search engine optimisation · • seo ranking factors 2017: 1. content & keywords; 2....

Search Engine OptimisationNina Goodwin@GBGD_Info

Who are Cosmic?● Based in Honiton, East Devon;● An ethical IT business;● Specialises in website development, IT training courses, business

consultancy, tech support, digital marketing and search engine optimisation.

● Run a wide range of training sessions and workshops. ● Delivers workshops aimed at small and micro businesses.

Housekeeping

•Fire alarms and exits;

•Toilets;

•Mobiles;

Welcome & Introductions

Welcome to Get Business Get Digital● A programme of workshops, diagnostic and one-to-one clinic support

jointly commissioned by Sedgemoor District Council (SDC) Taunton Deane Council and West Somerset Council (WSC).

● The goal behind Get Business, Get Digital is to help small businesses to become successful.

● Range of business and digital topics throughout the programme which will be specific to what small local businesses would need. More information and a full list of workshops can be found under the event’s page of this website.

Get Business; Get Digital

What will we be covering?• How does Google work?• SEO ranking factors 2017:

1. Content & Keywords;2. Backlinks;3. Local SEO;4. Mobile first and responsive web design.

According to HubSpot, 80% of web traffic starts via search queries. To Google, the information users are searching for is a form of data. Through a series of tests, Google can improve its algorithm and more closely align search queries with the intent of the users.

Quantity - how many pages does Google index?

site:www.yourdomainname.co.uk

Check out a competitor too.

Quality?

● This article has 3,500 words;● It covers everything including breed

characteristics, history, personality, health, care, and even rescue groups.

● The page also includes multiple images, infographics, and embedded videos — it’s everything you could ever want to know about Golden Retrievers on one page.

’in-depth examination of one topic in

easy-to-understand language will always

beat out unreadable keyword-dense drivel’ -

SEO Journal 2017

Choosing your keyword phrases● Consider the page● Decide 2-3 phrases● Target multiple-word phrases● Ensure natural language● Semantic search

Buying Theory• More detailed search (Narrower)

• More likely to be at point of buying

• Research

• Refine

• Purchase.

How do you decide on your keywords?1. Brainstorm 10 – 15 phrases for each page - seed keywords

– Brainstorm –Analytics – any ideas?– Look at competitor’s sites– Look at your statistics– Revise/add using tools

2. Check competition3. Check popularity4. Select from list.

What words are people using??

Google Keyword planner tool

https://adwords.google.com/intl/en_uk/home/tools/keyword-planner/

Resist the temptation of big numbers

’but in recent years, we’ve seen a shift away

from keyword-focused content towards more

relevant content written in natural language’

- SEO Journal 2017

What to do next?

Audit your content…...

● Find and fix ‘thin’ content;● Separate out pages and add more pages of content that

PEOPLE WANT TO READ!● Explore fewer topics in greater detail on each page - split

topics onto individual pages.

Create a optimisation planDevelop a page a week and optimise a page a week

Reviews

How to guides

Detailed reviews

Top tips etc

Content is for life…..

Step one: Create high-quality content.

Step two: Promote.

create content people crave, and then to promote that content relentlessly.

PageRank - defines quality of inbound linksWe can’t see it anymore

Google still uses it

1 - 10

1=poor

10=amazing

Three important ranking signals:

1. number of backlinks

2. link authority3. link diversity

Quantity - How many links do you have? Backlink watch

Quality

High authority sites

Very relevant sites

Sites closest to your line of work

Local sites

Anchor text: Exact-match anchor text still has a strong influence on rankings, but you risk a Penguin penalty if your links appear unnatural or spammy. Make sure your backlink anchor text is diverse and organic

How to build backlinks1. Creating amazing content (white papers, infographics, guides, etc.) can attract links naturally2. You still need to obtain links manually. Start from the audience!

a. What type of content - ebook, guide, how to, lists, video, podcast ?b. Build a list of niche targets.

i. People in your industry who share similar pieces of contentii. Businesses you have relationships withiii. Advocate businessiv. Local networks

c. Then, start engaging with them by commenting on their blog, sign-up for their newsletter, DM them on Twitter.

d. Create the content and mention the peoplee. Next, email people you’ve mentioned and your list in your article and those on your listf. Don’t forget to amplify your content by using targeted social media advertising and

content syndication.

Backlink opportunitiesa. Interviews

b. Guest blogs

c. Resource pages (on other people’s websites

d. Submit articles

Eliminate spammy and low-quality links; disavow them if you can’t get them removed.

