RTONZ Online Marketing Program Capabilities & Benchmarking SEO Essentials Search Engine Optimisation Chris Adams RTONZ Online Marketing Program Facilitated by: Miles Media Program Facilitated by:
The Essentials 1. Why does SEO matter? 2. SEO as part of integrated marketing 3. SEO in 6 Steps 4. Resources & Links
SEO 360⁰ White Paper
SEO 360⁰ Search Engine Optimisation Program for Tourism wanaka Summary of Resources & Best Practices April 2011
Smart Balance of Paid & Organic PPC = Pay Per Click advertisements
SEO in 6 6 Essential Steps in Building Organic Traffic
SEO 360⁰ - The Essentials. The 6 building blocks of SEO 360⁰ 1. Content is King 2. XML Site Map 3. Optimize Content 4. Improve Inbound Links 5. Social Media Marketing 6. Migration Plan (if moving to a new site)
SEO 1: Invest in Content
Source: *Google Analytics >200,000 Competitor Matrix: Content vs. Audience Website Traffic Monthly Visits* As of May 2011 180,000 160,000 3 140,000 120,000 100,000 1 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 Source: Google Analytics 22 2 5 25 4 11 16 6 7 17 23 15 13 9 24 14 10 12 Pages of Content** 1,000 2,000 5,000 10,000 30,000
SEO 2: Add a Search Engine Friendly (XML) Site Map www.yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml Should conform to open standard developed by search engines: http://sitemaps.org Should be linked to Content Management System so as content is added or updated the XML Site Map is automatically updated
SEO 3: Optimise Content Manual and Automated Updates of SEO Elements Define targeted keywords and phrases Optimise all content against these search terms Ensure all content has appropriate SEO elements
Essentials of SEO Elements 1. Keyword Research. Target keyword list. 2. Customize SEO elements to each page. 3. Mixture of manual & automated additions.
SEO 360⁰ Target Keywords/Search Terms 1. based on Keyword Research & review of content 2. use these targeted keyword during optimisation of content 3. Run keyword ranking report to see where your site ranks against these terms things to do in wanaka wanaka tourism things to do in wanaka attractions in wanaka wanaka attractions events in wanaka wanaka festivals whats on in wanaka wanaka free events wanaka events whats on wanaka Priority Terms: define 30-50 words/terms Secondary Terms: develop 30-50 additional words/terms
Essentials of SEO Elements 1. Title Tag: 60-70 characters, most important words first. 2. Visible Text: Headings, sub headings, content 3. Meta Description: Call to action. 150 characters max. 4. Alt Tags: 3-5 words. Descriptive. 5. Meta Keywords: 20-30 most important words or phrases
To Do: Manual Updates Review and update the SEO elements on the top 20-50 new pages.
To Do: Automated Updates Use a rules based approach to loading SEO elements for other content. See document.
Rules Based Example: Title Tag First Part of Title Tag. 1-4 words consisting of primary title, tags or description eg: Your Destination events (Wanaka events). Second part of Title Tag. Title or Detail of content eg: Mountain Bike Festival Third Part of Title Tag Standard term: Your Destination New Zealand Title tags of approximately between 6-12 words. Examples: Wanaka Events Mountain Bike 2012 Festival Wanaka New Zealand Wanaka Activities Lake Wanaka Kayaking Guide Wanaka New Zealand
SEO 4: Improve Inbound Links 1. Inbound links are a major driver of search engine rankings & hence traffic 2. Focus on quality sites rather than quantity 3. Authoritative sites esp: important eg: Council, Universities, Dept of Conservation 4. Also highly active, relevant tourism sites: eg: Tourism NZ, major operators 5. Ensure anchor text includes your targeted keywords 6. Research your current & potential links using Open Site Explorer www.opensiteexplorer.org
To Do: Linking Updates Email your tourism businesses and ask them to update their links.
SEO 5: Build Social Media Impact Ensure your press releases are distributed & shared online and include links to your site
Encourage Sharing from Your Site.
Blog or encourage others to blog
SEO Update 1. Baseline Report. Preparation of a baseline keyword ranking and activity report. Completed. 2. XML Site Map. Work with wanaka Tourism to update XML site map so it includes all pages. Completed. 3. Keyword Research & Target Keyword List. Research & prepare target keyword list based on SEO & SEM resources. Completed. 4. Major Pages Updated. Work with wanaka Tourism to update SEO elements on major pages based on target keywords. Completed. 5. Guidelines for New Site. Best practices for manually & automatically creating SEO elements for new site. Completed (to discuss with wanaka Tourism)
SEO Update contd. 6. Migration Rules. Ensure migration to new urls is carefully handled incl. individual 301 redirects for all top pages. Completed (to discuss with wanaka Tourism) 7. Link to Us Page. Work with wanaka Tourism to develop Link to Us Page. Completed. 8. Link to Us Email. Deliver suggested text and instructions for linking email to wanaka Tourism members. Completed (wanaka Tourism still to send out email) 9. Linking Strategy. Identify partners to develop or update inbound links, incl. targeted anchor text. Contact. In Process. 10. Progress Report. Prepare updated keyword ranking and activity report. In Process progress report included below.
To Do: Linking Updates Continue to work with key partners to add links or update anchor text
To Do: Update Authoritative Sites Update the Anchor Text on these critical sites.
To Do: Referral Links Contact partners who have significantly increased or decreased referral traffic
Essentials of SEO Elements Best Practices for SEO Elements on New Site 1. Title Tag: 60-70 characters, most important words first. 2. Visible Text: Headings, sub heading using target keywords 3. Meta Description: Call to action. 150 characters max. 4. Alt Tags: 3-5 words. Descriptive. 5. Meta Keywords: 20-30 most important words or phrases
To Do: Manual Updates Review and update the SEO elements on the top 20-50 new pages.
To Do: Automated Updates Use a rules based approach to loading SEO elements for other content. See document.
SEO 6: Migration Plan Ensure all top pages (minimum 50, ideally 100-200+) are directly mapped to new urls via individual 301 redirects Update inbound links with correct urls Set up customised 404 error page to direct users to the correct pages SEE EXAMPLE AT RIGHT
The Essential (& FREE) SEO Tool Kit 1. Robust Analytics eg: Google Analytics: www.google.com/analytics 2. Keyword Research Tool - eg: Google Keyword Tool https://adwords.google.com/select/keywordtoolexternal 3. XML Site Maps: http://sitemaps.org 4. Google Webmaster Tools: www.google.com/webmaster 5. Page Ranking Tool http://www.google.com/toolbar 6. Quantcast Audience & Affinity Information www.quantcast.com 7. Open Site Explorer Linking Strategy Research Tool www.opensitexplorer.org
6 x Key Reminders - SEO 360⁰ Final Reminders: 1. Prioritize SEO it is critical. 2. Invest in Content 3. Optimize Content (Title & Meta Tags, XML Site Map) 4. Build Quality Inbound Links 5. Integrate with your other online marketing