Search Engine Optimization and Keywords

Why should you optimize for mobile?

Because 80% of internet users own a smartphone

How can you get suggestions on keywords?

Underneath *All Keywords* in reports -keywords

Once you've created and optimized your content

don't forget to promote it through social media and email.

Some search engines, like Google

have encrypted their organic search data so that those keywords are hidden, which make this trickier to do.

SEO

is an essential part of the first stage of the Inbound Methodology. It helps you attract strangers from search engines and turn them into new visitors on your website.

make sure to set up a 301 Redirect that will direct the old URL to the new one, sending people seamlessly to the right page. This will

save all of your SEO credit and ensures that you don't break any links to the old page.

A keyword like

"shoes" is referred to as a short or broad keyword, because that's exactly what it is - short and broad in scope. (If a small store specialized in sneakers, it would be harder for them to rank for - "shoes) ( There's lots of competition around it, and some very popular, trustworthy sites filling up the top spots.) ( The keyword is also very general - the small store wouldn't get any qualified visitors from it.) *But let's say you searched for something more specific, like "best women's running shoes for flat feet". You'd get more specific results that would better answer your question*. This more specific keyword phrase is called - a long-tail keyword - because it's a string of related words that look like a long tail!

What are the common types of keyword searches that fit into each stage?

*Awareness Stage* - Industry problem-based keywords *Consideration Stage* - Keywords that your company provides solutions to *Decision Stage* - Keywords around deciding to buy

How do your buyer personas factor into your research?

*Buyer personas represent the searchers who will become your visitors, leads, and ultimately, customers & promoters.* You need to determine who they are, what their goals are, and what problems they face, so you can begin to understand what they're searching for.

To build help keep a thought leaders list organized

*Create a "best-of" list or a resources list, and give credit to the sources or authors. Interview an industry thought leader and publish it as a blog post.* Write crowdsourced content - solicit information, answers or opinions on a particular topic from industry thought leaders. Or ask an industry thought leader to write the foreword or give a quote for an eBook.

How does the Buyer's Journey factor into your research?

*Industry problem-based keywords are part of the awareness stage.* *Keywords that your company provides solutions to are part of the consideration stage.* *keywords around deciding to buy are part of the decision stage.* As you make this list, categorize the keywords by the stages of the buyer's journey.

What are keywords and how should you go about picking the right ones for your business?

*Keywords are the words typed into search engines. Basically, they're the topics that searchers are trying to learn more about.* In order to attract those strangers to your content, you need to do research to figure out which keywords relate to your business and your industry.

In what ways should you optimize your pages for search engines?

*Optimize the page around a primary keyword.* Be sure that the keyword fits as a description of what the page is all about. You're optimizing for the visitor first, but it's also how a search engine can understand the purpose of the page to know how to best index it. *Add the keyword to the page title.* The page title shows both on the browser tab for the page, and also as the link to the page in search results. *Add your primary keyword to the URL.* This can also be seen on the page and within search results. If using a long-tail keyword, use dashes to separate words (companyname.com/long-tail-keyword-phrase). If editing a live page, any change that you make to the URL will create a new page. So make sure to set up a 301 Redirect that will direct the old URL to the new one, sending people seamlessly to the right page. *This will save all of your SEO credit and ensures that you don't break any links to the old page.* *Add the keyword to the page headers and content.* Use the keyword naturally throughout the page. *If there are any images on the page, add the keyword to the image alt-text* *Add the keyword to the meta description.* This is the short summary below the link (or title) to your page in a search engine results... Each page should have a unique meta description, no longer than 140 characters. Though it doesn't directly affect SEO, its optimization can improve the rate of people clicking through to your page. *Another way to improve your SEO is to include relevant links within the content.* Linking to relevant, reliable sources helps build the trustworthiness of your site. Don't go overboard - link to one or two sources per paragraph at the very most. You don't want your page to look spammy! *Link to relevant internal pages from your website, in order to drive traffic to them. And while it may sound counterproductive, also make sure to link to outside resources. Google Webmasters encourage this - it shows that you've done your research, helps you build connections, and it gives your readers more helpful resources.* For those reasons, outside links work best in blog posts. When you do link, make sure to hyperlink text that contains relevant keywords that you'd like to rank for. For example, this blog post contains a link at the bottom to another sources about "improving your mobile experience", with all of those important keywords acting as the hyperlink. *Edit your page to promote a good user experience. Search engines are also looking at the experience that people have on your site when determining how to rank you.* *Optimize your website for mobile.*

How do links help search engines understand pages?

