Creating and Implementing an Organic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Strategy Join the Conversation Webinars World Services Group
Guest Speaker: Joseph Beccalori Co-Founder and President Interact Marketing Contributing Speaker: Maricarmen Trujillo Vice President World Services Group Contributing Speaker: Kendall Repka Senior Marketing Coordinator World Services Group Moderator: Jessica Ferdinand Marketing Director World Services Group
Today s Discussion Why Search Engine Optimization? The Basics: How Do Search Engines Work? Getting Started (or Getting Better) Integrating Search Engine Optimization Into Your Marketing Plan Final Takeaways Q&A
Why SEO?
Why SEO? Need to be found by general counsel and other referral sources on page 1 and your brand needs to be supported by search results Connecting the dots (website, WSG, content, social media, ranking authorities) 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine 75% of viewers never scroll past the front page be there! Free branding (organic search) with clear and measurable ROI 70% of the links clicked on are organic, not paid ads http://www.business2community.com/seo/7-seo-stats-will-crawling-excitement-infographic-01000157 http://www.searchenginejournal.com/24-eye-popping-seo-statistics/42665/
The Basics
Top Search Engines: Where are your clients globally? 1. Google 1.1 billion unique monthly visitors 2. Bing 350 million unique monthly visitors 3. Yahoo! Search 300 million unique monthly visitors 4. Ask.com 245 million unique monthly visitors 5. AOL Search 125 million unique monthly visitors http://www.ebizmba.com/articles/search-engines
How do search engines work? Search engine index content (CACHE) Search engine looks to its cache to find documents related to terms entered by user Search engine ranks resulting documents using an algorithm that assigns various weights to ranking factors Search engine uses content from additional sources/sites which support search results (WSG, blogs, articles, press, mentions, social media (LinkedIn, Twitter), ranking authorities) Algorithms are active and continue to evolve Search engine algorithms continue to evolve Search engine uses content from additional sources (WSG, blogs, LinkedIn) Rank resulting documents using an algorithm Search engine indexes content Search cache for related documents
What happens ON your Website? HTML/program code Title tags <title> Meta tags Header tags <h1> ALT image tags Navigation and content Content, content, content (<body>) Hyperlink text Keyword frequency and density URL Images Blogs and RSS feed For more information, http://www.google.com/webmasters/docs/search -engine-optimization-starter-guide.pdf
What happens OFF your website? Commenting on related blogs with links back to your site Social media and bookmarking extensions of your web presence Online press releases free or paid Online review sites Article submission and syndication Online forum posts Development of micro sites and social content for niche content
Getting Started (or Getting Better)
Getting Started Step I: Determine what you would like to accomplish with SEO Step II: Include SEO in your marketing plan Step III: Ensure you are leveraging the right resources and tools Step IV: Continue to evolve and be active
I. What Would You Like to Accomplish? Make sure you understand the market landscape; conduct research on firm s current rankings, how clients search and what competitors are doing Set measureable short-term and long-term goals Own page 1 search results Brand awareness Ensure SEO goals align with marketing goals to maximize results Connect the dots across marketing, PR and online activities
II. Include SEO in Your Marketing Plan Define roles and responsibilities Right people, right roles (Design, programming, content development, analytics) Budget resources Manage accounts Log-in details and ownership Standardize brand elements (content, images, voice ) Include plan for ongoing monitoring and alignment across marketing, PR and online activities
III. Ensure You Leverage Right Resources & Tools Conduct a digital assessment optimizing WSG, website, SEO, social media, industry Leverage traffic sources social media (LinkedIn, Twitter), WSG, blogs, link building, industry/ranking authorities, press and pay per click Implement utilization of online measuring tools Google Webmaster Tools, Google Analytics, SEMRush, Wordtracker, Quantcast and Alexa Maintain content and activity to pull targeted keywords
III. Ensure You Leverage Right Resources & Tools (cont d) Assess your website Domain name Avoid turnkey or proprietary web tools; consider open source frameworks (content management systems) Ensure your system supports key search optimization features Optimize SEO related titles and tags Choose hosting based on feature set Reduce static pages reduce dependency on IT / web guy Links Content Avoid top blunders (flash, heavy images, minimal text, splash pages, animation)
III. Ensure You Leverage Right Resources & Tools (cont d) Targeting and keywords Research keywords and be specific What do currently rank for? What do competitors rank for? Be realistic about targeting criteria Work in the Long Tail More than 40% of searches are more than 3 words Know your audience and think like them! Who are you trying to reach? What problems are they trying to solve? Traditional marketing rules still apply; maintain consistent branding Determine where you need professional help
IV. Continue to Evolve and Be Active Commit to monitoring and analyzing regularly; SEO is not static Determine and implement tools Free tools WSG tools Paid tools Stay up to date on Google algorithms Be prepared to revise plan and activities based on results
Takeaways
SEO Do s
Next Steps WSG and Interact Marketing can help you connect the dots to improve search results: Build an understanding of how clients find your site and your competitors sites Learn what viewers are doing on your site and what content is most relevant Determine goals for SEO; define opportunities to maximize efforts Measure and demonstrate the impact of optimizations you make and course correct as necessary Leverage WSG to optimize search and rankings
If you have additional questions or feedback, please contact us at 713.650.0333 worldservicesgroup.com/alliancepartners.asp Please watch your email for future social media programs: January 2015: Content is King