Enhance Your eCommerce Merging SEO & Analytics

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Download bit.ly/pdxga-ecom

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Mike Arnesen Director of Analytics & Optimization

at SwellPath google.com/search?mike+arnesen

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Yes, it validates.

<div itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Event"><div itemprop="performer" itemscope itemtype="http://

schema.org/Person"><h1 itemprop="name" > Mike Arnesen</h1>

<h2 itemprop="jobTitle" > Director of Analytics & Optimization </h2> <h3 itemprop="worksFor" > SwellPath </h3> <a itemprop="url" href="google.com/search?q=mike

+arnesen">Find me on Google</a> <img src="/headshot.jpg" itemprop="image" /> <span itemprop="brand" >@mike_arnesen</span></div>#<span itemprop="name" >Enhance Your eCommerce</span><meta itemprop="startDate" content="2014-10-20"><meta itemprop="location" content="PDX" />

</div>

This is going to be rapid fire…

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Navigation & Site Architecture

@mike_arnesen #StateOfSearch #eComSEO @mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Use a Flat Site Architecture Try to minimize click depth

Do this…

…not that.

•  Directories represent site architecture •  Describe from broad to narrow •  Human readable

@mike_arnesen #StateOfSearch #eComSEO @mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Avoid Meaningless URLs.

•  Don’t sacrifice accessibility for flashiness.

•  Usable without JS? •  Meaningful anchor text? •  Limit choices; focus.

@mike_arnesen #StateOfSearch #eComSEO @mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Ensure Nav Accessibility & Utility

Ensure Nav Accessibility & Utility

•  For users and bots •  Make each item clickable •  Use breadcrumb markup (schema.org / data-vocabulary.org)

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Use breadcrumb navigation

•  Not the place to stuff links …or your page content.

•  Highlight a few important pages. •  I still use nofollow.

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Let’s talk about site footers in 2014

Provide additional: •  Context •  Crawl paths •  Shopping ideas

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Don’t forget internal/cross-linking

Provide additional: •  Context •  Crawl paths •  Shopping ideas

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Don’t forget internal/cross-linking

@mike_arnesen #StateOfSearch #eComSEO @mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Categories & Content

•  What am I looking at? •  What’s unique here?

@mike_arnesen #StateOfSearch #eComSEO @mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Always use content on category grid walls

•  Effective at increasing ranking. •  Important for avoiding thin content. •  It’s also a branding opportunity!

@mike_arnesen #StateOfSearch #eComSEO @mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Always use content on category grid walls

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Content Optimization

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Content Integration Frame supplemental content as a fallback

1.  Do your research 2.  Outsource initial copywriting 3.  Polish the result & push live

@mike_arnesen #StateOfSearch #eComSEO @mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Content Development

Don’t put up #PandaBait …unless you have nothing on your plate for the next few months.

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Protect yourself From the Panda!

@mike_arnesen #StateOfSearch #eComSEO @mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Crawling & Indexation AKA, man vs. machine

•  Invest in unique product descriptions •  Use proper pagination •  Have a canonical strategy in place •  Noindex when appropriate •  Use clean URL handling

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Duplicate content can be really annoying

•  Rel prev & next are your friends! •  Make “view all” the canonical.

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Use pagination and/or canonicalization on a series

Near-identical products can cause issues •  Canonize the best seller •  Create unique descriptions •  Consolidate pages

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Specify canonical products

Stop!

@mike_arnesen #StateOfSearch #eComSEO @mike_arnesen #PDXGA

NoIndex is your friend

Practice good housekeeping to avoid being overrun with duplicate content! •  Non-WWW URLs to WWW (or vice versa) •  Non-trailing slash to trailing slash •  index.php (and similar) to trailing slash

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

WWW, Trailing Slash, & Index Resolution

Leverage multiple XML sitemaps to monitor indexation by page type.

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Divide and Conquer: XML Sitemaps

Use historical analytics, Google Insights, and stakeholder experience to map out seasonality.

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Understand & Predict Seasonality

Give holiday campaign pages time to index & rank. Start building links ahead of time.

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Get your updates out early and be prepared.

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Products & Semantic SEO

What does it mean?!

Without advanced analysis, it’s hard to understand what pages and sites are about.

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

How we used to convey meaning…

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Semantic markup changes everything.

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Data pulled from semantic markup is everywhere!

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Shared vocabularies make semantic markup meaningful

What is Semantic SEO?

