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The 2015 SEO "Rule Book" with Lauren Polinsky

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ConvergeSouth
ConvergeSouth

The document outlines Google's search algorithms and provides rules for search engine optimization (SEO). It discusses how Google learns about websites from various sources and compiles relevant terms within its algorithm. It then provides five rules for SEO: 1) Learn your audience, 2) Make useful content for your users, 3) Ensure your content is mobile friendly, 4) Engage on social media to build relationships, and 5) Earn citations and links from various sources to build your brand beyond your website. The goal is to understand how users interact with your content and provide information that solves their problems easily across all devices.

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1© 2014 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CONFIDENTIAL Presented by: Lauren Polinsky Associate Director, Merkle, Inc. @laurenpolinsky www.linkedin.com/in/lpolinsky @merklecrm www.linkedin.com/company/merkle
2© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The New SEO “Rule Book” • Google’s Search Patents • Rule #1: Learn Your Audience • Rule #2: Make Content • Rule #3: Be Mobile Friendly • Rule #4: Get In On the Conversation • Rule #5: Earn Citations
FIRST, A LITTLE ABOUT GOOGLE
4© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Google Knows References Review Sites News Outlets Website Info OTAs Patent: Assigning terms of interest to an entity 8,589,399, 3/26/12
5© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Google Learns Patent: Assigning terms of interest to an entity 8,589,399, 3/26/12
6© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Patent: Assigning terms of interest to an entity 8,589,399, 3/26/12 Google Learns Google identifies similar terms and related phrases from sources
7© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Google Learns Those relevant terms are compiled within its algorithm Patent: Assigning terms of interest to an entity 8,589,399, 3/26/12
8© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Google Learns All information gleaned is weighted & organized Patent: Assigning terms of interest to an entity 8,589,399, 3/26/12
9© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Google Learns Information about the brand is displayed in the most useful search result type for each query Patent: Assigning terms of interest to an entity 8,589,399, 3/26/12
10© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. • SERP layout depends on unique queries & personal history • User actions from SERPs are analyzed and incorporated into positioning And Google Tests
© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?
12© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
13© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. • Content should be created for your users • FAQs • Help/Tutorial Videos • Infographics • Tools: • Google Keyword Planner • Google Search Console • Wolfram Alpha • SEMRush ($) • Moz ($) Learn Your Audience: Segmentation
14© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. • Content should be created for your users • FAQs • Help/Tutorial Videos • Infographics • Tools: • Google Keyword Planner • Google Search Console • Wolfram Alpha • SEMRush ($) • Moz ($) Learn Your Audience: Segmentation
15© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. • Content should be created for your users • FAQs • Help/Tutorial Videos • Infographics • Tools: • Google Keyword Planner • Google Search Console • Wolfram Alpha • SEMRush ($) • Moz ($) Learn Your Audience: Segmentation
16© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. • Content should be created for your users • FAQs • Help/Tutorial Videos • Infographics • Tools: • Google Keyword Planner • Google Search Console • Wolfram Alpha • SEMRush ($) • Moz ($) Learn Your Audience: Segmentation
MAKE CONTENT
18© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. • Educate to purchase • Detail the products or services • Use internal linking • Describe the non-brand • Tools: • Google Keyword Planner • Google Search Console • Analytics • Majestic ($) • Moz ($) Learn Your Audience: Conversion Funnel Website navigation should include links to pages targeting the highest search volume phrases
19© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. • Educate to purchase • Detail products + services • Provide business history • Use internal linking • Tools: • Google Keyword Planner • Google Search Console • Analytics • Majestic ($) • Moz ($) Learn Your Audience: Conversion Funnel
