Scott Pierson

2 million Google searches per second

93% of online experiences begin with a search engine

85% of users never scroll past the first page of search results

70% of “search clicks” are organic

Anatomy of Search

Page Title →

Keyword →

Snippet →

URL →

Notice Bolding →

#1 position -- 18% of organic clicks

#2 position -- 10% of organic clicks

#3 position -- 7% of organic clicks

Eye Tracking Study

SEO leads -- 14.6% close rate

Vs.

Direct mail or print ads -- 1.7% close rate

What does SEO do?

Brand Visibility

Traffic

Rankings

Domain Authority

SEO Case Study

SEO Ranking Determinants by Importance

1. Domain Authority (Content & Content Marketing, Link Building)

2. Keyword Usage (Research, Relevance, Competition, Intent)

3. On-Page Optimization

4. Web Design / UX / Time on Site / Conversion metrics

5. Social Media

Without a Compelling SEO Strategy

With the right SEO Strategy!

• Who is your most important searcher?• What does your best prospect search for?• What does he/she need to excel at her

job?• What is the expertise you hold that, if

found, would be very much appreciated?• What’s your differentiator?• How do your answers become

incorporated into your Value Proposition?

1. What does your company create that solves searcher’s questions or problems?

2. What is the unique value youprovide that no one else does?

• How are you 10-times better than the closest competitor?

= uniqueness & value in content

Earns amplification

Earns Links (Domain Authority)

Earns shares

Earns higher rankings

• Customers? Fans? Followers?

• Who influences your target market?

• Where do they hangout?

• Press, top bloggers, social media sharers, top blog followers, event reviewers

• Find! Engage! Make them a fan!

3. Who’s going to amplify your message and why will they do it?

4. What is your process for turning visitors from search (or elsewhere) into customers?

Conversion Tactics

• Event Registrations

• Email sign-ups

• White Paper Downloads

• Unique 3-Question Surveys

• Contests

• Hundreds of others!

5. How do you expose what you do that provides value in a way that engines can easily crawl, index, understand and show it off?

Enter Classic SEO Best Practices• Compelling, On-topic Content• Keyword Research• On-page Optimization• Local SEO• Rich Snippets, Structured Markup• Link Building• Blogging

What does SSMFC have to do to make themselves visible (in search) as a tourist destination throughout the U.S.A.?

The museum is a leading destination for schools, groups and families all over the U.S.A.

What are the top SEO Challenges for Stepping Stones?

Which of the following SEO components should be implemented in order to maximize their search visibility?

• Organic SEO• Local SEO• Link Building• Structured markup

• Keyword Research• On-page Optimization• Mobile SEO• Blogging

Answer: All of the above

• Keyword Research• On-page Optimization• Link Building• Local SEO• Structured markup aka rich snippets (schema.org)• Mobile SEO• Blogging

Why?

Let’s say a family in Seattle is planning a trip to Norwalk. They search the web for the top destinations for their kids. Stepping Stones has to know what the top search terms are involving children oriented venues that would be used by this family.

#1 Keyword Research

fun things to do in ct 1900 Low (Adwords Keyword Planner)things to do in ct 8100 Lowmuseums in ct 1000 Lowplaces to visit in ct 550 Lowthings to do with kids in ct 480 Lowattractions in ct 480 Lowkid activities in ct 140 Medium

12,650!!

Rule of Some vs. None

lawn care 1,900 High

vs.

grounds maintenance 30 Low

This keyword research dictates the pages and their content that can drive the more visitors.

A new page for: things to do in ct

#2 On-page optimization

What we can do to maximize the chance that Google ranks it highly when the term is searched?

On-page Best Practices

How to create a page for “things to do in ct”

#1 Content on the page

– Write excellent, compelling and unique content!– Sites (domains) don’t rank. Pages rank. Domains develop

authority.– Google recommends 300 to 800 words/page. Minimum 250– Keyword should appear naturally 2-3 times.– Use Headlines <h1> tags, Bolding and Italics (gives Google

hints)– Each page should also be dotted naturally with synonyms of

the keyword.

On-page Best Practices

#2 Title Tag

things to do in ct | Stepping Stones Museum for Children

things to do in ct | Stepping Stones | museums in ct

– 50-60 characters, or 512 pixels wide - the limit Google displays Appears in Top of Browser, Top line of Search Results

– No duplicate title tags!