Providing open, structured data in order to increase search visibility by helping connect users with information that they want and need.#

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Steps to implementing and tracking structured data 7

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Audit & Discovery Let’s see what we have here

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Use analytics to identify prime targets for improvement.

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Don’t forget Screaming Frog!

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Implementation Develop and execute your plan

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

What content on your site is important?

ArticlesProductsNavigationEventsRecipesPlaces & AddressesOrganizationsReviewsRatingsCommentsVideosDates & Times  

PeopleRelationshipsBooksAnswersDietsMoviesTV EpisodesExercise PlanPaintings & SculpturesBus Trips & FlightsServicesMedical Conditions/Treatments

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

What content on your site is important? Trick question! It’s all important!

ArticlesProductsNavigationEventsRecipesPlaces & AddressesOrganizationsReviewsRatingsCommentsVideosDates & Times  

PeopleRelationshipsBooksAnswersDietsMoviesTV EpisodesExercise PlanPaintings & SculpturesBus Trips & FlightsServicesMedical Conditions/Treatments

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Build templates & guides

<span xmlns:v="http://rdf.data-vocabulary.org/#"><span typeof="v:Breadcrumb"> <a href="/" rel="v:url" property="v:title" itemprop="breadcrumb"> Home </a></span> » <span typeof="v:Breadcrumb"> <a href=”/blades/" rel="v:url" property="v:title" itemprop="breadcrumb"> Blades </a></span> » <span typeof="v:Breadcrumb"> <a href="/blades/broad-swords/" rel="v:url" property="v:title" itemprop="breadcrumb"> Broad Swords </a></span>

</span>

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

<div itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Product" ><h1 itemprop="name">Glamdring</h1><img src="/images/glamdring-high-res.png" itemprop="image" /><p itemprop="description">Glamdring was used in battle only twice in the First Age; Turgon wielded Glamdring in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, and in the Fall of Gondolin. For over 6,000 years it went missing, surviving the War of Wrath, until Gandalf (and company) found it (along with Sting and Orcrist) in the trolls' cave in The Hobbit and claimed it for himself. </p><div itemprop="offers" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Offer" >

<span itemprop="price">40</span><span itemprop="priceCurrency" content="XAU"><link itemprop="availability" href="http://schema.org/InStock" />In stock

</div><h3>Related Blades</h3><div itemprop="isRelatedTo" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Product" >

<a itemprop="url" href="/blades/orcist/"> <span itemprop="name" >Orcist</span></a>- <span itemprop="offers" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Offer" > <span itemprop="price">35</span><span itemprop="priceCurrency" content="XAU”>\</span>

</div>

Build templates & guides for all of your content types

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Events Decide which events matter to you

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Create a Tag:

Create a Tag: to send data to Google Analytics

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

to send data to Google Analytics with meaningful values

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

to send data to Google Analytics with meaningful values

Start Tracking Set tag manager to listen for structured data @mike_arnesen #PDXGA

One RULE to rule… you know the rest

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

One RULE to rule… you know the rest

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Custom JavaScript Macro:

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Custom JavaScript Macro: Detect schema.org markup on page

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Creation order & naming conventions for Macros, Rules, & Tags

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Create Macros:•  Semantic – {Type} Markup Detection•  Semantic – {Type} {Property}Create Rules:•  Semantic - Has {Type} Markup RuleCreate Tags:•  Semantic – {Type} Markup Analytics Event  

Groupings Keep track of each group

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Set up dynamic content grouping in Google Tag Manager

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

…via a Macro with a Lookup Table

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Goals Decide what you need to accomplish

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Create a goal to track the performance of all structured data on your site

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Watch the crawl Using webmaster tools

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Keep monitoring Google’s crawling to ID missing data or errors.

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

How to Implement & Track your structured data

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

How to Implement & Track your structured data

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

1. Audit and rediscover your content 2. Strategize and implement 3. Enable tracking of structured data in GA 4. Set up and record analytics events 5. Create itemtype-based groups for content 6. Set up goals to monitor structure data ROI 7. Continue to watch the crawl

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Download bit.ly/pdxga-ecom

Download bit.ly/pdxga-ecom

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA

Thank you!

Mike Arnesen Director of Analytics & Optimization

at SwellPath google.com/search?mike+arnesen

Download: bit.ly/pdxga-ecom

@mike_arnesen #PDXGA