This presentation takes a dive into Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM), as part of an advanced online marketing training that was originally presented to the Austin Chapter of SCORE on September 13, 2013. This course is expected to be repeated at a future date. To learn more, please refer to the local SCORE website at http://austin.score.org/localworkshops/national?page=5.

1. Advanced Marketing on
the Web
Training for SCORE Austin Chapter
September 13, 2013

2. About Tommy Landry
President, Return On Now
Specialty: Internet Marketing
SEO, SEM, Content, Social, Websites, Online Advertising, Web
Analytics, Metrics
20+ Years Marketing
13 Years SEO
9 Years SEM
Lifetime of Content & Social
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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3. Where to Find Me
Twitter
Me: @tommy_landry
Business: @ReturnOnNow
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tommylandry/
Email: tommy@returnonnow.com
Website: http://ReturnOnNow.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReturnOnNow
Google+: Follow Our Page
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
3

4. Agenda
Basics of SEO
Basics of SEM
How Keywords Work
SEO Elements
How to Select Keywords
Anatomy of a PPC Ad
EXERCISE: Optimize a Page
EXERCISE: Audit Real Pages
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
4

5. Basics of SEO
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
5

6. What is SEO?
SEO is the practice of improving and promoting a web site in
order to increase the number of visitors the site receives from
search engines.
Search engine optimization affects only organic search results,
not paid or "sponsored" results such as Google AdWords.
(Google)
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
6

7. The Search Engine Perspective
Goal: Provide the most relevant results
Not a Goal: Highlight sites that want to rank
Mission: Stop manipulation of the system!
Panda, Penguin, EMD, etc.
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
7

8. Basics of SEM
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
8

9. How SEM Functions
Real Time Auction – Dynamic & Constantly Changing
Top Spot For Each Keyword to Highest Bidder
SEM User Experience
Search for a Keyword / Key Phrase
SERP Comes Up – Ads in the Sidebar or At the Top
User Clicks Ad – Vendor Pays What They Bid to Google
User Lands on Vendor Site and (Hopefully) Converts
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
9

10. SERP Screenshot
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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PPC Ads

11. Google AdWords Structure
Account
Typically a Company-Wide Setup Where All Campaigns Sit
Campaign
Set of Ad Groups that Belong Together Based on Targeting
Business Line, Geo-Targeted, Service Offering
Ad Group
Set of Tightly Grouped Keywords
Ads That Show Up When These Keywords Are Searched For
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
11

12. Quality Score: Ties It All Together
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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Keywords
Match Types
Bids / Placement
Campaign Structure
Info vs. Buy Words
Ad Text
Ad CTA
Ad Testing
Landing Page
Quality Score Impacts CPCs

13. How Keywords Work
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
13

14. The Role of Keywords
Search engines operate on matching algorithms
Users search with strings of text / numbers
Keywords are where the searches and algorithms meet
Pick keywords that real users look for
Not what executives think you should rank for (Ego KW)
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
14

15. Finding Good SEO Keywords: Basics
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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Factor Description
Search Demand Monthly Exact Match Searches
Relevance SERP Coherence / Fragmentation
Competition
SEO Competition = # of Pages Targeting
NOT the same as AdWords Competition!
Commerciality Potential Value of Traffic from That Keyword
Qualitative Factors Fails Filters But Still Desired Keyword

16. How SEM Keywords Work: Match Types
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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Match Type Description Syntax
Broad
Catches Everything Including Synonyms,
Misspellings, Any Order, Etc.
keyword
Modified Broad All but Synonyms / Related Searches +keyword
Phrase
All Words Included, Same Order, but Other
Words Present Before / After / Inside
“keyword”
Exact Verbatim Searches Only [keyword]
Negative Filters Out Searches Including This Word -keyword

17. SEO Elements
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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18. SEO Elements
On-Page
Items you control on the actual website that impact ranking
Off-Page
Who links to you and how much authority that drives for
your own website
Social
Social shares and the authority of the sharer, how
trustworthy you are to Google as an individual
Technical
Performance, site structure, crawler management, etc.
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
18

19. SEO Elements: On-Page
Where you put keywords matters.
1. Page Title
2. Meta Description
3. H1 / H2 / H3 Tags
4. Body Copy (1% rule)
5. Image Alt-Tags
6. URL
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
19

20. SEO Elements: On-Page
Where you put keywords matters.
1. Page Title
2. Meta Description
3. H1 / H2 / H3 Tags
4. Body Copy (1% rule)
5. Image Alt-Tags
6. URL
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
20

21. SEO Elements: On-Page Tips
Page Title
Top priority for crawlers to assign keyword relevance
How to Build a Good Page Title
70 characters or less
Keyword up front
Pipes between keywords or concepts
Example: Virtualization Manager | VMware Plugin | Company Name
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
21