On-page Best Practices

• Not important to search engine rankings• Definition: accurate description of a page – uses KEYWORD• Extremely important in gaining user click-through from search engine result

pages – Winning the Click

• Optimally be between 150 -156 characters• No quotes, No duplicates, Phone numbers okay• Sometimes wiser not to write Meta Descriptions when page is targeting

longtail (3+) keywords, let SE display most relevant text• Looking for some great things to do in CT this weekend? Come see the

top-rated interactive science museum for children in Norwalk, CT! Give us a call today!

#3 Meta Description Tag

On-page Best Practices

#4 = Alt Tag

– Alt Text tells Google what each image is all about– Alt Text is for images what Keywords are for pages– Without Alt Tags, Google does not know what it is– Helps SEO to label Alt Tag with the page’s keyword

#5 = URL

Stepping Stones also knows that they are not the only destination for children in the region. The Norwalk Aquarium is nearby, Mystic Seaport Aquarium is drive-able along with a host of other museums, zoos and kid-friendly activities. So they must build their external links which act as positive citations and raise their Domain Authority to rank well on highly competitive keywords.

#3 Link Building

• Publishing Great Content that gets linked to• From many Authoritative Websites• Raises Domain Authority• Increases rankings on very competitive keywords

Link Building

External Links

When on-page optimization is equal among top competitors, the count of external links coming from high-authority and relevant sites, bloggers, media, social media, etc. is the most important ranking determinant in the algorithms to move organic rankings higher. 

DA of 15 to 25 common.

Each link to a page is like a vote and the page with the most votes usually wins.

The goal is to amass positive citations across the web from high value, industry-related authorities.

Yours only has to be higher than your top competitors!

A Link is NOT a Link

How links are valued by search engines

Low value links:

Anchor text “Click here” found on an unrelated site of low authority and trust, low on the page with unrelated surrounding content.

High Value Links:

Anchor Text “Kayak Personal Floatation Device”

pointing directly to your product page optimized for that same keyword from a high authority kayaking industry web site, high on the page and surrounded by related content and few other links. 

Uniquely Valuable Content

• Epic writing!• Original (never before seen)• Relevant (on topic to search intent)• Great User Experience (UX) (On any device)• Uniquely Valuable – meets one of two criteria

= Content Marketing

Content that has Unique Value

• 1. “Wow! I’ve seen this before but never like this! (A unique presentation/design of the data, ex: niice.co)

• 2. “Wow! Without this site, I would have never have found this answer! What an incredible resource! (available nowhere else, ex: walkscore.com

= Linkable, Sharable, Buzzable, Rankable

Linkable Assets Library

Linkable Assets

• Linkable Assets: Content characterized by a high degree of practical utility or emotional engagement. Attract links over time due the innovative ideas they offer.

• Bad Linkbait: Content that attracts links without adding additional value. Often rehashes the work of others, without creating anything new.

Categories of Linkable Assets• Top Ten lists• Infographics• Guides or How to’s• Apps & Online Tools• Thought Leadership• Sponsorships• Awards• Surveys• Partnerships• Video Tutorials• Humorous Videos• White papers• Glossary of terms

• Checklists• Info-animations• Games• Top 10 resources in your

industry• Cartoons• Event Coverage• Interviews• Expose’s• Quizzes/Tests• Incentive Contests

Competitive Research

Tools to perform a competitor analysis by reverse engineering the tactics that they used to produce valuable links.

Expensive: Covario, BrightEdge and Conductor in the $10,000 per month range.

Inexpensive: Moz’s Open Site Explorer, Majestic SEO and Ahrefs - $80/month range.

Competitive Research

Answers questions like…

• What pages on their site are attracting the most links?• What link partnerships do they have with media, bloggers, etc?• Who they are getting their links from?• What content is on their site?• What types of content do they use? Video, articles, blogs, news, etc.• How do they use their content to attract links?• Are their links the result of PR campaigns or are they aggressively

reaching out to potential linkers by contacting them directly?