Reference Guide: Google Analytics Use these menus to view how users arrive and how they interact with site content Understand which channels & sites are most valuable How many pages viewed? What pages cause people to leave? Does my site load fast enough? After they arrive, what pages do they click on next?What URLs bring people to my site? What do they type in the search box? Find which social networks provide most engagement Use Advanced Segments for custom audience groups
21© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Beef Up Site Content • Identify and fill in gaps in content based upon keyword research • Incorporate target search terms throughout Information Architecture • Use hubs of content to organize relevant pages together Home Page Hub2 PR Request s Contact News + Articles Advice Teenagers Product Reviews About NAV 1 / All NAV 2/ Filtering NAV 3 Single Content Pages Suggested Page Content Hubs Ask a Q Photos Videos News Photo Pages Video Pages Detail3 News + Articles Co Parentin g For Parents Books Positive Parenting Tips Technique s Our Writers
22© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Utilize Microformats within HTML • Schema.org • Invented in 2011 by Google, Bing, Yahoo, & Yandex • Open Graph • Used by Facebook to extract additional meaning • developers.facebook.com/tools/debug/ • JSON • JavaScript markup • RDFa • Markup extension of HTML5
23© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. BE MOBILE FRIENDLY
24© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. • 91% of adults own a mobile phone of some sort • 56% of adults own a smartphone • 83% of US smartphone owners use their phone in stores • https://developers.google.com/webmasters/mobile-sites/mobile-seo/?hl=en Think.Mobile.First.
25© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. • Formerly, Google Webmaster Tools; still trends the last 90 days of data • Major Changes: • Search Analytics • Mobile Friendly Tool • International Targeting GSC to Find Current Opportunities
26© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. RULE #4 WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET IN, GET IN.
© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about. - Oscar Wilde
28© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. • Claim brand on appropriate networks • Build conversations on the ones you can manage • Encourage people to create content for you; you curate it against keyword research • UGC content doesn’t have to be on-site • Pinterest boards • LinkedIn Groups • Instagram Build Relationships With Social Networks
29© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. • Facebook is not good for reaching quantities of people* *Unless you pay for it. • Facebook ad builder guides through targeting options • Create unique ads to target unique users • PR Tip: Target by “job role” or “company” to reach journalists • Use your KWR to find audience on FB and amplify your content Facebook Advertising Tactics
30© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. RULE #5 EARN CITATIONS
31© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. • Gain citations and links for your business: • Guest post • Get quoted • Hold an event • Use a variety of sources for citations & links: • OTAs: Yelp, TripAdvisor • News Sources: N&R, WS Journal • Local ‘Zines: Yes!, Rhino Times • Tools: • Google Search Console • Moz ($) • Majestic ($) Build Your Brand Beyond Your Website
32© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. • Gain citations and links for your business: • Guest post • Get quoted • Hold an event • Use a variety of sources for citations & links: • Yelp, TripAdvisor • N&R, WS Journal • Yes!, Rhino Times • Tools: • Google Search Console • Moz ($) • Majestic ($) Build Your Brand Beyond Your Website
33© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. • Provides insights into many aspects of any website • Trust, Authority Metrics • Backlink Count & Quality • Social Sharing • Page Status • Chrome and Firefox Extensions Available, as well as APIs Moz & the Moz Bar
34© 2014 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CONFIDENTIAL 1. Understand how your audience interacts with you at different times 2. Develop content that solves their problems, easily & quickly 3. Ensure your content can be accessed at any time, on any device 4. Prioritize and build followers on select social networks 5. Earn citations and links back to your site on a variety of phrases It’s a Two Algorithm World – Google & the User
Thank you 35© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Lauren Polinsky, Associate Director

