This document outlines SEO best practices for 2013. It recommends improving on-page factors like content quality to perform well under Google's Panda algorithm. Off-page factors like natural, unmanipulative links are also important due to the Penguin update. Utilizing social sharing, implementing a mobile strategy, and leveraging SEO and SEM together can help maximize organic search impact.

2. How to Impact Your Organic Search:
SEO Best Practices 2013
Pierre M. Fiorini, Ph.D.
Managing Partner
CF Search Marketing

3. Contents
• SEO Review
• What changed in 2013?
• Best Practices
– On-Page SEO
– Off-Page SEO
– Social Signals
– Mobile Strategy
– SEO/SEM Synergy

4. Review - What is SEO?
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) -A way to
improve rankings in organic search
SEM
SEO

5. Review – SEO Why Bother?
• FREE TRAFFIC!!!
SEM/PAID
SEO/FREE

6. Review - How To Do SEO…
• Essentially, 3 things to do…
– ON-PAGE SEO
– OFF-PAGE SEO
– Social Signals

7. Review - How To Do SEO…
• On-Page SEO
– Things you actually PHYSICALLY do to your site…
• Content for your site (Make/Model Pages, etc.)
• Title Tags
• Meta Tags
• Description Text
• Putting up Specials
• Etc.

8. Review - How To Do SEO…
• Off-Page SEO
– Things you do OFF your site…
• Link Building (i.e., links from bloggers, bookmarks, etc.)
• Citations (i.e., local directory listings)
• Social Sharing (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Reddit.com, etc.)
• Etc.

9. Review - How To Do SEO…
• Off-Page SEO – Examples of Links & Anchors
Link & Anchor Text
Example

10. Review - How To Do SEO…
• Social Signals
– What is a “social signal”?
• Likes, Links from SM sites, +1’s, mentions, tweets, re-
tweets, etc., you get from Google+, FB, Twitter,
Reddit.com, Social Bookmark sites, etc.
– Google has definitively said that “social signals”
count in their organic ranking algorithm

11. Review - How To Do SEO…
• The pieces of the puzzle…
GOOGLE
ORGANIC On-Page Off-Page
RANK = Factors + Factors + Social
2013

12. What’s Changed???
• Google’s Panda (2011)
& Penguin (2012)
Updates
• Has Changed SEO
forever…
On-Page Off-Page
Factors Factors

13. Panda Update – (2011-Present)
• The Panda algorithm uses site
metrics to “score” and rank
your site
• The site “Quality Score” is
based on things like:
• Bounce Rates
• Time on Site
• Pages/Visit
• Page Load Time
• Make Your Site Interesting to On-Page
help these factors
Factors
• I.e., Create a GREAT user
experience

14. Penguin Update – (2012-Present)
• Penguin Targets “Web Spam” & Manipulative
“Anchor text”
Google WANTS
Natural Linking
• Bad links can Manipulative
actually hurt Anchor Text
you now
Examples
• Google used
to ignore bad
links for the
most part…

15. SEO Best Practices 2013
• Improve On-Page SEO Strategy
• Elevate Off-Page SEO Strategy
• Utilize “Social Sharing”
• Implement Mobile SEO Strategy
• Leverage SEO/SEM Synergy

16. Best Practices – On-Page SEO
• Make sure content is UNIQUE and WELL-WRITTEN
With Panda, all
sites are given a
QUALITY SCORE –
the better content
you have, the
higher you’ll rank
(Panda Farmer
Update)

17. Best Practices – On-Page SEO
• Avoid “SPAMMY” keyword ladened text…
“Welcome to ABC Dodge. Your
Dodge dealer in Boston, MA
serving Boston Massachusetts and
the surrounding areas of Boston With Panda, all
where Boston is a great city and sites are given a
QUALITY SCORE –
we love the Red Sox in Boston the better content
where you can win FREE tickets if you have, the
higher you’ll rank
you live in the Boston area…”

18. Best Practices – Off-Page SEO
• Make sure your links are as “natural” as
possible…
• Do this by:
– Content Marketing
• Hosting your content on real
blogs (link back to your site) With Penguin, bad
– Guest Posting links can actually
hurt you (Google
• Posting as an expert in area on a used to ignore
real blog (link back to your site) most of these)
– Real “Natural Linking”
• Infographics, etc.

19. Best Practices – Off-Page SEO
• Natural Links are the “Holy Grail” for SEO folks…
• One approach is to use
“Infographics”
– There are other ways to get
natural links…
• Generates tons of traffic and
NATURAL links to your site

20. Best Practices – Off-Page SEO
• Natural links generated by infographic…
Blogger’s talking
about this site and
linking!
NATURAL
LINKS!!!

21. Best Practices – Social Sharing
• “Share” your content on the social networks such
as FB, Twitter, Pinterest, Reddit, etc.
• Here, an “inventory page” is being posted to FB &
Twitter
– This helps the page get indexed and ranked higher in
Google

22. Best Practices – Social Sharing
• Traffic from Social Sharing…
• 1000+ visits
from Social
Media sites
• Sending a
strong “Social
Signal” to
Google

23. Best Practices – Mobile Strategy
• Mobile traffic is on the rise...
• Mobile traffic will surpass desktop sometime in 2013

24. Best Practices – Mobile Strategy
• The best mobile strategy is to make sure that
you show up in Google Map Searches
• You can improve your positions in
the maps by making sure you have
updated “business listings”
• Also, make sure you have a mobile
site and make sure metrics like
page load time, bounce rates,
time on site are good
• Google ranks sites better if they
have a “good user mobile
experience”

25. Best Practices – Mobile Strategy
• How Business listings affect rankings…
• Make sure you are listed in these and have
correct information! (address + phone no)

26. Best Practices – SEO/SEM Synergy
• Make sure you do SEM (PPC + Display) along
with SEO

27. Best Practices – SEO/SEM Synergy
• Make sure you do SEM (PPC + Display) along
with SEO
– PPC & Display helps generate organic traffic
– When both an organic and PPC listing show up,
people are 50% more likely to click on one of your
links
– PPC can generate social signals
– Performance of website is always best when both
SEO & PPC are utilized

28. SEO Best Practices 2013
• Improve On-Page SEO Strategy
• Elevate Off-Page SEO Strategy
• Utilize “Social Sharing”
• Implement Mobile SEO Strategy
• Leverage SEO/SEM Synergy