Future Proofing Your SEO By Adria Kyne

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaKBe prepared, or be unpleasantly surprised

Future-Proofing Your

SEO

Adria KyneSEO Manager, North America

Vistaprint

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

What are the next changes that will hurt websites that are not prepared?What are the trends worth investing in?What is going to decline in importance?

Today’s Topics

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Potential algorithm changes

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

HTTPSThey’re not really being subtle about this one.

4

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Maybe it’s a factorPerhaps in some circumstancesIt could happen

Google SOP for algorithm info

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

June 2014 “this is important, you should do this” - Google I/O Aug 2014 “we’ll give a ranking boost” – Webmaster Central BlogDec 2015 “we’ll index pages that have this by default” – Webmaster Central Blog

HTTPS is a thing

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Encryption – prevent eavesdroppingAuthentication – spoof your site to collect passwords or payment information Data integrity – not intercepted or modified between client and servers

What’s the big deal?

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Get a certificate, with 2048-bit encryption.a) Non-commercial or open source sites can get free

certificatesb) https://letsencrypt.org/

a) “Anyone who owns a domain name can use Let’s Encrypt to obtain a trusted certificate at zero cost.”

c) Commercial sitesa) Single host—one domain—is $10.b) Multi-domain certificate—localized, or a couple of subdomains—

using a CDN to serve contentc) Wild Card—if you don’t know what you’ll need—can be more

than $100

What do I do???

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Set your certificate up correctly• Configure your server with consistent best practices

• Mozilla’s wiki page “Server Side TLS” http://mzl.la/Uew3xY• Qualys SSL Labs “SSL/TLS Deployment Best Practices”

http://bit.ly/1ImpYEW• Test the configuration• Optimize your server performance

Don’t let it expire.

SEO and your Certificate

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Redirect your URLs with a 301 redirect• Avoid creating redirect chains

Make sure your internal links only point to HTTP pages on your site

• (Beware hard-coded links)Don’t block the insecure version of the URL with robots.txt

• SEs won’t see the redirect

Migrating the Site Correctly

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Use the rel=canonical to self-reference on the new pagesUse the HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) header

• Sets a policy for the browser to automatically request the HTTPS versions of pages on your site

Other Signals

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Mobile PerformanceAgain, not being particularly subtle.

12

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Feb 2015 announced that they will use mobile-friendly factors starting April 2015#Mobilegeddon

Mobile Friendly

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Where’s my Google Dance?

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

“traffic to non-mobile-friendly websites from Google mobile searches fell 12% in the two months after the changes took effect April 21, relative to mobile-friendly sites.”

Adobe Digital Advertising Report“nearly 50% of non-mobile-friendly URLs dropped in rank”

Stone Temple Consulting

It Was a Big Deal...Eventually

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Over 50% of searches are on mobileMost new internet growth is coming from mobile

This is not going to become less important.

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Mobile-Friendly Websites Guide “Common mistake: Slow Mobile Pages” Render a mobile page in 1s

– 3G network round trip time at 250ms

They’ve already told us what they want

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Response to proprietary platforms like Facebook's Instant Articles and Apple's NewsOpen source, built entirely out of existing web technologies

• Third-party JavaScript code is disabled in the AMP framework

• Images won't load until they're in the user's viewMassive distributed caching systemIntegrates monetization instruments : advertising, analytics and subscription systems

AMP HTML

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

“Google says its search engine, for example, may prioritize AMP-primed pages, since speed is among the signals favored by Google’s ranking system”

Wired December 2015However“AMP doesn't mean adopt AMP and get a massive boost in search ranking. That is not the case.”

Richard Gingras, Google AdAge February 2016

Here’s the sign of things to come

19

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Promising Trends

Get them before they’re old news!

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Server-Side JavaScript

The Next Big Thing that your developers are going to be badgering you about

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Why are we even talking about JavaScript?

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Performance!Client-side apps are FASTNo need for time-consuming round-trips with your server

Pros of JavaScript

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Cons of JavaScript

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Performance!Until you load all the assets, you’re waiting, so the initial experience suffersUnpredictable—affected by users’ devices

Cons of JavaScript

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

1. Run the app on your server2. Renders the page on the server3. Deliver HTMS and CSS4. Deliver JS app assets

What is Server-Side JavaScript?

Source: tomdale.net

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Functionality works without client-side processing Generate standard URLs and <a> tags User gets fast initial load – server-side fastSubsequent interactions are JS-app-fast

Benefits of Server-Side JavaScript

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

NetflixNew York TimesPayPalLinkedIn

Example of sites using SSJS

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK29

Knowledge Boxes

Get them while you can

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Dec 2014 to July 2015

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Branding Value Traffic

Is this really worth doing?

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

1. Don’t use public domain data; provide unique content

2. Provide a simple, direct answer to a question

How do I get a Knowledge Box?

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Retailer – Customer Service


Page Content


Unordered List

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK


2. Provide a simple, direct answer to a question3. Use an HTML list format


#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Content Provider – Driving Traffic

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Photo carousel of step-by-step instructionsList of necessary tools and materialsShopping listTips for success

Page Content

38

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK


2. Provide a simple, direct answer to a question3. Use an HTML list format4. Offer more in-depth information on the page


#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Best choice for Knowledge Box?

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

List format vs. other HTML

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK


2. Provide a simple, direct answer to a question3. Offer more in-depth information on the page4. Use an HTML list format, either ordered or

unordered


#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

What is going to be less important?

I have controversial opinions.

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Mobile is cannibalizing desktop traffic• PC base is static or even falling• The number of people with smartphones is growing

Most new internet growth will be mobile, not desktop• Internet penetration is about 85% in the US, 90% in the UK• Most of the new additions will be in the rest of the world

The Internet Is Shifting to Mobile Devices

44


Time spent on Digital Media

Image credit: comScore

87% of all time on mobile in the US was on apps


Google Search #2 in 2013

Image credit: Nielsen


Google Search #2 in 2014


#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Google Search drops to #4 in 2015


#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

50-80% of searches are “Informational” or “Know” queries1

• Rich Answers• Intelligent Personal Assistants

10% are navigational, e.g. “Facebook” or “Gmail”Searches per device per day2

• Desktop/tablet: 1.23• Mobile: 0.925

Mobile users search less than desktop users

2Charles Arthur, former tech editor The Guardian bit.ly/1RlRKTN

1http://bit.ly/241klWJ

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Google’s revenue has not grown at the rate desktop alone didDuring some quarters, revenue per user has gone down1

Revenue per user much lower outside of US/UK, where most internet growth is likely to occur

52% of searches is not 52% of revenue

50

1 Statista.com http://bit.ly/1wOO2qr

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Advertisers are not enthusiastic• Mobile traffic does not convert as well

“Enhanced” campaigns• Artificially increasing demand for mobile ad clicks

Trying to bolster mobile revenue

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

Reorganization into AlphabetExpansion into Google Now, Now on TapNew messaging app with personal assistant

• WeChat model• Payment integration with apps

Google’s diversifying interests

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaK

What is going to be less important?

Wait for it...


Mobile search

I’m not kidding

#SMX #13A2 @AdriaKSEE YOU AT THE NEXT #SMX

THANK YOU!

Future Proofing Your SEO By Adria Kyne

Marketing

Transcript of Future Proofing Your SEO By Adria Kyne