1. Search Engine Optimization: Rankings, Tactics & Trends I.How Search Engine Rank Pages II.Best Practices for Effective SEO III.Hot Trends in Search www.seomoz.orgwww.seomoz.org – ingest daily for best rankings

2. How Search Engines Rank Pages www.seomoz.orgwww.seomoz.org – worth reading as often as possible Most Common Theories: Dartboards Horseshoes Drunken Wagers Complex AI-like algorithms

3. Relevance through Text & Concept Matching www.seomoz.orgwww.seomoz.org – like finding an ROI needle in a haystack Text Matching: Terms on the Page Terms on the Site Terms on Pages Linking to the Site Important Areas (title tags, headlines, etc.)

4. Links as Votes www.seomoz.orgwww.seomoz.org – fires on all the search cylinders Google’s initial “PageRank” model pre-supposed that links could be interpreted as editorial votes for the quality & relevance of a page

5. Recent Upgrades to Search Algorithms Historical Data –Past Rankings –User Visits –Site Performance Temporal Data –Rate of New Content –Rate of Inbound Links Registration Data –Who Owns the Site? –What Other Sites do they control? Social Data –Bookmarking –Branded Searches –Navigation www.seomoz.orgwww.seomoz.org – smarter than the average blog

6. Best Practices for SEO www.seomoz.org/beginners.php www.seomoz.orgwww.seomoz.org – smarter than the average blog

7. Accessibility A search engine is, essentially, a different type of visitor, like a user with a screen reader or one that has poor eyesight. Clean URLs Simple Site Architecture Indexable, HTML Content www.seomoz.orgwww.seomoz.org – smarter than the average blog

8. Keyword Targeting KW Research – What do Your Visitors Search for? Important Keywords Belong in: –Title Tags –Meta Description Tags –Headline Tags (H1, H2, etc.) –HTML Text Content –The “Anchor Text” of Links www.seomoz.orgwww.seomoz.org – smarter than the average blog

9. Duplicate Content Problems www.seomoz.orgwww.seomoz.org – read by search marketers far and wide

10. Design & Usability ➔ Attract More Links ➔ Inherently More Accessible ➔ Encourages Positive User Behavior ➔ Builds Better Brand Association www.seomoz.orgwww.seomoz.org – the next big thing

11. Link Building www.seomoz.orgwww.seomoz.org – a force for good on the web

12. Hot Trends in Search www.seomoz.orgwww.seomoz.org – you've got a friend in search “ My Schwetty Balls are Delicious” (sorry – couldn't resist)

13. The Accuracy of Alexa www.seomoz.orgwww.seomoz.org – oh the places you'll go

14. Personalization in Search www.seomoz.orgwww.seomoz.org – your search is over

15. Google's Market Share Dominance ComScore Numbers Google ~ 70% Yahoo! ~ 18% MSN ~ 9% Ask ~ 2% Rand's Numbers www.seomoz.orgwww.seomoz.org – SEO at the end of the rainbow

16. Linkbaiting www.seomoz.orgwww.seomoz.org – just what the webdev team ordered

17. Leveraging UGC for Search www.seomoz.orgwww.seomoz.org – just what the webdev team ordered

18. “Web 2.0” Revenue Models www.seomoz.orgwww.seomoz.org – just what the webdev team ordered - Contextual Text Ads - CPM Banner Ads - “Freemium” Business Models - Paid Inclusion for Traffic

19. Additional Resources This Presentation Online at: www.seomoz.org/2007/bostonseo.ppt Beginner's Guide to SEO www.seomoz.org/beginners.php www.seomoz.org/beginners.php Search World Blogs www.searchengineland.com www.searchengineland.com www.marketingpilgrim.com www.seomoz.orgwww.seomoz.org – this is the end my friend