Search Engine OptimizationDemystified

Girls in Tech

Chelsea Rustrum

Started FreeMania.com when I was 14- Site became lucrative when I was 16- Featured in Wall Street Journal, YM, Netscape and most recently in ShopSmart Magazine and

MSN

Did SEO consulting for start-ups & established businesses throughout college

Worked as a Marketing Manager for high tech company, selling B2B software to SMB market

Currently, run my own projects/websites and do marketing strategy consulting for small to medium-sized businesses

What is Search Engine Optimization?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the processof improving the volume or quality of traffic to aweb site from search engines via un-paid,algorithmic search results.

Source: Wikipedia

SEO Basics

Title Tags What are they? Why do they matter?

LinksWhat impact do links have on SEO?

Content What defines quality content and why is it so important?

SEO Basics: Title Tags

What are title tags?Title tags show up as the clickable links in search results

SEO Basics: Title Tags

Title tags also show up in the title bar of your browser

SEO Basics: Title Tags

Why are title tags important?- They tell the search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing whatcontent is on a specific page- Help search engine decide which results to return first- Are a significant element of SEO

SEO Basics: Title Tags

Hot Tips:- Every page should have a unique ti tle tag- Keep the length to 65 characters or less

- Put your business name behind your keywords

SEO Basics: Links

Why are links important?

Links tells search engines:- That a website exists - How valuable of a resource it is- What subject the content relates to

SEO Basics: Links

Are all links created equal?No. Google counts links as votes for search position ranking andsome votes are worth more than others.

Link value is based on:– Relevancy– Popularity – Link text

SEO Basics: Links

Link TextIf you’re targeting a specific keyword that youwant to rank high on in Google, get links with that text.

Link text is commonly known in the industry as anchor text.

For example: If I want Free Mania to rank high for the searchterm Free Stuff I should have other sites use the link text Free Stuff instead of Free Mania.

SEO Basics: Links

Hot Tips:- Create high quality, unique content, providing a

resource worth linking to- Use social media icons to your advantage on your

blog, website, email blasts- Get one-way links as oft en as possible

SEO Basics: Quality Content

Quality content includes text and is:- Unique- Well-written- Engaging

SEO Basics: Quality Content

Why is quality content important?- It keeps visitors engaged and encourages return visits- Promotes likelihood of getting quality links from other sites- Content will rank higher simply because it’s not like anything

else out there

Excellent resource:http://www.copyblogger.com/

Think Like a Search Engine

That’s all SEO is!

Think Like a Search EngineEvaluating SEO Tactics

Use common sense.

If you don’t think the webpage your creating has quality content with sticking power, change

it until is does.

If an SEO tactic sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

How to Think Like a Search Engine

Google Suggest

How to Think Like a Search Engine

Google AdWords: Keyword Tool

Think Like a Search Engine

What are some SEO tactics you’ve heard about?

Where Does Relevant Traffic Come From?

Today, we’ll talk about:- The anatomy of Relevant Traffic- Where Does it Come From?- Social Media & SEO

Anatomy of Relevant Traffic

Relevant traffic:Doesn't Bounce (immediately leave site)Is Engaged - visits multiple pages and spends time on the siteConverts (buys or requests more information)Comes Back

Anatomy of Relevant TrafficRelevant Traffic used to come from:GoogleYahooEmailType-in

Today, traffic comes from:GoogleFacebookTwitterRSSFlickr YouTubeType-in

Search is Happening Everywhere Search is happening everywhere, not just on Google.

That’s where SEO meets social media. Optimizing for Google is important, but don’t forget about all of the other places people hang out:

- Facebook- YouTube- Flickr- Twitter

Google: Universal Search

Search is now Integrated

Questions?

Chelsea Rustrum

Twitter: @mktgchelseaFacebook: facebook.com/chelsearustrumBlog: mktgchelsea.comEmail: chelsea@rustrum.com