22. SEO Elements: On-Page Tips
Meta Description
Always customize your meta descriptions – affects CTR in SERPs
How to Build a Good Meta Description
155 characters or less
Include target keyword and related keywords
Set expectations for the page
Pitch why to click this SERP item over all others (Ads, Re-search, etc.)
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
22

23. SEO Elements: On-Page
Where you put keywords matters.
1. Page Title
2. Meta Description
3. H1 / H2 / H3 Tags
4. Body Copy (1% rule)
5. Image Alt-Tags
6. URL
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
23

24. SEO Elements: On-Page
Where you put keywords matters.
1. Page Title
2. Meta Description
3. H1 / H2 / H3 Tags
4. Body Copy (1% rule)
5. Image Alt-Tags
6. URL
http://returnonnow.com/2013/08/bid-adjustment-google-adwords-enhanced-campaigns/
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
24

25. SEO Elements: Off-Page
Crawlers Use Links To Discover Content
Internal Links: Indicate What Pages Matter Most
External Links: Historically, “Votes of Approval”
How Links Impact Ranking
Anchor Text: Brand, Keywords
PageRank / Authority (aka “link juice”)
Growing Impact (esp. for Local SEO): Citations
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
25

26. On-Page / Off-Page: Caution!
Major Google Updates to Reduce Spammy Activities
Panda (February, 2011 + Ongoing)
Aimed at Low Quality or Deceptive On-Page Content
Spun Content, Broken English, Shallow Pages, Keyword Stuffing,
Bad User Generated Content, Meta Keywords, Duplicate Content
Penguin (April, 2012 / May 2013 + Ongoing)
Aimed at Penalizing Off-Page Link Manipulation
Purchased Links, Link Rings, Link Exchanges, Overoptimized
Anchor Text, Irrelevant Link Sources
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
26

27. SEO Elements: Social Matters Now
Top Variables Influencing Ranking (Search Metrics 2013 Study)
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
27

28. SEO Elements: Technical
Mobile Readiness
Page Load Time / Site Speed (1.5 seconds or less)
Overall Usability
Website Architecture / Ease of Crawl
XML Sitemap
Robots.txt File
404 Errors (Page Not Found) vs. 301 Redirects
Canonical Tags
Google Webmaster Tools Is Your Friend
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
28

29. How to Select Keywords
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
29

30. Keyword Research 101
Step 1: Identify Possible Topics
How to Get Started?
Brainstorm Subjects Related to Your Site / Content
Analyze What Language Competitors or Similar Sites Use
Get Input / Suggestions Internally
Compile It Into a List
What Next?
Go To Google Ad Planner
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
30

31. Keyword Research 101
Step 2: Google Ad Planner
Research Volumes on Candidate Keywords
Get Google to Suggest Other Options
Focus on The Right Match Type
Exact for SEO
All Match Types for SEM / PPC
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
31

32. Keyword Research 101
Let’s Look at the Google Ad Planner
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
32

33. Keyword Research 101
Step 3: Filter the Results
SEO: Use the Criteria on Slide 8
Search Demand, Relevance, Competition, Commerciality
Don’t Forget the Qualitative Review
SEM: Group Into Tight Themes
These Will Be Your Ad Groups
Overlapping Verbiage Is Crucial
Remove Low Volume or Less Relevant Suggestions
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
33

34. Anatomy of a PPC Ad
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
34

35. PPC Ad Components
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
35
Component Character Limit Guidelines
Headline 25
Grab Attention / Specify Topic of Relevance
Consider Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI)
Description Line 1 35
Instill Trust / Show Why You Are Best Choice
Tell What To Expect After The Click
Description Line 2 35
Make an Offer / Incentivize Them to Click
Do Not Carry Over Desc. 1 Message - Unique
Display URL 35
Reinforce the Offer / Close on the Click
“Made Up” URL, e.g. /FreeDemo or /Whitepaper
Destination URL 2,076
Actual URL of Landing Page
Make Sure It Works!
Be Sure The Keyword Shows Up Somewhere in the Ad – Will Be Bolded!

36. PPC Ad Components: Real Ad
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
36
Headline:
Display URL:
Description Line 1:
Description Line 2:
Destination URL Does Not Show

37. Exercise: Optimize a Page

38. Optimize a Page
• Pick a Target Keyword
• Assume This Is a New Page / Article
• Compose the Following
• Page Title
• Meta Description
• Sample ALT-Text
• Recommended Subheads (Outline)
• Good URL
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
38

39. Exercise: Audit Real Pages

40. Audit Real Pages
Please Volunteer One Of Your Sites To Review
9/16/2013
Copyright 2009-2013, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
40

41. Questions?