The Art of SEO: Mastering Search Engine Optimization / Edition 3

by Eric Enge, Stephan Spencer, Jessie Stricchiola

Overview

Three acknowledged experts in search engine optimization share guidelines and innovative techniques that will help you plan and execute a comprehensive SEO strategy. Complete with an array of effective tactics from basic to advanced, this third edition prepares digital marketers for 2016 with updates on SEO tools and new search engine optimization methods that have reshaped the SEO landscape

Novices will receive a thorough SEO education, while experienced SEO practitioners get an extensive reference to support ongoing engagements.

• Comprehend SEOÃ?¢??s many intricacies and complexities
• Explore the underlying theory and inner workings of search engines
• Understand the role of social media, user data, and links
• Discover tools to track results and measure success
• Examine the effects of GoogleÃ?¢??s Panda and Penguin algorithms
• Consider opportunities in mobile, local, and vertical SEO
• Build a competent SEO team with defined roles
• Glimpse the future of search and the SEO industry

Visit the book website (http://www.artofseobook.com) for FAQs and to post your own burning questions. You'll have access to special offers and discounts on various SEO tools and services. You can also get exclusive access to instructional videos related to the concepts in the book by sending an email to [e-mail].

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781491948965
Publisher:	O'Reilly Media, Incorporated
Publication date:	09/05/2015
Edition description:	3rd ed.
Pages:	992
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 2.00(d)

About the Author

Eric Enge is the founder and CEO of Stone Temple Consulting, a leading SEO firm that serves a wide variety of companies, including a number of Fortune 100 companies. He writes regular columns in Search Engine Land and Search Engine Watch, and has also provided feature articles to SEOmoz. The interview series he publishes on the Ramblings about SEO blog (http://www.stonetemple.com/blog) regularly provides information directly from senior people fro Google and Microsoft on a regular basis. Eric is also a highly regarded speaker, and regular speaks on Internet marketing topics at conferences such as Pubcon, Search Engine Strategies, Search Marketing Expo, the American Marketing Association, SEMPO, Internet Retailers, O'Reilly, Web 2.0, and many others. You can also see content published by Eric on a regular basis by following him on Twitter (@stonetemple) or putting him in one of your circles on Google+ (+Eric Enge).

Stephan Spencer is an internationally recognized SEO expert, Internet entrepreneur, sought-after professional speaker, and bestselling author. He is the author of Google Power Search and coauthor of The Art of SEO and of Social eCommerce, all published by O’Reilly. He is the host of the podcasts Marketing Speak and The Optimized Geek. Stephan produces and presents the 3-day training intensives Traffic Control and Passions into Profits. He is producing a video-based SEO training and coaching program at ScienceOfSEO.com.



Stephan founded the interactive agency Netconcepts in 1995 and grew it into a multinational SEO firm, with dozens of staff in each of its U.S., New Zealand and China offices. Stephan invented a pay-per-click SEO technology called GravityStream which contributed millions annually to the bottom line; indeed the technology was responsible for the majority of Netconcepts’ revenue. Netconcepts was acquired in 2010 by Covario. Covario was in turn acquired by the multi-billion dollar ad agency conglomerate Dentsu Aegis in 2014. Stephan's clients since the acquisition have included Zappos, Sony, Chanel, Quiksilver, Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy Canada, Fluor, CNBC, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Despegar, and IEEE, among others.



Stephan has spoken at hundreds of Internet marketing events, including all the major conferences in the search and ecommerce industries (SES, SMX, PubCon, Internet Retailer, Shop.org, eTail, etc.). He’s been a contributor to Search Engine Land, the Huffington Post, Multichannel Merchant, Practical Ecommerce, DM News, and MarketingProfs, to name a few. Stephan is an avid blogger. He blogs at StephanSpencer.com, ScienceOfSEO.com, NaturalSearchBlog.com, BusinessBlogConsulting.com, and ChangesForGood.org.



Stephan is on the board of Impact Network, a nonprofit that builds and operates schools in Zambia. Stephan holds an M.S. in Biochemistry from the Universityof Wisconsin-Madison.



Connect with and follow Stephan on Facebook (StephanSpencerSEO), Twitter (@sspencer), Google+ (+StephanSpencer), and Pinterest (stephanspencer).

As the founder of Alchemist Media, Inc., a San Francisco search engine marketing company, Jessie Stricchiola began her search engine optimization career in 1997. For the past five years, she has been a guest speaker at each of the search industry's leading conferences including Incisive Media's Search Engine Strategies Conferences, Danny Sullivan's Search Marketing Expo, WebmasterWorld's PubCon, ad:Tech, WebGuild, and Shop.org. As one of the original nine founders of SEMPO (the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization), she served for two years on the Board of Directors for the organization. Jessie has been interviewed by numerous trade publications and media outlets,
including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Wired Magazine, The Washington Post, SearchEngineWatch.com, CNET.com, CNBC, NPR, and The BBC. Her work on click fraud is featured in The Google Story by David Vise.

