seo fundamentals: getting started with seo - punchlime hangout on air - december 4th, 2013
DESCRIPTION
Punchlime General Partners Stanley Sarpong and Olju Man discuss SEO basics to help you get on the right track for Search, and provide you with basic SEO optimization techniques and useful pointers for more information. This Hangout on Air was streamed live and recorded on December 4th, 2013. Watch the YouTube video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfe6cg_GW-k Time codes & presentation structure: 05:05 Contents 05:15 Scope 09:02 Prerequisites 14:20 On-page optimization 40:18 Off-page linking 49:14 Resources Punchlime holds live webinar training sessions each first Wednesday of the month. To keep up to date, add Punchlime to your Google+ circles: https://google.com/+Punchlime Punchlime believes that one of the biggest reasons why startups fail is a lack of customers. Our innovative business model helps ensure the success of our portfolio companies and the ROI of our portfolio companies' investment partners by strengthening in-house capabilities. Punchlime's approach is to devote our top tier team, comprised of senior former Googlers, experienced entrepreneurs, business strategists and venture investors, to enable our portfolio companies to boost customer acquisition and all that it entails. Like Punchlime on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/punchlime Follow Punchlime on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/punchlime Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/punchlime1 Visit our website: http://www.punchlime.com About Olju Man: http://www.punchlime.com/team/olju-man About Stanley Sarpong: http://www.punchlime.com/team/stanley-sarpongTRANSCRIPT
Part of SEO Fundamentals.
Stanley Sarpong & Olju ManPunchlime Webinar.
Getting Started with SEO.
Updated December 2013
First, some facts.● Organic search results:
> 80% end users clicks
< 20% for sponsored ads (PPC)
● On Google SERPs: #1 gets 3.0x > clicks than #2
#2 gets 1.5x > clicks than #3
Source: Search Engine Journal & ComScore
Often heard.
“We have no budget to compete with the big guys.”
“I’m not getting enough sales.”
“How can I improve my ranking?”
“People can’t find us.”
Contents.
1. Scope
2. Prerequisites: Data Infrastructure
3. On-page optimization
4. Off-page linking
5. Resources
Ideal for people.
● Starting out with SEO
● Basic understanding of HTML
● Have content below 50 pages
● Hope to rank for a handful of related terms and need SEO infrastructure
Objectives.
● Quick wins to boost your sales and increase your visibility
● Framework for good SEO infrastructure
● Actionable tips to get started with basic SEO building
Verify site ownership.
Source: Google Webmaster Tools
Why verify? http://goo.gl/sa1ddW
Set up analytics.
Start measuring data even when you're not
ready to use it.
Every page should include.
● Unique title
● Unique meta description
● Descriptive anchor text for every link
● URL structure
● Unique content
● Image tags (if any images)
Title: Example.
<title>The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia</title>
Title.
● Displays in organic search results.
● General recommendations:○ Add relevant keyword(s)○ Should be unique○ Customize each title per landing
page
Meta description: Example.
<meta name="description" content="Find breaking news, multimedia, reviews & opinion on Washington, business, sports, movies, travel, books, jobs, education, real estate, cars & more.">
Meta description: Example 2.
<meta name="description" content="Monta is soccer legend Edgar Davids’ fashion label, offering inspirational urban styles for men, women and children around the world.">
Meta description.● Why should you use meta description?
○ Helps Google to understand what your
website is about and helps you with ranking
○ Helps your CTR on organic search
● Recommendations:
○ Use keywords intelligently
○ Write compelling description
○ Keep between 150-160 characters
Anchor text: Room for improvement.
For more information on our product specifications, click here.
Anchor text: Good example.
For more information, please read our product specifications.
URL Structure.
● Create a site structure with clear hierarchy and links
● Use descriptive URLs (words & hyphens)
● Use main and sub categories, for example:○ http://montasoccer.com/shop/○ http://montasoccer.com/shop/monta-sports/○ http://montasoccer.com/shop/monta-
sports/t-shirts
URL Structure: Sitelinks.
More info on sitelinks: http://goo.gl/bJufAV
Produce original content.
● Use relevant keywords naturally in your text.
● Include terms people would use to find your service/product (e.g., "street soccer shoes," not "athletic footwear")
Keyword research.
● Create list of keywords that you want to be ranked for and create content
● Research search terms through Google Adwords keywords tool
● Consider short tail and long tail keyword strategies
Images.
● Add an image alt tage to your photos to be found on Google Images
● Place ‘commercial’ keywords first● For instance: soccer shoes monta
<img alt="soccer shoes monta">
External link building.
● Gain authentic links● Get involved
○ Prioritize finding a potential community on existing forums, blogs, or social media sites.
○ Look for and reach out to the right target group to do guest blogging.
To rank well, provide an awesome service or product, then attract buzz: links, +1s, likes,
comments, shares, followers, retweets...
Social media marketing.You likely have limited resources. ● Think holistically: Create an identity on key sites,
participate, connect with users
● Focus your energy where your audience hangs out
● Leverage your authentic strengths○ CEO likes to tweet○ Salesperson enjoys Facebook○ Developer already on Google+
Tools.
● Google PageRank checker: Check your PageRank
● Open Site Explorer: Explore backlinks and anchor text
● PageSpeed tools: Improve your website speed
Webmaster and SEO resources.
Visit Webmaster Tools:
www.google.com/webmasters
Engage with SEO Community
www.moz.com