*Search engines follow links between pages to see how they're related to each other.* Links coming into your website - called inbound links - help search engines analyze how authoritative your website is. If a trusted site is linking to you, your website becomes more trustworthy.

What strategies can you implement to earn links, and why does each help?

*create content with input from those industry thought leaders. Not only will these thought leaders help you write your content, but they'll also share it, giving you new visitors and a new link.* Use social media, send friendly emails or comment on blog posts. Or try good-old conversation: make connections at local meetups, conferences and in your day-to-day.

Once you've written this great content

*it's time to optimize the page where it will be featured.* 1. First, optimize the page around a primary keyword. Be sure that the keyword fits as a description of what the page is all about. You're optimizing for the visitor first, but it's also how a search engine can understand the purpose of the page to know how to best index it. a. Add the keyword to the page title. The page title shows both on the browser tab for the page, and also as the link to the page in search results. If optimizing a website page, include your company name as well. Use the vertical bar, otherwise known as a pipe, to separate the two. 2. Next, add your primary keyword to the URL. This can also be seen on the page and within search results. If using a long-tail keyword, use dashes to separate words (companyname.com/long-tail-keyword-phrase). If editing a live page, any change that you make to the URL will create a new page. So make sure to set up a 301 Redirect that will direct the old URL to the new one, sending people seamlessly to the right page. This will save all of your SEO credit and ensures that you don't break any links to the old page. 3. Next, add the keyword to the page headers and content. Use the keyword naturally throughout the page. a. If there are any images on the page, add the keyword to the image alt-text. Search engines can't read images, so alt-text allows a search engine to understand what that image is about. This also allows that image to get found in image searches. 4. Next, add the keyword to the meta description. This is the short summary below the link (or title) to your page in a search engine results... Each page should have a unique meta description, no longer than 140 characters. Though it doesn't directly affect SEO, its optimization can improve the rate of people clicking through to your page. a. Another way to improve your SEO is to include relevant links within the content. Linking to relevant, reliable sources helps build the trustworthiness of your site. Don't go overboard - link to one or two sources per paragraph at the very most. You don't want your page to look spammy! b. Link to relevant internal pages from your website, in order to drive traffic to them. And while it may sound counterproductive, also make sure to link to outside resources. Google Webmasters encourage this - it shows that you've done your research, helps you build connections, and it gives your readers more helpful resources. For those reasons, outside links work best in blog posts. When you do link, make sure to hyperlink text that contains relevant keywords that you'd like to rank for. For example, this blog post contains a link at the bottom to another sources about "improving your mobile experience", with all of those important keywords acting as the hyperlink. c. Edit your page to promote a good user experience. Search engines are also looking at the experience that people have on your site when determining how to rank you. d. Make sure your website is intuitive and easy to browse. Don't make people hunt for what they need. Show them the next step they can take with your business, and you'll convert those visitors into leads, and -- eventually -- customers. 5. Finally, optimize your website for mobile. 80% of internet users own a smartphone. That's astounding! a. And as more and more people use mobile devices to access the internet, search engines are trying to make it easier for people to find mobile-friendly websites. So make sure that your website pages can be easily viewed on any screen size. If your page isn't mobile-friendly, you may be missing out!

Search engines are getting smarter and smarter so remember

- In addition to understanding keywords, they also trying to understand a searcher's intent. (If you search for "boston soccer team", your intention is probably to find information about Boston's soccer team, the New England Revolution. ) - Google tries to understand what you're actually looking for, looks at all related pages, and then shows you the results that it deems the most helpful. - It's not just going to show you exact matches to the keyword that you searched for. As a marketer, this means that you can create content using natural language and variations of your keyword, like "dog treats", "doggy treats", and "treats for dogs". You don't have to use the same exact phrase over and over. And don't shy away from mentioning related keywords in your content, like "dog food nutrition".

What is search intent, and how do search engines use it to produce the most relevant results?

What you are meaning to search for, and they shows you the results that it deems the most helpful. *It's not just going to show you exact matches to the keyword that you searched for.*

As marketers and business owners, your goal is to

be listed in the top organic results because, let's be honest, most searchers - only click on the first few results that they see. In fact, 60% of all organic clicks go to the organic top 3 search results. So how do you get up there?

You can see that there are many keyword phrases that you could include in your list

but you'll only attract your buyer personas with the ones that speak their language.

