When Google begs you to follow their SEO guidelines, they want us to keep using them. Here are three SEO tactics that will stand the test of time: 1) Build a machine-friendly website. You want a website that’s easy for a search engine robot to crawl, free from technical errors, loads fast, and one you can view on popular mobile devices. 2) Get relevant links pointing at good content. Link popularity is still the dominant ranking factor. Links on a page are only seen as trust signals if the page itself has trust and authority. 3) Target keywords based on what people actually search. When you target keywords based on user intent, you’ll likely attract more people who take some action.

1. 3 SEO Tactics
That Search Engines Are
Begging You To Use
3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited
NICOLETTE BEARD, DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER

2. How did we get here?
3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited
A BRIEF HISTORY OF SEARCH

3. In the beginning was AOL.
3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited

4. 3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited
AOL
1.2%
Ask
2%
Yahoo
11.8%
Microsoft
19.7%
Google
65.3%
Now there is Google.

5. 3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited
Search engines have evolved
beyond simple formulas.

6. They want your money.
3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited

7. 3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited
Stop chasing
the algorithm.

8. Search results are all different
depending on…
3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited
• What keyword topic you’re searching for
• Which data center you’re getting
• What location you’re searching from
• Whether you’re signed into your Google, Bing
or Yahoo! accounts

9. • What type of device you’re searching from
• If the term is a hot topic, triggering freshness
algorithms
• Whether the search engine is testing a new feature
that day
Search results are all different
depending on…
3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited

10. 3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited

11. 3 long-haul SEO tactics
3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited
THEY’RE BEGGING YOU

12. Build a
machine-friendly
website.
3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited
1

13. That means easy to crawl.
3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited

14. That means easy to understand.
3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited

15. That means ‘juuuust right.’
3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited

16. That means mobile ready & fast.
3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited

17. We’re past the tipping point.
3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited

18. 2Get relevant links
pointing at
good content.
3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited

19. Effective link building is
about balance.
3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited

20. 3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited
Effective link building is
about smart choices.

21. Target keywords
based on what people
actually search.
3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited
3

22. Understand the reasons
people search.
3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited
• Navigational: direct searches for a specific thing
• Informational: question-based, looking for info
• Commercial: may lead to a future purchase
• Transactional: intend to convert (buy or subscribe)

23. 3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited
Don’t leave people confused.
Create content that
answers questions
implied by your
keyword choices.

24. 3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited
Use visual cues in your content.
Use keywords in natural ways
to reinforce that your website
is the right destination.

25. Visual cue 1: Title tags
3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited
• Prominence. Place most important keywords first.
• Proximity. Group keywords in a way that a person
would search naturally.
• Density. One or two variations of your target
keyword helps. Don’t make it read like spam.
• Appeal. Give visitors a reason to click.

26. Visual cue 2: Meta descriptions
3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited
• Compelling. A well-written description can make
the difference between someone clicking your
listing or not. Motivate people to click your listing.
• Unique. Every major page on your site should
have a unique meta description tag. It’s better to
have no meta description than duplicate meta
descriptions.

27. Visual cue 3: File names
3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited
• Influence. While not a ranking factor, keywords
placed here can influence click throughs.
• Exponential influence. Increases the chance that
other sites linking to you will use those names in
their anchor text.

28. Visual cue 4: Header Tags
3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited
• H1, H2, H3, etc. Be sure they make sense to both
the search engines and your human site visitors.
• Logical. Don’t repeat keywords in abnormal ways
just to increase keyword density.
• Not design elements. Use Cascading Style Sheets
(CSS) to modify the size of text found within the
header tags to personalize them for your site.

29. What can we expect?
3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited
PERSPECTIVE FOR THE LONG HAUL

30. These are long-haul tactics.
3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited
1Build a
machine-friendly
website.
2Get relevant links
pointing at good
content.
3Target keywords
based on what
people search.

31. Google changes only
because people change.
3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited

32. 3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited

33. Visit raventools.com
3 SEO Tactics Search Engines Beg You To Use | @RavenNickiB | #MarketingUnited
No credit card now, no obligation later.