● Buzzstream

● Buzzsumo

● LeadPages

● Mailchimp

● SweetProcess

● Get Five Stars

● Check My Links

● Moz Fresh Web Explorer

● Ahrefs

● FollowUp.cc

● Boomerang

Social Media and SEO

1. Social sharing drives traffic to websites (incr Authority)

2. Social media profiles rank in search engines

3. Increase in backlinks;

4. Social media boosts brand awareness

5. Different search engines are partial to specific social media activity.

Other factors• Encryption: a strong correlation between HTTPS websites and first page

Google rankings, and SearchMetrics confirms that 45% of the top websites all use HTTPS encryption (up from 12% in 2015). Google confirmed back in 2014 that websites with a strong HTTPS encryption will rank better than their HTTP counterparts, and, as of 2017, websites that have not switched to HTTPS are now marked as unsafe in Google Chrome.

• Content influences a variety of other ranking factors, such as bounce rate and CTR. So for best results, make sure your content is both comprehensive and relevant to your audience.

Other factors

• Page speed is another important ranking factor that ties heavily into a good user experience. Desktop websites should load in 3 seconds or less, while mobile websites should load in 2 seconds or less

• H1 and H2 Headings:There are more landing pages with an H1 and H2 in the source code this year. SearchMetrics found a strong correlation between the use of at least one H2 and a higher rank.

• Anchor text: Exact-match anchor text still has a strong influence on rankings, but you risk a Penguin penalty if your links appear unnatural or spammy. Make sure your backlink anchor text is diverse and organic.

What is local?Claim your Google My Business page.

Then

● Add a long, unique description that’s formatted correctly and includes links.

● Choose the correct categories for your business.● Upload as many photos as possible.● Add a local phone number to your listing.● Add your business address that’s consistent with that on your

website and local directories.● Upload a high-resolution profile image and cover photo.● Add your opening times/days (if relevant).● Get real reviews from customers (I’ll come onto this.)

NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number)• Ensure that you have your full

NAP across your whole website (i.e. every page).

• Ensure you have the exact same details/format when you mention your address on other websites (i.e. local citations).

Local reviews• Local reviews have a direct impact on local search

rankings, so you’ll want to spend some time acquiring them.

• It’s worth mentioning that this doesn’t just mean Google reviews. You’ll also want to focus on getting reviews on your Yelp page (they’re used by Apple maps), along with other local directories. Your first priority should be Google reviews though.

Hint: Create a page on your website that gives instructions to your customers on exactly how they can review your business (i.e. yourwebsite.com/review-us/).

Local On-Page SEO Factors

● Try to add your City/Region, plus a relevant keyword, within your landing page title tag.

● Try to add your City/Region, plus a relevant keyword, within your landing page H1 tag.

● Try to add your City/Region, plus a relevant keyword, within your landing page URL.

● Try to add your City/Region, plus a relevant keyword, within your landing page content.

● Try to add your City/Region, plus a relevant keyword, within your landing page image ALT attributes.

● Embed a Google map with your business marker into your landing page.

Create local content

• Blog about regular volunteering with charities• Sponsor local events• Stay-up-to-date on community happenings• Talk about your locality!

Think mobile-first, not just mobile-friendly• One of the biggest changes we saw in 2016 was Google’s shift

towards mobile-first indexing. This means that Google’s index will now primarily crawl the mobile version of websites as opposed to the desktop version.

• Mobile optimization is an extremely important ranking factor. All of the top 100 most visible domains have mobile-friendly solutions, according to SearchMetrics.

Mobile tips• It’s all about page speed - 3

seconds or less• Mobile 2 seconds or less• Reduce images• Reduce content• Reduce scrolling images• Majority of sites tend to fall

down on usability.

Mobile factors to considerFlash usage — Most mobile browsers do not render Flash and, as such, you will want to use more modern technologies.

Small font size — This is a scaling issue and requires users to pinch the screen to zoom in.

Touch elements too close — This is a common usability issue where it is too hard to tap a given element without also hitting the neighboring element.

Form entry - How easy is it to fill out the form?

Interstitial usage — A full-screen pop-up often represents poor user experience on a mobile device and is something that Google is looking to crack down on in 2017

What have we covered?• How does Google work?• SEO ranking factors 2017:

1. Content & Keywords;2. Backlinks;3. Local SEO;4. Mobile first and responsive web design.

For slides and more informationhttp://www.getbusinessgetdigital.co.uk/member/

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