As you make this list

categorize the keywords by the stages of the buyer's journey *Industry problem-based keywords are part of the awareness stage.* *Keywords that your company provides solutions to are part of the consideration stage.* *Keywords around deciding to buy are part of the decision stage.*

If your business is location-specific, how can you optimize for getting found in local searches?

create a Google+

Not all links are

created equal.

Create a "best-of" list or a resources list, and give

credit to the sources or authors. 1. Interview an industry thought leader and publish it as a blog post. 2. Write crowdsourced content - solicit information, answers or opinions on a particular topic from industry thought leaders. 3. Or ask an industry thought leader to write the foreword or give a quote for an eBook.

In what ways does SEO help your inbound marketing?

helps you attract strangers from search engines and turn them into new visitors on your website

Make sure that you're earning

high-quality links, and not focusing on quantity. (High-quality links come from existing authoritative websites that are relevant to your business or industry.)

You can also look for alternatives under the different search options in Google, like

image search or video.In this example, you can see that by looking under video search, "applying a new boat name" is a related keyword phrase, as is "funny names" and "hand-lettering". (Add all of the alternatives that relate to your business and buyer persona to your keyword list.)

It's significantly easier to rank for long-tail keywords because

it's more specific and targeted. (Not to mention, the people searching for that long-tail keyword know what they're looking for, meaning they're qualified visitors who are more likely to turn into leads and customers.) just because you're selecting a long-tail keyword doesn't mean that - ranking high will be easy. It's important to understand how difficult it is to rank for each keyword, regardless of length. *(For this, you'll need to drill down into your keyword analytics, researching your current ranking for that long-tail keyword and how often people are searching for it.)* ( If you're using a tool like Google Analytics or HubSpot's Keywords tool, you can also see what the level of competition is like for that keyword.)

Determine which

keywords people are already using to find your site. Some search engines, like Google, have encrypted their organic search data so that those keywords are hidden, which make this trickier to do. But you can use an analytics tool, like Google Webmaster or HubSpot Sources, to get some insights.

Decide which

keywords you have the best opportunity to rank for. (Remember - lots of other websites are trying to rank for any given keyword, and only 10 can make it to the first page of search results. Some keywords are just going to be harder than others.)

Keep in mind that

language may vary in different parts of the world. What is "soda" in one part might be "pop" or "cola" in another

If your business has multiple locations

link to dedicated location page for each

If your business is in a single location

link to your homepage

Search engines follow

links between pages to see how they're related to each other.

When you look at your Long-Tail Opportunities in the HubSpot Keywords tool, it shows you

long-tail keywords that could be used as a conversion opportunity

While it definitely takes some time, building relationships with authoritative sites and industry thought leaders is

one of the most effective ways to keep your company top-of-mind for people who might be interested in linking to you. *(Use social media, send friendly emails or comment on blog posts. Or try good-old conversation: make connections at local meetups, conferences and in your day-to-day.)*

Google gets over 3 billion searches every day, from

people who have questions and problems that they're looking to solve. (So search engines need to provide the most relevant, useful, and trustworthy answers. To find them, they send what are known as "spiders" to crawl through all of the pages on the web, searching for that content. Those spiders try to figure out what each page is about. ) From that data, they create a list of results that are relevant and useful to searches. Then, they rank those results based on the popularity and authority of those websites. *The more visits a website gets, the higher it will rank.* This ranking is what you see when you look at a search engine results page. The first few results and the ones listed on the side are ads - websites that have paid to show up at the top. But below that, you're looking at the top 1-10 unpaid, or "organic", results that contain the most popular, relevant answers.

The more that people see, share and link to your content, the more

popular your site will grow and the more trust you'll gain with search engines.

Now, if you're feeling stumped and can't think of any other keywords to add to your list, expand your keyword list by

searching the web for alternatives. (Try typing one of your keywords into a search engine and see what the results are.)

We've talked quite a bit about getting search engines to understand our pages, but how can you get them to

see you as a trustworthy and authoritative site? (Well, much of this will come from your great optimized content, but some of it also comes from the number of links that are pointing to you. This is a part of what's called off-page SEO.)

Long tail keywords are

significantly easier to rank for because it's more specific and targeted people searching for that long-tail keyword know what they're looking for, meaning they're qualified visitors who are more likely to turn into leads and customers.

Once you've identified keywords to target

start creating content around them.

There are many factors

that search engines take into account when crawling your pages and trying to understand them, so let's dive into some SEO strategy and best practices.

The HubSpot Difficulty score estimates

the difficulty of a keyword based on how many of your competitors are also creating content around it.

