Wondering how to get higher rankings on Google? First you need to know how Google ranks and indexes pages.

1. How Google Works
A Primer on SEO for Google

2. About Search Mojo
• Search engine marketing firm founded in 2005
– Search engine optimization (SEO)
– Pay‐per‐click advertising management (PPC)
– Post‐click marketing
• Offices in Charlottesville, Va. and Denver, Colo.
• Featured in the Washington Post, B2B Magazine, MarketingSherpa, Visibility
Magazine and many blogs, including Marketing Pilgrim and Search Engine
Journal
• Speakers at PubCon and Search Engine Strategies
• Clients include: MazdaUSA, National Geographic, American Heart Association,
Clorox, Taco Bell, Georgetown University
June 8, 2009 www.search‐mojo.com Copyright 2009

3. Google’s Technology Demystified

4. Google’s Informant: Googlebot
• Finds its way through links on websites
Website B
Website A Website C
Page 1 Page 2
Page 2a
• Indexes information on web pages
– Passes information back to the indexing servers
June 8, 2009 www.search‐mojo.com Copyright 2009

5. Website Indexability
• Certain technologies can block Googlebot
from indexing
Website A
– Javascript
– Flash
– AJAX Page 1 Page 2
(all Flash)
Page 2a
June 8, 2009 www.search‐mojo.com Copyright 2009

6. Case Study: National Geographic
June 8, 2009 www.search‐mojo.com Copyright 2009

7. How the Google Algorithm Works
• Complex mathematical equation
• Used to rank websites around a search term in
Google
• Key factors include:
– How often keyword appears in page content
– Quantity and quality of links pointing to site
– Age of the website or page
• Result is a position in the search engine result
page (SERP)
June 8, 2009 www.search‐mojo.com Copyright 2009

8. Keywords: The Foundation of SEO
• How often keyword appears in page
content is important in algorithm and
ranking
• Keywords should be targeted to specific
offering/content
• Keyword tool:
https://adwords.google.com/select/
KeywordToolExternal
June 8, 2009 www.search‐mojo.com Copyright 2009

9. Best SEO Practices for Google

10. Website Content
• Keyword should appear in:
– Filename
– Title tag
– Meta keyword
– Meta description
– Heading tags (H1, H2, etc.)
– Bold text
– Link text
– Overall content of the page
June 8, 2009 www.search‐mojo.com Copyright 2009

11. Meta Description and Title Tags
• Title tag appears as link in search engine ranking
• Meta description appears as description in search engine ranking
• Offers great opportunity to write compelling copy to improve click through
• Ranked sites that show the searched keyword in the title and description
have a higher click through rate than those that do not. (MarketingSherpa)
June 8, 2009 www.search‐mojo.com Copyright 2009

12. Keyword Density
• Number of times a keyword appears in overall
written page content
• Don’t overrun page with too many keywords
– Content should remain readable
– Avoid keyword “stuffing”
• Good keyword density: 2‐4%
• Keyword Density Tool:
http://www.gorank.com/seotools
June 8, 2009 www.search‐mojo.com Copyright 2009

13. Inbound Links
• Inbound links are hyperlinks from one domain to
another
• Google views inbound links as a type of “vote”
from website for another site
• Link Popularity = the number of inbound links
pointing to your website
• Popularity Tool:
http://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com
June 8, 2009 www.search‐mojo.com Copyright 2009

14. Types of Inbound Links
• Three types of inbound links:
– One‐way
Paid Reciprocal Free, One‐Way
• They link to you, but you Linking Linking Linking
do not provide a link back.
– Reciprocal
• You exchange links with
the third party – you have $
a link to them on your site
and they have a link to
you on theirs.
– Paid
• One‐way, but requires
a fee.
June 8, 2009 www.search‐mojo.com Copyright 2009

15. Anchor Text
• Visible, clickable text in a hyperlink
• The more often a keyword appears in
anchor text of inbound links, the more
likely it will rank well for that term in
Google
June 8, 2009 www.search‐mojo.com Copyright 2009

16. How Important Are Links?
• The most important ranking factor for Google
June 8, 2009 www.search‐mojo.com Copyright 2009

17. Case Study: Shea Hedges Group
• Challenge:
– PR firm specializing in working with high tech companies wanted
to rank higher in Google organic rankings for terms like
“high tech PR”.
– Website was under major reconstruction, so content could not be
edited at the time.
• Solution:
– While the content is under development, inbound links were built
to the website with the anchor text focused on the target
keywords, including “high tech PR”.
• Result:
– Within 30 days, the website ranked #8 for the term “high tech PR”
– only through inbound link building efforts.
June 8, 2009 www.search‐mojo.com Copyright 2009

18. Contact Information
Janet Driscoll Miller
Lead Search Strategist
Search Mojo
e: jmiller@search‐mojo.com
o: 800‐939‐5938 x101
t: @janetdmiller, @searchmojo
w: www.search‐mojo.com
b: blog.search‐mojo.com
June 8, 2009 www.search‐mojo.com Copyright 2009