Samuel Scott on Link Building…

“I now advocate that no one do anything with the primary purpose of “getting links." Rather, do the great content, promote it on social media, and the links will come naturally, indirectly, and organically. You are earning them and not building them. One of these links are worth ten of the others.”

Stepping Stones also knows that there are plenty of local parents who will want to find Stepping Stones in the local “map pack,” so Local SEO is also key.

#4 Local SEO

= Being listed in Local Results “Map Packs”

Local SEO – “Map Pack”

Local SEO #2

2findlocal

8coupons

ABLocal

About.me

Acxion

Allconnect

AmericanTowns.com

ameripriseadvisors.com

AngiesList

Avantar

Avvo.com

BBB

Behance

BestofWeb

Bing

ChamberofCommerce.com

Citybot

Citymaps

CitySearch

CitySquares

Comcast

CoPilot

Crunchbase

Delicious

DexKnows

eLocal

EZlocal

Factual

Facebook

findthebest.com

Foursquare

GetFave

Github.

Goggle+

GoLocal247

Google+ Page Verified

Google Local Business

Google Profile

Hg.org

Hotfrog

Indeed

InfoGroup

Kred Story

LinkedIn

Local Yahoo

Local.com

Localeze

LocalDatabase

LocalPages

Manta

MapQuest

Merchant Circle

MetroPCS

MojoPages

Navmii

Opendi

Nolo.com

PennySaver

Pocketly

Pointcom

Quora

recmnd.me

Scribd

HomeAdvisor

ShowMeLocal

Simplyhired

SlideShare

Smarterer

Stack Exchange

SuperPages

Surfglobal.net

Topix

Tripadvisor

Trunk.ly

TrustCloud

Tupalo

Urbanspoon

USCity.net

VoteForTheBest

WhitePages

YaSabe

Yellow Pages

YellowBook

YellowBot

Yellowise

YellowMoxie

YellowPageCity.com

YellowPagesGoesGreen

Yelp

YouTube

Yahoo Local

10 Steps to Local SEO Listings

1. Create an $84 Moz.com Local account2. Go to https://moz.com/local/help/documentation3. Download the template CSV file to describe your business4. Take your time to fill in all the appropriate information5. Research the most correct “category” for your business (Moz)6. Create a personal Google+ account7. Go to Google My Business (GMB) and enter the exact info that

you used in the template.8. Google will validate your listing by sending you a snail mail letter

with a “code” to enter at GMB.9. Upload the template into Moz Local10. Moz will send your biz info to all the top “aggregators” which in

turn send it on to

Stepping Stones has many unique events that the search engines and others can pick up and publicize if their website is “marked up” using structured data.

#5 Structured Data

= more detailed information in SERPs about 8 content categories

Schema.org

Rich Snippets• Events People Products Recipes

• Articles Videos Software Apps Reviews

Higher Click-through rates!

Stepping Stones has hundreds, even thousands of additional keywords and long-tail keywords that can increase their search result visibility.

#6 Blogging

Each blog post is a page!Can rank just like a page!Optimize just like a page!

Many keyword volumes can drastically increase your site’s traffic!

Companies that blog have 434% more indexed pages.

Companies with more indexed pages get far more leads.

BloggingBenefits

1. Your writing should follow your passion

2. Blog posts are pages that rank independently. Over time, ALL of your most relevant KEYWORDS can increase overall traffic and leads.

3. Blog posts can be automatically posted to Facebook, Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn and RSS feeds.

4. 80 / 20 Rule: Blogs can send curated content you deem important. (give credit or link to the source)

5. Tools to find the best content for your niche are:

Paper.li roojoom.com feedli

Redux BagTheWeb Klout

Stepping Stones knows that ALL of their content must be displayed differently on different devices, especially smart phones.

#7 Mobile SEO

Responsive DesignMobilegeddon is here!

Mobile Friendly = Higher Rankings

• 125 million smartphone owners in the US • 30 billion mobile searches annually in the US• 60 percent of Internet access is made on a mobile device

Analyst: Mobile to overtake PC on Local Search By 2015

61 percent of mobile searches culminate in a phone call…

47 percent of mobile searchers will explore other options if a brand does not have a attached to its search results…

Typical Real-world ExamplePest Control Company, DA 20, 19 EL, 101 pages

• Competitor #1 DA 26, 225 EL• Competitor #2 DA 26, 58 EL• Competitor #3 DA 25, 47 EL• Competitor #4 DA 23, 27 EL

Biggest On-page Offenders

• No Keyword Research• Not ranking on critical keywords for industry niche because

absence of pages/keywords. • 86% of traffic is coming from brand name.• On-page optimization missing on all 101 indexed pages.• No address on website. No Local SEO. No ratings.