More Related Content

The 2015 SEO "Rule Book" with Lauren Polinsky

  • 1. 1© 2014 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CONFIDENTIAL Presented by: Lauren Polinsky Associate Director, Merkle, Inc. @laurenpolinsky www.linkedin.com/in/lpolinsky @merklecrm www.linkedin.com/company/merkle
  • 2. 2© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The New SEO “Rule Book” • Google’s Search Patents • Rule #1: Learn Your Audience • Rule #2: Make Content • Rule #3: Be Mobile Friendly • Rule #4: Get In On the Conversation • Rule #5: Earn Citations
  • 3. FIRST, A LITTLE ABOUT GOOGLE
  • 4. 4© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Google Knows References Review Sites News Outlets Website Info OTAs Patent: Assigning terms of interest to an entity 8,589,399, 3/26/12
  • 5. 5© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Google Learns Patent: Assigning terms of interest to an entity 8,589,399, 3/26/12
  • 6. 6© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Patent: Assigning terms of interest to an entity 8,589,399, 3/26/12 Google Learns Google identifies similar terms and related phrases from sources
  • 7. 7© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Google Learns Those relevant terms are compiled within its algorithm Patent: Assigning terms of interest to an entity 8,589,399, 3/26/12
  • 8. 8© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Google Learns All information gleaned is weighted & organized Patent: Assigning terms of interest to an entity 8,589,399, 3/26/12
  • 9. 9© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Google Learns Information about the brand is displayed in the most useful search result type for each query Patent: Assigning terms of interest to an entity 8,589,399, 3/26/12
  • 10. 10© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. • SERP layout depends on unique queries & personal history • User actions from SERPs are analyzed and incorporated into positioning And Google Tests
  • 11. © 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?
  • 12. 12© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • 13. 13© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. • Content should be created for your users • FAQs • Help/Tutorial Videos • Infographics • Tools: • Google Keyword Planner • Google Search Console • Wolfram Alpha • SEMRush ($) • Moz ($) Learn Your Audience: Segmentation
  • 14. 14© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. • Content should be created for your users • FAQs • Help/Tutorial Videos • Infographics • Tools: • Google Keyword Planner • Google Search Console • Wolfram Alpha • SEMRush ($) • Moz ($) Learn Your Audience: Segmentation
  • 15. 15© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. • Content should be created for your users • FAQs • Help/Tutorial Videos • Infographics • Tools: • Google Keyword Planner • Google Search Console • Wolfram Alpha • SEMRush ($) • Moz ($) Learn Your Audience: Segmentation
  • 16. 16© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. • Content should be created for your users • FAQs • Help/Tutorial Videos • Infographics • Tools: • Google Keyword Planner • Google Search Console • Wolfram Alpha • SEMRush ($) • Moz ($) Learn Your Audience: Segmentation
  • 18. 18© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. • Educate to purchase • Detail the products or services • Use internal linking • Describe the non-brand • Tools: • Google Keyword Planner • Google Search Console • Analytics • Majestic ($) • Moz ($) Learn Your Audience: Conversion Funnel Website navigation should include links to pages targeting the highest search volume phrases
  • 19. 19© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. • Educate to purchase • Detail products + services • Provide business history • Use internal linking • Tools: • Google Keyword Planner • Google Search Console • Analytics • Majestic ($) • Moz ($) Learn Your Audience: Conversion Funnel
  • 20. Reference Guide: Google Analytics Use these menus to view how users arrive and how they interact with site content Understand which channels & sites are most valuable How many pages viewed? What pages cause people to leave? Does my site load fast enough? After they arrive, what pages do they click on next?What URLs bring people to my site? What do they type in the search box? Find which social networks provide most engagement Use Advanced Segments for custom audience groups
  • 21. 21© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Beef Up Site Content • Identify and fill in gaps in content based upon keyword research • Incorporate target search terms throughout Information Architecture • Use hubs of content to organize relevant pages together Home Page Hub2 PR Request s Contact News + Articles Advice Teenagers Product Reviews About NAV 1 / All NAV 2/ Filtering NAV 3 Single Content Pages Suggested Page Content Hubs Ask a Q Photos Videos News Photo Pages Video Pages Detail3 News + Articles Co Parentin g For Parents Books Positive Parenting Tips Technique s Our Writers
  • 22. 22© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Utilize Microformats within HTML • Schema.org • Invented in 2011 by Google, Bing, Yahoo, & Yandex • Open Graph • Used by Facebook to extract additional meaning • developers.facebook.com/tools/debug/ • JSON • JavaScript markup • RDFa • Markup extension of HTML5
  • 23. 23© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. BE MOBILE FRIENDLY
  • 24. 24© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. • 91% of adults own a mobile phone of some sort • 56% of adults own a smartphone • 83% of US smartphone owners use their phone in stores • https://developers.google.com/webmasters/mobile-sites/mobile-seo/?hl=en Think.Mobile.First.
  • 25. 25© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. • Formerly, Google Webmaster Tools; still trends the last 90 days of data • Major Changes: • Search Analytics • Mobile Friendly Tool • International Targeting GSC to Find Current Opportunities
  • 26. 26© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. RULE #4 WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET IN, GET IN.
  • 27. © 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about. - Oscar Wilde
  • 28. 28© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. • Claim brand on appropriate networks • Build conversations on the ones you can manage • Encourage people to create content for you; you curate it against keyword research • UGC content doesn’t have to be on-site • Pinterest boards • LinkedIn Groups • Instagram Build Relationships With Social Networks
  • 29. 29© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. • Facebook is not good for reaching quantities of people* *Unless you pay for it. • Facebook ad builder guides through targeting options • Create unique ads to target unique users • PR Tip: Target by “job role” or “company” to reach journalists • Use your KWR to find audience on FB and amplify your content Facebook Advertising Tactics
  • 30. 30© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. RULE #5 EARN CITATIONS
  • 31. 31© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. • Gain citations and links for your business: • Guest post • Get quoted • Hold an event • Use a variety of sources for citations & links: • OTAs: Yelp, TripAdvisor • News Sources: N&R, WS Journal • Local ‘Zines: Yes!, Rhino Times • Tools: • Google Search Console • Moz ($) • Majestic ($) Build Your Brand Beyond Your Website
  • 32. 32© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. • Gain citations and links for your business: • Guest post • Get quoted • Hold an event • Use a variety of sources for citations & links: • Yelp, TripAdvisor • N&R, WS Journal • Yes!, Rhino Times • Tools: • Google Search Console • Moz ($) • Majestic ($) Build Your Brand Beyond Your Website
  • 33. 33© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. • Provides insights into many aspects of any website • Trust, Authority Metrics • Backlink Count & Quality • Social Sharing • Page Status • Chrome and Firefox Extensions Available, as well as APIs Moz & the Moz Bar
  • 34. 34© 2014 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CONFIDENTIAL 1. Understand how your audience interacts with you at different times 2. Develop content that solves their problems, easily & quickly 3. Ensure your content can be accessed at any time, on any device 4. Prioritize and build followers on select social networks 5. Earn citations and links back to your site on a variety of phrases It’s a Two Algorithm World – Google & the User
  • 35. Thank you 35© 2015 MERKLE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Lauren Polinsky, Associate Director

