Optimising And Monitoring Online EcosystemsIn The Age Of Semantic Search

Jon Earnshaw I Intelligent Positioning www.intelligentpositioning.com

24 April 2014

@jonearnshaw | @ip_seo

Online Ecosystems

Online Ecosystems

Search has evolved and continues to evolve faster than ever before.

image: Google

Online Ecosystems

Semantic Search

The Old Game Is Coming To An End

Another Example

More Routes To Content

Searchers now have more ways to find more and more of our content.

Businesses continue to come up with novel ways to expose content to searchers. Developing their Ecosystems and creating doorways. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

We need to know how this content is performing.

Given the current rate of change it is more important than ever to closely monitor the SERPS and the organic performance of content across your entire online Ecosystem

http://app.pi-datametrics.com/user/dashboard

Live Demo: A Tale Of Conflicting Assets

And just incase we lost the connection or didn’t have time - here’s the example:

A site (sub-domain) that was on page 1 for a popular term suddenly loses position. Why?

With this conflict is in play, neither page gets to page 1

The effect in this instance

● These sites while working in isolation still cause conflict● One site effectively pulls the other down● We’re still in the SERPS but we are lower than we were ● Page 1 is lost● The new lower positioned SERPS doorway may no longer be appropriate

Some more classic examples

38 Days off page 1

38 Days off page 1

.Com and .Co.uk conflictThe new domain sits below page 1

Suspicious Flux always needs investigating

a drop from ‘above-the-fold’

While on the surface this looks ‘fairly’ normal, a review of the SERPS doorways reveals a bit of confusion

On occasion these doorways coexist in the SERPS - leading to potential confusion.

What appeared to be a single line is made up of multiple URLs

Even if the position switch is like-for-like, monitor the returning URL and the SERPS doorways.

Each URL generates a unique doorway in the SERPS Ecosystem. Each has a different snippet.

Given all this, what do we need to do?

● Bear in mind that semantic search is revealing more connections● Be more vigilant in monitoring positions and returning URLs● Monitor SERPS doorways - are they coordinated and coherent?● Ensure that we create appropriate migratory pathways between assets● Make it easy for people to stay in your Ecosystem once they find it● Allow them to discover things that are new to them● If conflict or flux occurs, find out the cause and deal with it immediately

Thank You!jon@intelligentpositioning.com@jonearnshaw