The Art of SEO

Table of Contents

Foreword; Preface; Who Should Read This Book; Conventions Used in This Book; Using Code Examples; Safari® Books Online; How to Contact Us; Acknowledgments; Chapter 1: Search: Reflecting Consciousness and Connecting Commerce; 1.1 The Mission of Search Engines; 1.2 The Market Share of Search Engines; 1.3 The Human Goals of Searching; 1.4 Determining Searcher Intent: A Challenge for Both Marketers and Search Engines; 1.5 How People Search; 1.6 How Search Engines Drive Commerce on the Web; 1.7 Eye Tracking: How Users Scan Results Pages; 1.8 Click Tracking: How Users Click on Results, Natural Versus Paid; 1.9 Conclusion; Chapter 2: Search Engine Basics; 2.1 Understanding Search Engine Results; 2.2 Algorithm-Based Ranking Systems: Crawling, Indexing, and Ranking; 2.3 Determining Searcher Intent and Delivering Relevant, Fresh Content; 2.4 Analyzing Ranking Factors; 2.5 Using Advanced Search Techniques; 2.6 Vertical Search Engines; 2.7 Country-Specific Search Engines; 2.8 Conclusion; Chapter 3: Determining Your SEO Objectives and Defining Your Site’s Audience; 3.1 Strategic Goals SEO Practitioners Can Fulfill; 3.2 Every SEO Plan Is Custom; 3.3 Understanding Search Engine Traffic and Visitor Intent; 3.4 Developing an SEO Plan Prior to Site Development; 3.5 Understanding Your Audience and Finding Your Niche; 3.6 SEO for Raw Traffic; 3.7 SEO for Ecommerce Sales; 3.8 SEO for Mindshare/Branding; 3.9 SEO for Lead Generation and Direct Marketing; 3.10 SEO for Reputation Management; 3.11 SEO for Ideological Influence; 3.12 Conclusion; Chapter 4: First Stages of SEO; 4.1 The Major Elements of Planning; 4.2 Identifying the Site Development Process and Players; 4.3 Defining Your Site’s Information Architecture; 4.4 Auditing an Existing Site to Identify SEO Problems; 4.5 Identifying Current Server Statistics Software and Gaining Access; 4.6 Determining Top Competitors; 4.7 Assessing Historical Progress; 4.8 Benchmarking Current Indexing Status; 4.9 Benchmarking Current Rankings; 4.10 Benchmarking Current Traffic Sources and Volume; 4.11 Leveraging Business Assets for SEO; 4.12 Combining Business Assets and Historical Data to Conduct SEO/Website SWOT Analysis; 4.13 Conclusion; Chapter 5: Keyword Research; 5.1 Thinking Strategically; 5.2 Understanding the Long Tail of the Keyword Demand Curve; 5.3 Traditional Approaches: Domain Expertise, Site Content Analysis; 5.4 Keyword Research Tools; 5.5 Determining Keyword Value/Potential ROI; 5.6 Leveraging the Long Tail of Keyword Demand; 5.7 Trending, Seasonality, and Seasonal Fluctuations in Keyword Demand; 5.8 Conclusion; Chapter 6: Developing an SEO-Friendly Website; 6.1 Making Your Site Accessible to Search Engines; 6.2 Creating an Optimal Information Architecture (IA); 6.3 Root Domains, Subdomains, and Microsites; 6.4 Optimization of Domain Names/URLs; 6.5 Keyword Targeting; 6.6 Content Optimization; 6.7 Duplicate Content Issues; 6.8 Controlling Content with Cookies and Session IDs; 6.9 Content Delivery and Search Spider Control; 6.10 Redirects; 6.11 Content Management System (CMS) Issues; 6.12 Best Practices for Multilanguage/Country Targeting; 6.13 Conclusion; Chapter 7: Creating Link-Worthy Content and Link Marketing; 7.1 How Links Influence Search Engine Rankings; 7.2 Further Refining How Search Engines Judge Links; 7.3 The Psychology of Linking; 7.4 Types of Link Building; 7.5 Choosing the Right Link-Building Strategy; 7.6 More Approaches to Content-Based Link Acquisition; 7.7 Incentive-Based Link Marketing; 7.8 How Search Engines Fight Link Spam; 7.9 Social Networking for Links; 7.10 Conclusion; Chapter 8: How Social Media and User Data Play a Role in Search Results and Rankings; 8.1 Why Rely on Social Signals?; 8.2 Social Signals That Directly Influence Search Results; 8.3 The Indirect Influence of Social Media Marketing; 8.4 Monitoring, Measuring, and Improving Social Media Marketing; 8.5 User Engagement as a Measure of Search Quality; 8.6 Document Analysis; 8.7 Optimizing the User Experience to Improve SEO; 8.8 Additional Social Media Resources; 8.9 Conclusion; Chapter 9: Optimizing for Vertical Search; 9.1 The Opportunities in Vertical Search; 9.2 Optimizing for Local Search; 9.3 Optimizing for Image Search; 9.4 Optimizing for Product Search; 9.5 Optimizing for News, Blog, and Feed Search; 9.6 Others: Mobile, Video/Multimedia Search; 9.7 Conclusion; Chapter 10: Tracking Results and Measuring Success; 10.1 Why Measuring Success Is Essential to the SEO Process; 10.2 Measuring Search Traffic; 10.3 Tying SEO to Conversion and ROI; 10.4 Competitive and Diagnostic Search Metrics; 10.5 Key Performance Indicators for Long-Tail SEO; 10.6 Other Third-Party Tools; 10.7 Conclusion; Chapter 11: Domain Changes, Post-SEO Redesigns, and Troubleshooting; 11.1 The Basics of Moving Contennnnnnt; 11.2 Maintaining Search Engine Visibility During and After a Site Redesign; 11.3 Maintaining Search Engine Visibility During and After Domain Name Changes; 11.4 Changing Servers; 11.5 Hidden Content; 11.6 Spam Filtering and Penalties; 11.7 Content Theft; 11.8 Changing SEO Vendors or Staff Members; 11.9 Conclusion; Chapter 12: SEO Research and Study; 12.1 SEO Research and Analysis; 12.2 Competitive Analysis; 12.3 Using Search Engine–Supplied SEO Tools; 12.4 The SEO Industry on the Web; 12.5 Participation in Conferences and Organizations; 12.6 Conclusion; Chapter 13: Build an In-House SEO Team, Outsource It, or Both?; 13.1 The Business of SEO; 13.2 The Dynamics and Challenges of Using In-House Talent Versus Outsourcing; 13.3 The Impact of Site Complexity on SEO Workload; 13.4 Solutions for Small Organizations; 13.5 Solutions for Large Organizations; 13.6 Hiring SEO Talent; 13.7 The Case for Working with an Outside Expert; 13.8 Selecting an SEO Firm/Consultant; 13.9 Mixing Outsourced SEO with In-House SEO Teams; 13.10 Building a Culture of SEO into Your Organization; 13.11 Conclusion; Chapter 14: An Evolving Art Form: The Future of SEO; 14.1 The Ongoing Evolution of Search; 14.2 More Searchable Content and Content Types; 14.3 Personalization, Localization, and User Influence on Search; 14.4 The Increasing Importance of Local, Mobile, and Voice Recognition Search; 14.5 Increased Market Saturation and Competition; 14.6 SEO as an Enduring Art Form; 14.7 Conclusion; Glossary; Colophon;