Typical Real-world Example

Missing the opportunity to be found in search rankings over 178,000 times/mo because of missing keywords:

New Keyword Avg. Monthly US

pest control 60500

exterminator 33100

tick removal 12100

bed bugs treatment 9900

termite treatment 8100

termite inspection 8100

how to get rid of bees 6600

mosquito control 6600

bee removal 4400

flea control 4400

fruit fly infestation 3600

rodent control 3600

Social Media for Business

• Why is SM last on the ranking determinant list?• Should you be using it? Absolutely!• Branding, exposure, new followers, FB shares, Likes,

+1s, retweets, etc. All good!...

These things do correlate with good SEO rankings.But, do these things CAUSE higher rankings? No.

Social Media for Business

So, can Social Media Indirectly help SEO?

YES!

• Social Media can become your #1 most effective link building tactic.

• If used as a networking tool to build relationships with high-authority creators of content that can lead to external links that drive SEO.

Additional SEO factors in Web Design

• Internal Link Structure -- interlink all your posts to have better on-page SEO and finally an improved domain authority.

• Don’t use images as navigation buttons or to hold text• Simple URL naming (keyword) (not xyx.com/12984)• Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools - Engagement

triggers (email opt-in, downloads, call-to-actions) Track conversions!• Load speed – compress images, 30 to 120kb, resolution of 72dpi• Footer links, NAP and XML sitemap• Not using Frames or Flash• RSS Feeds – subscribers automatically updated with new posts• Favicons – the little image that appears on the browser tab when

your site is open

SEO Tools and Resources

Mobile SEO Best Practices

• Moz - http://moz.com/learn/seo/mobile-optimization

• Google Developers https://developers.google.com/webmasters/mobile-sites/mobile-seo/?hl=en

• Search Engine Landhttp://searchengineland.com/10-simple-tips-for-effective-mobile-seo-129100

• ClickZhttp://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/2367531/a-beginner-s-guide-to-mobile-seo

Slerpee

Influencer Marketing Tools 

• http://traackr.com/• Influencer Management Platform. Everything you need

to discover your influencers, manage key relationships, and measure their impact on your business.

Why they are outranking you?

• Using Moz’s Open Site Explorer tool you can look at factors like domain age, the number of unique backlinks to a page, and the “Domain Authority” of the website or page you want to outrank.

• This is also where you can discover link opportunities that the competition has found. If you find local news articles mentioning a competitor every time they release a new product, then that’s a good source for the next time your organization has a newsworthy update.

Social Media Analytics 

• http://www.socialbakers.com/agencies• Deep Social Analytics: The Key to Agency Success

– Monitors the audiences, reach, and engagement of clients’ social profiles

– Creates data-backed benchmarks to guide client social strategy– Prepares yearly, quarterly, monthly, weekly or daily reports– Quantifies the results of budgeted expenditures on social– Presents simple, clear information for clients

SEO Analytics  

• http://raventools.com/• Raven's reporting engine was designed to

supercharge your online marketing reports without breaking a sweat.

Social Media Management & Listening  

• https://hootsuite.com/• Manage social networks, schedule

messages, engage your audiences, and measure ROI right from the dashboard.

Sources for Content Creation

• https://scripted.com/

• Subcontract writing projects to an online writing team through this online platform

Content Curation Tools  

• http://www.curata.com/• Content Curation Software (CCS)

– Discover the best content with our self-learning engine– Easily organize and contextualize with just a few clicks– Publish and promote your content anytime and anywhere

Graphic Creation Tools  

• https://www.canva.com/

Create graphics for your blog, social channels, website and much more with this online image creation tool that also comes with a stock photo library.

Scott Pierson

theexecutiveseo@gmail.com

203-952-6442

https://theexecutiveseo.com

www.linkedin.com/in/scottpierson