DEMYSTIFYING SEO. Laura Kempke Senior Vice President Schwartz MSL

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1 DEMYSTIFYING SEO Laura Kempke Senior Vice President Schwartz MSL

2 Topics We ll Discuss PR tactics that affect SEO Linking techniques that may boost SEO but fantastic content is more important Sharing content via social media adds visibility Tracking progress and measuring success

3 What Can Weigh Down Your Search Rankings? Some things PR can t control Website technology URL structure Page load speed Coding errors Site age Heavy use of technologies like Flash Exclusion of a site map

4 Other Factors Positively Impact Search And they re within PR s control Use of keywords prominence and repetition of terms people really use High-quality, fresh web content Links from authoritative websites (e.g., media sites) Popular social media content that includes links to the site Consistency We can impact: On-page SEO = factors internal to site Off-page SEO = link-building

5 Keywords: Research and Use Them But don t let them get in the way of good writing Terms people really use when searching If a list doesn t exist, create one Google Analytics Go to Traffic Sources section to try to see what terms bring people to your website; exclude paid search and branded terms and other tools will let you explore keywords and understand how competitive it will be to rank for them

6 Content: Make it Compelling and Shareable Videos and webinars Images Presentations and image galleries Articles and white papers Blog entries Infographics and illustrations Cartoons Case studies and profiles Surveys Newsletters Podcasts and audio News releases

7 Linking: Use Anchor Text to and Within Your Site In online content, include keywords in links to your site Business phone systems can help employees save time vs. click here for information about business phone systems One to several words, not long phrases or sentences Go beyond the home page to link to second- and third-level pages Link within your site, or between your blog and site

8 Linking: Get Links from High-Authority Sites Outstanding content encourages linking Older tactics, such as getting into online directory listings and commenting on blogs, can help, but they shouldn t be the core of your strategy Google frequently updates its algorithms, seemingly to deemphasize anything other than compelling new content Links in media coverage and from.gov and.edu sites can be some of your most valuable Ask partners for links Steer clear of consultants who say they can get hundreds or thousands of links quickly

9 Social Media: Converging with Search People sharing your content, with links, on social sites increases its authority in the eyes of Google and Bing May counterbalance traditional factors (e.g., site age) Google search results increasingly personalized, localized Google+, Twitter, public LinkedIn results show up prominently in search results Social media directly supports search If you aren t using social media but care about search, reconsider involvement in social media Superb content is shared, which has SEO value Use your keywords Traffic from social sites is measurable using Google Analytics

10 Search Engines: Sharing Signals Content Quality Social media directly supports search

11 Blogging: The Foundation of Social, Content and SEO Strategies Continuously add fresh, pertinent content to your site Extend time spent with your content Promote via other social platforms to build links Headlines should be short and include a variation on a keyword Invite guest posts and contribute to others blogs Quality links matter don t rush for quantity without a strategy No comment spam

12 Determine Metrics and Measure Progress Search engine results page rankings matter, but aren t the only result to consider Increased site traffic or conversions Use Google Analytics or other analytics software for tracking Include calls to action on landing pages If visitors aren t spending time on your site, clicking deeper into the site or converting, your keywords may be bringing in the wrong people More high-quality inbound links Able to hold conversions steady, but decrease PPC budget

13 Google Analytics: Easy, Free Place to Start

14 In Sum: Recommendations Set goals Search engine results page placement is important, but not everything Work alongside online marketing team PR may not own the company s web presence, but you control a lot of content Know and use your keywords Use links Understand that SEO doesn t replace quality content creation

15 THANK YOU