how does google's hummingbird update impact your seo efforts?

How Does Google’s Hummingbird Update Impact Your SEO Efforts?

NetElixir University Guest Expert Series

About NetElixir

NetElixir is a global search marketing agency headquartered in Princeton,NJ.

We specialize in applying mathematical models to drive exceptional searchMarketing results for our clients like UllaPopken, Lenovo, K-Swiss and Oneida.

Follow us! @NetElixir

www.NetElixir.com

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About NetElixir University

• NetElixir University was launched in 2012 with a vision of “democratizing the digital marketing industry through exceptional knowledge and expertise sharing.”

• Through monthly webinars and quarterly seminars, we hope to provide the tools & knowledge to help people become better search marketers.

NetElixir University

Who is Steven Pope?

• Steven Pope is eCommerce Marketing Manager at Ulla Popken, a leading women’s plus size clothing retailer.

• He has 5+ years of experience in every aspect of

digital marketing strategy and execution. He specializes

in SEO.

• Steven has an MBA from Western Governors University, and a BS in Communication from Weber State University.

My Personal SEO Experience

• I’ve used all leading enterprise SEO tools, including Conductor Search Light at my present and previous company.

• I’ve done complex, end-to-end SEO implementations for multiple firms.

• Steven’s SEO Trivia:

A Higher Education company I worked for, StraighterLine, wanted to rank for algebra terms. I paid a professor to create 100 math videos all titled around how people search for algebra, and got one landing page to rank for 20 keywords on page 1!

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Hummingbird and its impact on SEO

 The smallest extant bird species is a hummingbird, the 5-cm Bee Hummingbird. They hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings12–80 times per second.Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hummingbird

Google is changing

Announced September Google Changes

• Non-provided Keyword Data• Hummingbird

What’s a “search algorithm?”

• That’s a technical term for what you can think of as a recipe that Google uses to sort through the billions of web pages and other information it has, in order to return what it believes are the best answers.

Why is it called Hummingbird?

• Google told us the name comes from being “precise and fast.”

Hummingbird Myths

• Search is dead • Hummingbird is just another Panda/Penguin.• Hummingbirds hitch rides on the backs of geese as they migrate south.

Previous Google Updates:

Penguin Panda

De-ranked Spam Sites De-ranked Low Quality Sites

Hummingbird is a Much Bigger Game Changer

New Search Engine.

Hummingbird “Humanizes” Search

• Relevant content based on “User Intent.”− Previously a search query weighed all words equally, Hummingbird is smarter to

figure out a user’s true intent.

• Conversational Search − Search 2012: “plus size clothing”− Search 2014: “Siri: Where can I buy plus size clothing”

• Keyword stuffing will become a thing of the past. Imagine if every post was keyword stuffed, that would get annoying… It’s all about natural content now. It’s less about keywords and more about content now.− Instead of asking “what keywords will users be searching for” we need to ask “what kind

of information are users looking for?”

3 Quick Ways to Optimize Your Site Today Post Hummingbird

1. Decrease your website page load times to below 2 seconds. − I used Edgecast, a paid service to cache my site. Went from 5-seconds to 1.− If you have internal IT resources, challenge them to reduce speeds. Start with photos,

these are generally the worst culprit, then look at tags/pixels.− Test your speeds at free sites like www.Pingdom.com

2. Create a content strategy, increasing/starting blog production.− Quality > Quantity− Post 1-3 times a week minimum− Each post focuses on 1-3 keywords repeated 2-3 times.

3. Begin to optimize on “conversational search.”− Content strategies can segment on mobile search queries.

My Personal Take

• SEO is in its infancy.• I think Keywords are going to become hyper

segmented due to mobile• I think SEO is one of the hardest marketing

initiatives to get organizations to adopt, requiring months/years of buy-in and re-buy-in requiring conversations across multiple departments.

• Larger business will increasingly dominate search.

Questions Please

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Thank You!

Questions? Email marinn@netelixir.com or tweet with hashtag #NetElixirU & we’ll get back to you!

For access to free SEO and SEM tools, visit www.LXRMarketplace.com Steven Pope

eCommerce Marketing ManagerUlla Popken USA@NewAgeMarketer