Table of Contents

Foreword xix

Preface xxi

1 The Search Engines: Reflecting Consciousness and connecting Commerce 1

The Mission of Search Engines 2

The Market Share of Search Engines 2

The Human Goals of Searching 2

Determining Searcher Intent: A Challenge for Both Marketers and Search Engines 5

How People Search 9

How Search Engines Drive Commerce on the Web 14

Eye Tracking: How Users Scan Results Pages 14

Click Tracking: How Users Click on Results, Natural Versus Paid 16

Conclusion 22

2 Search Engine Basics 23

Understanding Search Engine Results 21

Algorithm-Based Ranking Systems: Crawling, Indexing, and Ranking 30

Determining Searcher Intent and Delivering Relevant, Fresh Content 41

Analyzing Ranking Factors 49

Using Advanced Search Techniques 53

Vertical search Engines 65

Country-Specific Search Engines 74

Conclusion 78

3 Determining Your Seo Objectives and Defining Your Site's Audience 79

Setting SEO Goals and Objectives 79

Developing an SEO Plan Prior to Site Development 84

Understanding Your Audience and Finding Your Niche 85

SEO for Raw Traffic 91

SEO for E-Commerce Sales 91

SEO for Mindshare/Branding 92

SEO for Lead Generation and Direct Marketing 93

SEO for Reputation Management 93

SEO for Ideological Influence 95

Conclusion 96

4 First Stages of Seo 97

The Major Elements of Planning 97

Identifying the Site Development Process and Players 101

Defining Your Site's Information Architecture 102

Auditing an Existing Site to Identify SEO Problems 106

Identifying Current Server Statistics Software and Gaining Access 116

Determining Top Competitors 118

Assessing Historical Progress 122

Benchmarking CurrentIndexing Status 124

Benchmarking Current Rankings 126

Benchmarking Current Traffic Sources and Volume 127

Leveraging Business Assets for SEO 131

Combining Business Assets and Historical Data to Conduct SEO/Website SWOT Analysis 132

Conclusion 134

5 Keyword Research 135

The Theory Behind Keyword Research 135

Traditional Approaches: Domain Expertise, Site Content Analysis 136

Keyword Research Tools 138

Determining Keyword Value/Potential ROI 166

Leveraging the Long Tail of Keyword Demand 171

Trending, Seasonality, and Seasonal Fluctuations in Keyword Demand 176

Conclusion 179

6 Developing An Seo-Friendly Website 181

Making Your Site Accessible to Search Engines 181

Creating an Optimal Information Architecture 187

Roof Domains, Subdomains, and Microsites 201

Optimization of Domain Names/URLs 207

Keyword Targeting 211

Content Optimization 222

Duplicate Content Issues 226

Controlling Content with Cookies and Session IDs 234

Content Delivery and Search Spider Control 238

Redirects 254

Content Management System (CMS) Issues 263

Optimizing Flash 269

Best Practices for Multilanguage/Country Targeting 275

Conclusion 278

7 Creating Link-Worthy Content and Link Marketing 279

How Links Influence Search Engine Rankings 279

Further Refining How Search Engines judge Links 289

The Psychology of Linking 295

Types of Link Building 296

Choosing the Right Link-Building Strategy 309

More Approaches to Content-Based Link Acquisition 314

Incentive-Based Link Marketing 319

How Search Engines Fight Link Spam 319

Social Networking for Links 321

Conclusion 330

8 Optimizing For Vertical Search 333

The Opportunities in Vertical Search 333

Optimizing for Local Search 338

Optimizing for Image Search 346

Optimizing for Product Search 352

Optimizing for News, Blog, and Feed Search 355

Others: Mobile, Video/Multimedia Search 366

Conclusion 372

9 Tracking Results and Measuring Success 373

Why Measuring Success Is Essential to the SEO Process 374

Measuring Search Traffic 376

Tying SEO to Conversion and ROI 388

Competitive and Diagnostic Search Metrics 397

Key Performance Indicators for Long Tail SEO 435

Conclusion 437

10 Domain Changes, Post-Seo Redesigns, and Troubleshooting 439

The Basics of Moving Content 439

Maintaining Search Engine Visibility During and After a Site Redesign 444

Maintaining Search Engine Visibility During and After Domain Name Changes 445

Changing Servers 447

Hidden Content 449

Spam Filtering and Penalties 455

Content Theft 467

Changing SEO Vendors or Staff Members 470

Conclusion 472

11 Honing The Craft: Seo Research and Study 473

SEO Research and Analysis 473

Competitive Analysis 482

Using Search-Engine-Supplied SEO Tools 487

The SEO Industry on the Web 500

Participation in Conferences and Organizations 504

Conclusion 506

12 Build An In-House Seo Team, Outsource It, Or Both? 507

The Dynamics and Challenges of Using In-House Talent Versus Outsourcing 507

Solutions for Small Organizations 509

Working with Limited Resources/Budget 511

Solutions for Large Organizations 514

Hiring SEO Talent 517

The Case for Working with an Outside Expert 519

Selecting an SEO Firm/Consultant 521

Mixing Outsourced SEO with In-House SEO Teams 528

Building a Culture of SEO into Your Organization 529

Conclusion 530

13 An Evolving Art Form: The Future of Seo 531

The Ongoing Evolution of Search 532

More Searchable Content and Content Types 533

Search Becoming More Personalized and User-Influenced 541

Increasing Importance of Local, Mobile, and Voice Recognition Search 546

Increased Market Saturation and Competition 552

SEO As an Enduring Art Form 554

Conclusion 555

Index 557