WHAT IS SEARCH ENGINE

OPTIMIZATION?

And How is it a Career?

Mike Hanson

Defining Search Engine Optimization

• Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in natural search results.

• Content is more visible in search engines when a website:

– can be efficiently crawled and indexed

– contains content users desire

– is properly marketed to users through link building and content distribution

Anatomy of a SERP (Search Engine Result Page)

35%

Paid Listings

(SEM)

Paid

Listings

(SEM) Organic

Listings

(SEO)

17%

11%

#1 position

averages 35% of

all clicks from 1

search query.

Top 3 positions =

63%. Ads on top

average 22% total.

By The Numbers

Google offers detailed data insight into search volume for free.

Yahoo and Bing do not offer insights to search volume.

Google owns approximately 66% of the search engine market share, while Bing has

16% and Yahoo has 12%.

ABCs of SEO

Search engines use advanced algorithms to determine the order and placement of

websites for keywords that are submitted on search engines.

While complex and continuously evolving, the practice of SEO can be categorized into

four core pillars (Architecture, Backlinks, Content, Social Media). Continued focus in these

fundamental areas are critical for sustained performance and incremental success.

ARCHITECTURE

Technical optimization to ensure

search engines can easily “crawl”

content and understand page

elements.

Platform / CMS / Templates

URL Structures, Source Code

Site Migrations, Retiring

Content

A

BACKLINKS

Link building to ensure external

websites and 3rd party sources

relevant to a particular query are

linking to BAC.com pages.

Press Releases, Partners /

Sponsors, Articles, Directories

Viral Content & Infographics

B

CONTENT

Content optimization to ensure

“readable” text includes relevant

keywords and themes that reflect

consumer voice and need.

Product / Service pages

Education and engagement

Relates to search engine and

consumer, drives conversion

C

SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook, Twitter, Google+,

YouTube are influencing content

discovery through sharing, voting

and social commenting signals

On-site social sharing buttons

Content creation, promotion,

sharing and voting in social

spaces

S

Search Engine Ranking Algorithms

Search engine spiders have to

crawl and sort the web, and

then select and rank the

content that is considered

the most relevant and useful to

a searcher based on the

search query.

To do this, search engine

algorithms apply a complex

set of rules, or a series of

unique formulas, to determine

the significance of any

particular web document.

Each search engine has its

own set of ever changing rules.

Content

• Determines the relevancy of a

page to a query

• Quality content affects Off Page

factors, which in turn can affect

rankings

• Keywords

– Terms which can be included

within content and are

relevant to the nature of the

page

– Can be included in various

elements of website

On Page SEO Factors

On Page SEO Factors

• Meta (Page) Title

– One of the most influential elements of on-page SEO

– Informs the search engines about the subject of a webpage

• Meta Description

– Concise description of webpage

– Not a ranking Factor but important for click-through rate within SERPs

Meta

Description

Meta

Title

• Heading Tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.)

– Distributes the value of content within a hierarchy, whose topic reflects the title of the

page.

• Internal Linking

– Embedding links to other website pages within the page content.

On Page SEO Factors

H1 H2

H3

H3

• URL Structure

Complex URL

http://www.example-1.com/br904/kw=4316?&item-photo1

– Very difficult to determine the nature of the page

– Crawlers have a hard time deciphering

Clean URL

http://www.example-2.com/brand/keyword

– More comprehendible

– Improves user experience

– Improves crawlibility

On Page SEO Factors

• Site Architecture - Where and how long does it take to get to a page?

– Authority and value are disbursed based upon level and location

– Spiders see lower level pages as less valuable

On Page SEO Factors

11 / ©2012 , Inc. All rights reserved.

Authority

Off Page SEO Factors

• Link Building

– Securing inbound links to website

from high quality and topically

relevant sources

– Links need to have relevance,

authority, trust and diversity to

help with SEO efforts

– Search engines place more

value on particular pages and

websites

– Increased referral traffic

Off Page SEO Factors

• Content worth sharing

– Videos

– Articles

– Widgets/Tools

Social Media

– Social Signals

– Community Engagement & Sharing

Bad neighborhoods

– Groups of bad links

– Authority

– Trust

Misconceptions of SEO

• Google Adwords & Paid Listings

– Organic v. Paid

• Developers and Designers

– Coding guru and Photoshop extraordinaire

• Simplicity

– Keyword stuff and submit links to

thousands of sites

• Spammers

– Manipulators v. Influencers

• SEO is Dead (R.I.P)

– More competitive and evolving

Common Job Responsibilities

Research & Analysis

Keyword Research

Site Obstacle Analysis

Competitive Assessment

Backlink Analysis

Strategic Planning & Execution

Keyword Selection

Page Optimization

Backlink Strategy Development

Backlink Strategy Execution

Reporting & Analytics

Visibility Reporting

ROI Reporting

Status Reporting & Presentations

Where You Can Be Employed

Agency - A company that provides SEO services to another organization.

Entry level opportunities

Ability to work across multiple clients and multiple industries

Knowledge sharing/support from other SEO experts and proprietary tools

Room for professional growth

Narrow job focus

In-house - Many companies employ in-house SEO strategists.

Choose the brand you represent

Ability to execute recommendations easier

Gain experience/knowledge in other online areas

Become an expert in a specific industry

Independent – Work as an independent contractor or start your own company.

Flexible

Work with small businesses

Very risky financially

Is SEO Right For You?

PROs of SEO

Not Specific to a Certain College Degree

Entry Level Opportunities

High Demand for Jobs

Jobs Available in Most Geographical Locations

Competitive Salary

Ability to Work Remotely (Job Specific)

Flexible Hours (Job Specific)

Caters to a Variety of Skills & Personality Traits

Can Work in Any Industry

Can Lead to a Number of Other Online and/or Marketing Careers

CONs of SEO

• Dependent upon Search Engines

• Rapid Industry Changes

• Long Hours

• The Internet is 24/7

• Requires Patience to see SEO Results

• Can Get Repetitive

• Lack of Understanding of Role from

Industry Outsiders

• Mostly Heads Down Work

• Constant Screen Time

End

http://www.linkedin.com/in/mikehansonseo/