Taming Algorithm Chaos - PubCon Las Vegas - Jake Bohall

Taming Algorithm ChaosPubCon Vegas 2014

virante.com [email protected] 919-459-2834 @jakebohall

Taming Algo Chaos• Who Am I?• Chaos Theory• Algo Updates• Immediate Needs• Taming the Algo• Content• Links• Final Word

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Taming Algo ChaosWho Am I?

• Who Am I?• Chaos Theory• Algo Updates• Immediate Needs• Taming the Algo• Content• Links• Final Word

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Vice President of Marketing at Virante, Inc. - a leading search marketing agency known for white-glove link development services, industry R&D, and their suite of innovative SEO tools, such as Remove’em, nTopic, PandaRisk, and more.

Love discussing the latest trends and techniques in SEO, and teaching in search marketing training programs for corporate clients and major conferences.

#dadfirst #seomakesmehappy #guitarlover #nerd #lovespaisleys

Taming Algo ChaosGood Will Hunting


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Taming Algo ChaosGoogle Job Interview


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“So why do you think I should work for Google?”

“Well, you would be working on the cutting edge. You would be exposed to the kind of technology you wouldn’t see anywhere else, cause we hid it in complicated patents and only apply the information when we feel like it. Superstring theory, chaos math, advanced algorithms.”

“Ranking websites based on what I think is best?”

“Well that’s one aspect”

“C’mon that is what you guys do. You guys handle 25% of internet traffic in North America. You are bigger than Facebook, Netflix, and Twitter combined.

“We don’t like to brag about that Jake, but you are exactly right. So the way I see it, the question isn’t why you should work for Google, the question is… Why shouldn’t you?”

“Why shouldn’t I work for Google? That’s a tough one, but I’ll take a shot at it.”

Taming Algo ChaosWhy shouldn’t I work for Google?


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Let’s say I’m working at Google and someone puts an algorithm issue on my desk, something no one else can figure out, maybe I take a shot at it, and maybe I figure out a way to improve it. I’m real happy with myself because I did my job well.

… But maybe that algorithm update identifies anchor text over optimization as a primary indicator of spammy techniques. Now Google sends out manual penalties to 1,000’s of small business websites that I never met or had any problem with, suddenly these entrepreneurs… the same guys we are trying to leverage to help build our economy, have their livelihood destroyed.

The legal team and Matt Cutts don’t care, because they say “they had it coming” and ad revenue is up. Meanwhile, some of these families can’t pay for their house, it gets foreclosed, wrecks their credit for any near-future small business loan and they have to move to a slummy neighborhood where they get a divorce because one of them thought it was a good idea to buy links and they still argue about how they didn’t do anything different than RapGenius or Interflora other than be slightly less knowledgeable about what they were attempting to do.

Taming Algo ChaosChaos Theory


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cha·os nouncomplete disorder and confusion.

cha·os the·o·ry nounthe branch of mathematics that deals with

complex systems whose behavior is highly sensitive to slight changes in conditions, so that small alterations can give rise to strikingly great consequences.

Taming Algo ChaosChaos Theory


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Sensitivity to initial conditionsSite structureSearch queriesIncoming links

Topological MixingContentSocial SignalsInbound Links

Taming Algo ChaosAlgorithm Updates


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05

101520253035

1 0 1

72

8

1 2 2 48

19

35

17

10

Major Algorithm Updates

Data Source: http://www.seomoz.org/google-algorithm-change

Taming Algo ChaosAlgo Updates


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@jakebohall Image Credit: www.2varanasi.com

Taming Algo ChaosAlgo Updates


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Taming Algo ChaosNegative SEO

• Who Am I?• Chaos Theory• Algo Updates• More Chaos• Taming the Algo• Content• Links• Final Word

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@jakebohall Image Credit: www.omarkattan.com

Taming Algo ChaosInconsistency with Guidelines

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Avoid tricks intended to improve search engine rankings. A good rule of thumb is whether you'd feel comfortable explaining what you've done to a website that competes with you, or to a Google employee.

Any links intended to manipulate PageRank or a site's ranking in Google search results may be considered part of a link scheme and a violation of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines.