So put yourself in

their shoes and make a list of keywords that they would search for.

How do search engines find, understand and rank pages to show in search results?

they create a list of results that are relevant and useful to searches

A good way to build those relationships and earn those links is

to create content with input from those industry thought leaders. (Not only will these thought leaders help you write your content, but they'll also share it, giving you new visitors and a new link.)

Now, while you're brainstorming, make sure

to try and mimic the language that your buyer personas would actually use in their searches.

When brainstorming

try to mimic the language that your buyer personas would actually use in their searches.

To figure out which websites are authoritative

use a tool like the Moz Open Site Explorer or HubSpot Links to see all of the websites who are linking to you and their authority.

You need to determine

who they are, what their goals are, and what problems they face, so you can begin to understand what they're searching for.

In order to attract those strangers to your content

you need to do research to figure out which keywords relate to your business and your industry.

You need to figure out what

your prospects are searching for, so that you can make sure that they find your website.

One top factor, and the first element of SEO to focus on, is

your use of keywords. This is a part of what's called on-page SEO - optimizing the pages of your site.

If a trusted site is linking to you

your website becomes more trustworthy.

Aim for keywords with a Difficulty score under

65

In the HubSpot keywords tool start by

Adding Keywords about your industry that you want to monitor

How can you determine which keywords people are using to find your site?

Google Autocomplete

If your business is location-specific, create a

Google+ Local Listing Page. This will help tie your website to a specific location, which Google will use in its search results. If your business is in a single location, link to your homepage. If your business has multiple locations, link to dedicated location page for each.

How is promoting your content important for SEO? do links help search engines understand pages?

It helps you rank higher and become more authoritative. Links help search engines understand pages.

What are some of the suggestions the keywords tool will provide?

Ranking opportunities Conversion opportunities Long tail opportunities Competitors *(In competitors tools in the reports tab)*

Buyer persona thought process for SEO

Let's say your business makes smart phone accessories, including a waterproof phone case called the "Smart Phone Preserver". And let's say that one of your buyer personas is a teenager - let's call him Lanky Luke. If Luke drops his phone in a puddle, he has a problem. So what are the common industry questions he might ask? He might start by searching for "drying out a smart phone" - looking for general industry knowledge. Next, what questions might Luke have that your company provides solutions to? He may not know to search for your exact product yet, but he might start by searching for "waterproof smart phone cases". Finally, what questions might Luke have when deciding to buy your waterproof case? He might be searching for phrases like "Smart Phone Preserver case reviews". This is a great opportunity to gather information from your sales team - what are the most common questions they get? By going through Lanky Luke's thought process, you can come up with a list of keywords. Like "drying out a smart phone", "waterproof smart phone cases", and "Smart Phone Preserver case reviews". *As you make this list, categorize the keywords by the stages of the buyer's journey.*

Why is link authority important?

Not all links are created equally so authoritative links are more helpful

What is the difference between paid results and organic results?

Paid ranks automatically to the top, organic ranks under paid. Organic results that contain the most popular, relevant answers.

In what ways can you expand your list of keywords?

Search the web for alternatives

Now, for some quicker wins

Set up a page for your business on the top online directories. *(Directories are websites like Yelp, Yellow Pages, and local chambers of commerce. Having a page on a directory will increase the number of links and citations to your website. Citations are mentions of your business name and address online, even if the website doesn't directly link to you. Both will help with your off-page SEO.)*

What is the difference between short and long-tail keywords? How difficult is it to rank for each type?

Short is, short and broad in scope. Long is, a string of related words that look like a long tail

Why is promoting your content important for SEO?

The more that people see, share and link to your content, the more popular your site will grow and the more trust you'll gain with search engines.

Why are inbound links important to search engines?

They look at inbound link to measure the authority of the page that the link point to

What does "rank" mean?

This is your sites approximate ranking in search engine results

What happens when you select the individual keyword phrase inside the HubSpot tool?

You can see how that phrase has performed in the past and now

Ultimately, you want to aim for keywords that have

a higher search volume with low competition

You want to aim for keywords that have

a higher search volume with low competition.

Pick Keywords with

a substantial monthly search volume

What are online directories and why are they important for SEO?

are websites like Yelp, Yellow Pages, and local chambers of commerce.

Your research should always begin with your

buyer personas

Your personas represent

the searchers who will become your visitors, leads, and ultimately, customers & promoters.

Keywords are

the words typed into search engines. Basically, they're the topics that searchers are trying to learn more about.