Editor's Notes

  1. “Known For” qualities based upon surrounding text “Known for” = representative terms Eg/ [server], [host], [dinner] found in articles and reviews about a restaurant
  2. “Known For” qualities based upon surrounding text “Known for” = representative terms Eg/ [server], [host], [dinner] found in articles and reviews about a restaurant Patent: Assigning terms of interest to an entity 8,589,399, 3/26/12
  3. “Known For” qualities based upon surrounding text “Known for” = representative terms Eg/ [server], [host], [dinner] found in articles and reviews about a restaurant Patent: Assigning terms of interest to an entity 8,589,399, 3/26/12
  4. “Known For” qualities based upon surrounding text “Known for” = representative terms Eg/ [server], [host], [dinner] found in articles and reviews about a restaurant Patent: Assigning terms of interest to an entity 8,589,399, 3/26/12
  5. “Known For” qualities based upon surrounding text “Known for” = representative terms Eg/ [server], [host], [dinner] found in articles and reviews about a restaurant Patent: Assigning terms of interest to an entity 8,589,399, 3/26/12
  6. Parkway Image: http://www.cnyhiking.com/BlueRidgeParkway.htm Native American Image: http://www.native-languages.org/ncarolina.htm Beach Image: http://www.treasurerealty.com/north-topsail-beach.asp
  7. In Facebook's Q2 earnings last year, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the average US consumer spends 40 minutes on Facebook per day.Jul 8, 2015 http://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-time-people-spend-on-facebook-per-day-2015-7 According to this chart from Statista, based on stats from email marketing company BlueHornet, almost 34% of American consumers say they check their email "throughout the day." Mobile is a huge reason for this: The same survey found that consumers look at their phone more than 150 times a day, on average.