Taming Algo ChaosHypocrisy

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Taming Algo ChaosConfusion

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Image Credit: somewhere on blogspot… they probably stole it

Taming Algo ChaosBe Smarter … EVOLVE !!

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Image Credit: www.steve-dale.net/

Taming Algo ChaosPurpose of the Algorithm

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The common principal:

Better Content && Better Links Relevance Authority

Taming Algo ChaosPurpose of the Algorithm

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Image Credit: www.mybloggerlab.com

Taming Algo ChaosStop Spamming

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Quality CONTENT matters!

UNIQUE - Implement rich snippets, microdata and UGC

RELEVANT- Topical relevancy

AUTHORITY – Share and Create content in social

Taming Algo ChaosUnique Content

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• Who Am I?• Chaos Theory• Algo Updates• More Chaos• Taming the Algo• Content• Unique• Relevant• Authority

• Links• Final Word

Rich snippets, microdata, Schema.org Article Markup

Better user experience, increased click through rates

Image Credit: www.highervisibility.com

Taming Algo ChaosUser Generated Content

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Your content should prove your users are engaged!

Make your audience sneezers, marketing your product/content for you….

Hello social media!

Taming Algo ChaosRelevant Content

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New Trends: Topical Relevancy

Ben Hendrickson (seoMoz) told us about LDA…

Were you listening?

To Do:Use LDA Scoring and keyword concept themes to create content that is more semantically relevant to the keywords you are trying to rank.

Consider…nTopic.org

Taming Algo ChaosLatent Dirichlet Allocation

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SEOSEMNetworkingAnalyticsAffiliates

DrinkingGamblingConvention CenterMoney Late Nights

PubCon Vegas VegasMarketing

Taming Algo ChaosAuthority Content

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Do #RCS “Real Company Shit”

-- Wil Reynolds

Have authorities write your content

Taming Algo ChaosStop Spamming

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Quality LINKS matter!

BRAND - Engagement with company, citations

PEOPLE - Social Media, inspire conversation

DIVERSITY - Diversity in anchor text, strategies, etc

Taming Algo ChaosBrand Matters

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• Who Am I?• Chaos Theory• Algo Updates• More Chaos• Taming the Algo• Content• Links• Brand• People• Diversity

• Final Word

Taming Algo ChaosLet People Promote your Brand!

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• Final Word

Digital Outreach / PR / Social Media

They all converge to PROMOTE YOUR BRAND!!!

Let Google know you care more about your business than you do about

… Cheap Discount Widgets.

Taming Algo ChaosDiversify Your Efforts

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• Final Word

Low volume of linking from different types of sources

Proactive at pruning bad/spammy links

Anchor text diversity and commitment to brand is critical to avoid Penguin.

To Do:http://www.removeem.com/ratios.php

Taming Algo ChaosStrategies that Help each Other!

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Cheating at new content with BLB Want to become the authority… find out who is/was and how they captured attention in the past!

Broken Link Building is prospecting for content ideas …that already have links!

Create awesome link bait content (don’t copy!!)

Taming Algo ChaosStrategies that Help each Other!

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“The success of the campaign is directly proportional to how much good you do for the web.

You profit only if you create good content to replace lost or abandoned content that webmasters still want to link to.”

To Do:http://www. moz.com/blog/broken-link-building-bible-new-testament

Taming Algo ChaosTakeaways

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… Stop doing spammy stuff… Quality matters!

Content- Implement rich snippets and UGC - Check out LDA tools, focus on topical relevancy - Find new content opportunities based upon success

Links - Focus on your brand authority - Remove bad backlinks and/or dilute with good ones - Anchor text and link source diversity

Taming Algo ChaosIf you can’t evolve!

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www.virante.orgwww.thegooglecache.com

www.ntopic.orgwww.pandarisk.comwww.removeem.com

www.outreachapp.comwww.penguinanalysis.com

http://www.seomoz.org/marketplace/companies/view/10

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http://www.bbb.org/raleigh-durham/business-reviews/internet-marketers/virante-in-morrisville-nc-90069757