1. Week 2: Raising visibility,
awareness and reach for
your online project: SEO
April 23, 2013
Susan Mernit
Knight Circuit Rider,
Oakland Local
Editor/Publisher

2. Type questions here

3. WHO IS THE INSTRUCTOR?
Susan Mernit, Linked In:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/susanmernit
Twitter: @susanmernit
Facebook: Facebook.com/susanmernit
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Today is about using SEO
to increase your search
engine traffic & your
discoverability

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Cheat sheet: What is SEO, exactly, and why
should you care so much? Here’s some info
to know….
Cheat sheet: What is SEO, exactly, and why
should you care so much? Here’s some info
to know….

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Search Engine Optimization: Things to
know
SEO allows internet robots to scan, classify and rank your pages.
•The robots rate your keywords, your links, how often your content is updated,
•and the online tenure and reputation of the sites that link to you.
•Then they score you and make results available to searchers. (Indexing)
“Good” SEO means:
•You come up higher in Google search rankings
•Your pages show up more consistently in search—which increases traffic to your site
•You are indexed against specific keywords and show up (like a place name or topic)
“Bad” SEO means
•No one can find your content when they search online
•Your site is indexed less frequently so you have less fresh results
•You are left out of news story lists, even when you have a story
Learning and doing good SEO is both straightforward and FREE.

7. Type questions here

8. knightdigitalmediacenter.org8
1. What are the basics?
•Check out:
Is Google analytics installed?
•Do you have access?
•Does your site have a
sitemap robots can read?
•Do you have RSS/XML
feeds?

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2. What are you telling—or not
telling-the robots?
Do a site audit:
How many of your headlines mention a place?
--Oakland Mayor runs marathon
How many headlines have a keyword as part of the
title?
Running Festival comes to Oakland
Examples:
Anti-bullying laws pass house
New anti-bullying laws pass Iowa State House
Last milkman parks delivery truck for good
Aberdeen, SD dairy ends home delivery
Examples:
Anti-bullying laws pass house
New anti-bullying laws pass Iowa State House
Last milkman parks delivery truck for good
Aberdeen, SD dairy ends home delivery

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YOUR SEO CHALLENGE: REWRITE THIS!
Neighboring business finds silver lining after fire at Marion
furniture store
SEE The Gazette http://bit.ly/11UbQvl
Or
Grant could go to Maple Bay Park
SEE Traverse City Record-Eagle http://bit.ly/171t0uE
YOUR SEO CHALLENGE: REWRITE THIS!
Neighboring business finds silver lining after fire at Marion
furniture store
SEE The Gazette http://bit.ly/11UbQvl
Or
Grant could go to Maple Bay Park
SEE Traverse City Record-Eagle http://bit.ly/171t0uE

11. Examples: Berkeleyside.com
Best practice: Use your keywords in your headlines—
repeatedly..
Readers know Berkeleyside is in
Berkeley, CA—but robots need to be told
Readers know Berkeleyside is in
Berkeley, CA—but robots need to be told

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Best practice: Use keywords in your headlines &
content
Integrate keywords into your text to be
more discoverable—by robots
1. Know the “best” keywords to drive traffic
to your site and use them
2. Need help? Use Google AdWords to
check popularity of possible keywords to
use : see http://bit.ly/YnrhYz
Check keyword searches in Google Analytics under Traffic Sources Overview
to see what previous queries have been.
Keywords for The Lens, NOLA, 2013

13. Best practice: Good use of SEO results in high search
rankings & more discoverability
Check your search ranking as you work on this.

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Assignment to use SEO to improve visibility (do all or part):
Create a list of SEO-effective headlines you can share with your team as
examples, either from your site, or from local sites nearby (3-5 examples)
Check Google Analytics and see what keywords are used in search queries
you and your team might use more often and deliberately. List them.
Note the % of search referral from Google today and 1 month ago, and share
with our group. Note % changes going forward.
Please post your work by Friday, April 28 so we can
discuss, share, comment before the April 30 class.
Please post your work by Friday, April 28 so we can
discuss, share, comment before the April 30 class.

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Useful resources for SEO and related
BASIC TOOLS
•Google Webmaster tools (google.com/webmasters)
•Google analytics (google.com/analytics).
•Build a sitemap for Google.com robots (Creating a News
Sitemap - Webmaster Tools Help http://bit.ly/YBiep2)
SEO
•Google AdWords: Keyword Tool http://bit.ly/YnrhYz
•SEO tips by Google’s Matt Cutts http://bit.ly/13hO2AJ).
•Beginner's Guide to SEO: http://www.seomoz.org/beginners-
guide-to-seo/keyword-research
•Check your link authority a http://www.opensiteexplorer.org/

16. Type questions here

17. mernit@gmail.com
@susanmernit
http://oaklandlocal.com
Susan Mernit
Knight Circuit Rider,
Oakland Local
Editor/Publisher
THANKS Third class on partners & syndication is April 30, 9 PT

18. knightdigitalmediacenter.org18
Virtual Class: Raising Visibility | Started on April 15, 2013Virtual Class: Raising Visibility | Started on April 15, 2013