicate Content
• Keyword Density
• Checking for Broken Links
• Age of Domain Name…
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CASE STUDY
Google: “Newcastle Accommodation”
• Monthly Searches: 4,400
• Competition: High
• Check:
1st (1) Wotif
16th (2) Noah’s On The Beach (11th)
38th (4) Apollo Hotel
---- Cardiff Motor Inn (97th)
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GOING OVERBOARD.
Latest Google algorithm focused on good content and on
finding and penalising keyword spammers and those who
have ‘over-optimised’ their websites.
Since 2012 the focus is on FRESH, ENGAGING CONTENT.
Algorithm updates in the last month are further focusing
on interpreting what the user is searching for and
providing relevant content that answers their query or
string of queries.
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GOING OVERBOARD.
Sometimes changes you make will send you backward
down the rankings…
It happens.
Keep a record of changes you make to the website –
especially if structurally based so that you can go back
and try a different tack (or lesser number of changes).
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OFF-PAGE ELEMENTS
A little trickier to manage, as these refer to items
OUTSIDE of your web page over which you may have
little to no control.
However you can positively influence these factors.
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OFF-PAGE ELEMENTS
They include:
• Backlinks to your website (from other Websites)
• Links from Social Media (ie Twitter, Facebook, YouTube…)
These provide search engines with an ‘impression’ of how popular or important you are.
BUT Don’t go and buy links to your site…
Tricks:
• Guest Blogging, Expert Comments on Forums
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IMPORTANT SEARCH ENGINES:
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VARIABLES AFFECTING
RESULTS
Can include things like:
• User’s Browsing History
• User’s Location
• Variations to Terms
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YOU’RE #1, Congrats…
It’s great to be first or in first place for your chosen
keyword(s), but what’s the user experience like once
they get to your site?
• You typically have 4 seconds to engage a user.
• Is it appropriate to the expectations of YOUR target
market?
• On average a website receives about 1.8 pages visited a
visit. That’s only just a second page on your site.
• Are Your Contact Details Clear (Suggest in Header)?
• Does your site have effective Calls To Action?
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DO IT NOW!
If you haven’t already:
Setup Google Analytics for your Website.
http://www.google.com.au/analytics/
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DO IT NOW!
If you have setup Analytics:
Access Them & Learn HOW to Read the Reports.
Look at the Keywords People Use to Find You.
Setup Goal Tracking to Record when Key Events Happen.
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Questions to ask:
• What will you do to optimise my website for search engines?
• How soon do you think I will appear on search engines?
• How might you speed it up?
• Have they asked for your targeted keywords?
• Personal Comment: Be wary of anyone who can promise you’ll be Number 1 for sure…
• Personal Comment: Be wary of monthly ‘open-ended’ plans for SEO.
• Do, Do DO! Check references, what websites are they currently doing work on? Where are they ranking?
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MAIN THOUGHT TO
TAKE-AWAY…
The recent Search Engine algorithm changes by Google
have put more power in your hands:
1. Create Compelling, Targeted Content
2. Keep it Fresh
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THANK YOU.Introduction to
Search Engine Optimisation
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