Week 4 - SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Meta Refresh redirect

"If you are not redirected in 5 seconds, click here"

302 redirect

"found" or "moved temporarily"

Importance of URLs

- a lightweight onpage SEO signal - seen in the search results so they can attract click-throughs when relevant - search engines index and retrieve pages based on URL

Backlinks

- increasing the number of backlinks to your site is one of the key SEO goals - when a website receives a link from an external website (backlink), some reputation is passed to it

Importance of title tags

- they are a heavy weight on-page SEO signal and the single most important place to include keywords - getting them right has a direct impact in higher rankings - they are displayed as a blue clickable link and are the first thing a searcher sees

Importance of Meta Description Tags

- they are a medium weight on-page SEO signal but don't have direct impact on higher rankings - they play a big role in enticing the user to click-through to your listing - if the searched term (or synonym of it) is mentioned in the meta description it gets bolded which encourages click-throughs

Optimizing images

-add a description in the alt text (2-5 words) - give meaningful file names (2-5 words, can be same as alt texts) - web-friendly images (balance small file size and good quality)

How to improve site speed

-aim for 2 seconds or less to load a page - make image file sizes smaller - compress text and files - minimize the number of requests made - upgrade your web hosting

Importance of Keyword Research

-get the right kind of visitors to your site -identify keywords with high search volume and omit low volume terms -identify content gaps on your website -target keywords that are within your reach

3 steps to how search engines work

1. Crawling (the discovery stage) 2. Indexing (the filing stage) 3. Ranking (the retrieval stage)

Steps to reviewing keyword value and difficulty

1. Get the keyword search volumes 2. Get the keyword difficulty scores 3. Get the keyword rankings 4. Review keywords 5. Assign a relevancy score to the topic

Optimizing URLs

1. Keywords (include main keyword or a close variation) 2. Keep short and concise (around 70 characters before truncation) 3. URLs (set URLs right at the beginning) 4. Stick to conventions (use - instead of _ ) (use lowercase letters)

optimizing Main copy

1. Length (should meet the user's expectations and contain what they have searched for. It should also be long enough so that search engines can understand what the page is about) 2. Keyword usage (avoid repeating keywords too often in main copy. Use synonyms and close keyword variations. write in natural, human-friendly language)

Crawlability Optimization in 5 steps

1. Minimize site errors 2. Use redirects wisely 3. Create and submit and up-to-date XML sitemap 4. Minimize duplicate content 5. Check for indexed pages

Steps to successful keyword research

1. Pick a topic - focus on one topic or theme at a time and imagine what the webpage will look like 2. Brainstorm keywords - research keywords with similar meaning around a closely related topic and focus on quantity over quality at this stage 3. Review keyword value - gather keyword data to help decide how useful the keywords are and whether they are within reach 4. Prioritize keywords - decide which keywords are the most important and which ones your wish to focus more on

Categories of On-page optimization

1. Pre-click (what is visible to the used before they click on a result on the search engine results page) 2. Post-click (what is visible to the user after they click on your listing and land on your webpage)

Ways to optimize your meta description tags

1. Short and concise (2 sentences at most) 2. Keywords (include only your P1 keyword. Not keyword stuffing) 3. Descriptive and engaging (if your page has any unique selling points, list them here to encourage click-throughs)

SEO can be broken down into three components

1. Technical Optimization 2. On-Page Optimization 3. Off-Page Optimization

Types of backlinks that add to your website's reputation

1. Topical backlinks 2. High Authority 3. Authentic backlinks

Optimizing Headings

1. User First (meaningful for user first, not for SEO) 2. Tailoring keywords to page type 3. targeted keywords

Optimizing title tags

1. Work in keywords 2. use the space provided 3. be descriptive and engaging

Importance of image optimization

1. it's a light-weight SEO signal and adds relevancy to the page 2. Alt text is often read out to visually-impaired people through screen readers

Role of social media in the context of backlinks

1. links within social media are also known as social signals 2. they tend not to pass reputation or PageRank so they are different to backlinks 3. the more views you receive the more likely a person will link to your website from their website, in the form of a backlink

Importance of main copy

1. where users should find what they're looking for 2. high weight on-page SEO signal 3. Also known as body text 4. can include hyperlinks 5. Features after the main heading

Features of Technical Optimization

Activities Ranking Factors Technical Help Time Investment Tools

Types of SERPs

Classic (regular results we see on a day-to-day basis) Universal (videos, images, maps/local, shoppings, news) Extended (knowledge graph, direct answers, related question box, app packs, twitter cards)

Key elements for post-click on-page optimization

Headings Main Body Copy Images

How to use metrics to measure performance

Keyword rankings - keyword rankings for a targeted list of keywords Traffic - monthly organic traffic and referral traffic year-on-year Conversions - total # of monthly conversions Links - number of external links

SEO Objectives for non-ecommerce commercial sites

Mostly interested in setting lead generation SEO goals

301 redirect

Moved permanently (recommended for passing reputation)

Types of keywords

Navigational Informational Transactional

SEO Objectives for ecommerce sites

Objectives are often tracking sales and lead conversions

SERP

Search Engine Results Pages. The results you see after you search for a keyword

Off-Page Optimization

The process of enhancing your site's search engine rankings through activities outside of the site. This is largely driven by backlinks, which help to build the site's reputation

On-Page Optimization

The process of ensuring the content is relevant and provides a great user experience. It includes targeting the right keywords within your content and can be done through a content management system.

Importance of setting SEO objectives

They encourage buy-in from key stakeholders They help to formulate your SEO strategy They ensure objectives are met

URL

Uniform Resource Locator

Google Search Console

a free service offered by google that helps you monitor and maintain your site's presence in Google Search Results

Keyword

a word or phrase that a user enters into a search engine to accomplish a task. Usually means just one word, but for SEO can be one or more words

PageRank

an algorithm used by Google Search to rank websites in their search engine results

High Authority backlinks

backlinks to reputable websites pass high levels of authority

Authentic Backlinks

earned on merit. Any sites building phoney links will receive a search engine penalty

Off-page optimization

enhancing a website's search engine rankings through activities outside of the website

Transactional queries

happens at the last stage of the buying cycle and are easier to convert. Competitive as they are targeted on sales pages

Ranking signals used by search engines

keyword presence in title tag loading speed of webpage website reputation

Metrics for measuring SEO success

keyword rankings organic traffic conversions and sales referral traffic link building KPIs

Navigational query

keyword searches for a specific website or webpage

Informational queries

keyword searches used when the searcher is looking for information

Topical backlinks

relevant to your industry and likely to bring in relevant referral traffics

Technical SEO Ranking factors

site speed mobile friendliness HTTPs

Technical Optimization

the process of completing activities on your site that are designed to improve SEO but are not related to content. It often happens behind the scenes

On-page optimization

the process of ensuring the content is both relevant and provides a great user experience

Meta description tags

the short snippet of descriptive test below the URL in SERPs

Short-tail keywords

typically one or two words. less specific. Ex. skiing, ski holidays, snowboards Account for 30% of all search traffic High volume, high competition

Long-tail keywords

typically three or more words. More specific. Ex. "best time to go to Whistler", "self-drive ski holidays France", "best snowboard for all mountain" Account for 70% of all search traffic Low volume, low competition

SEO Objectives for Informational sites

you are more likely to set objectives focusing on brand awareness of website traffic