SEO Master Class - Steve Wiideman, Wiideman Consulting Group

MASTER
CLASS
LOS ANGELES, CA ~ APRIL 11 - 12, 2024
DIGIMARCONWEST.COM | #DigiMarConWest
Steve Wiideman
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
WIIDERMAN CONSULTING
SEO Master Class

wiideman.com
A Beginning to End Look at SEO in a World of AI and Voice Search

● Understand how search engines work
● Be able to find out where your users search
● Know what is required for each discipline of SEO
● Feel confident creating an SEO Plan
● Confidently measure SEO performance

Unbreakable Principles of Search Engine Optimization

The first search engine to rank web pages based on keywords was WebCrawler. WebCrawler
was created by Brian Pinkerton and launched in 1994. It was one of the earliest search engines
to use a "full-text" search approach, indexing web pages and allowing users to search using
keywords.

How to rank a webpage in the late 90s:
1. Keyword in the page URL
2. Keyword in website title
3. Keyword in website description
4. Keyword in the heading
5. Keyword in subheadings
6. Link to page from homepage
Repeat for every keyword, plural, and
misspell you want to rank for, with attention to
density, proximity, prominence, and repetition.

In 1998, Larry Page and Sergey Brin developed a new concept of using links to play as
"votes" rather than keyword matching alone. More links = higher keyword rankings.

Witty webmasters got together in 2004
and linked to George W. Bush's bio
page; later called a "Google Bomb"
manipulating search results using links
that contained the text miserable
failure.
Eventually, improved spam control
systems were put in place. Yet, most of
the SEO industry still try to manipulate
search results using outdated techniques.

https://sitechecker.pro/what-is-google-index/

#2 - yourwebsite.com/robots.txt
#1 - Link to the Document

https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/block-indexing
1. Remove the robots meta tag:
<meta name="robots" content="noindex" />
2. Remove any HTTP Response headers that
include X-Robots-Tag: noindex
3. Review server "bot" blocking settings
4. Submit an XML sitemap file
5. Inspect your URLs in Search Console

https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/how-search-works
1. Offer the most helpful and relevant content,
solving the visitor's intent, not just the
keyword.
2. Be so helpful that other websites mention,
quote, and link to your page continuously.
3. Continuously test how your listing appears
in search engines to maximize clicks.
4. Run periodic user tests and SEO audits.

https://searchengineland.com/google-search-ranking-documents-434141

Relevancy
Visibility
User Behavior

1. What was the name of the first full-text search engine?
2. What did Larry Page and Sergey Brin create to use "votes" instead of
just keyword-matching to rank content?
3. What are the 2 requirements for a page to appear in Google?
4. What are 3 elements that result in a page ranking well in Google?

It's easy to get hung up on Web Search

50% of product searches
start on Amazon
● Amazon 50%
● Google: 31.5%
● Retail or brands websites: 14%
● Reviews websites: 2%
● Social media: 2%

40% of Gen Z choose TikTok
over Google
● TikTok 40%
● Google: 40%
● YouTube: 10%
● Other Social (IG, X, SC): 10%
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/16/technology/gen-z-tiktok-search-engine.html

47% of users prefer Yelp
when exploring local content
● Yelp 47%
● TripAdvisor 36%
● Google Maps 16%
● Foursquare 2%
Source: SimilarWeb (3-months)

99% of users may prefer
Google still over Generative AI
● Google 99%
● ChatGPT 1%
● Gemini 0%
● Claude 0%
● GoPilot 0%

ChatGPT is still currently the
frontrunner in Generative AI.
● ChatGPT 88%
● Gemini 8%
● Claude 3%
● GoPilot 1%

Mobile accounts for as much
as 65% of B2C search traffic.
● Mobile 55-65%
● Desktop 35-45%
● Tablet 2-5%
Right: Restaurant Chain (4/3/24)
https://gs.statcounter.com/platform-market-share/desktop-mobile-tablet

B2B tends to be much lower
for mobile than B2C.
● Desktop 60-75%
● Mobile 20-35%
● Tablet 5-10%
Right: Recruitment Platform (4/3/24)

Websites that are fully compliant with web accessibility guidelines
have a higher chance of ranking well in search engine results.
There are roughly 42.5 million people with disabilities (14%).
● Adults with Other Disabilities 10.4%
● Adults with Visual Disabilities 2.3%
● Children Under 10 with Disabilities 1.3%
https://relevance.digital/the-impact-of-web-accessibility-on-seo/
https://www.cdc.gov/visionhealth/basic_information/vision_loss.htm
https://www.census.gov/topics/health/disability.html

HTTPS (security) as a ranking signal.
According to a survey conducted by John
Cabot, 46% of users wouldn't continue with
a website without an SSL certificate.
Studies suggest anywhere between 50% to
85% of users feel the same.
https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2014/08/https-as-ranking-signal

Users have various intents when performing a search
https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/consumer-journey/micro-moments-understand-new-consumer-behavior/

https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/search-gallery

1. What percentage of e-commerce searches happen on Amazon?
2. Where are Gen Alpha and Gen Z searching if not Google?
3. To rank in Google, we pay attention to content, links, and _______.

Scoring:
If the page passes all 3 Core Web Vitals, award 10 points. If
any item fails, award no points. LCP takes longer than 4 sec.
CLS is greater than .25. FID is at 5ms on desktop On mobile,
LCP is longer than 4 sec,CLS is greater than .25, and FID is
17ms.
Homepage, priority product page, or service page passes core
web vitals tests.
Effective May of 2021, Google has included Core Web Vitals as a
ranking signal. Web Vitals is an initiative by Google to provide
unified guidance for quality signals that are essential to delivering
a great user experience on the web. Each of the Core Web Vitals
represents a distinct facet of the user experience, is measurable in
the field and reflects the real-world experience of a critical user-
centric outcome.
Tools:
Google Search Console Google Pagespeed Insights

Having a warning within search engine results (such as this
one) could dramatically impact user behavior signals and
make a search engine infer that your listing was less helpful
or delightful as alternatives.
Tools:
Google Search Console
Scoring:
Full points are awarded if Google Search Console indicates
that there are no security issues; no points if a warning exists.

Many internet users prefer using a variety of software to
protect their computers. These software programs offer
browser extensions that warn users that a website may not
be safe, which could impact user behavior signals and
search engines to infer that a listing was less helpful or
delightful than alternatives. This ultimately causes
Tools:
Scoring:
Full points are awarded if there are no warnings, no points if a
warning exists.
URLVoid Blacklist Checker

Google has been working toward providing safer results to
searches, as have other search engines. It was announced in
August of 2014 that HTTPS would become a ranking signal,
offering guides (such as this one) and joining campaigns like
HTTPS Everywhere, promoted at Google I/O and other events.
The challenge comes when older-generation webmasters get
mentally stuck in a decade when HTTPS caused slower load
times, or when they present an argument related to call-only
contact information versus web forms or e-commerce. All web
pages should be secure, period.
Tools:
Scoring:
If a website passes the HTTPS test from SSL Labs, it receives
full points. If anything fails, no points are awarded.
SSL Labs Server Test

However, it's acceptable for some folders or HTML files to
be blocked to prevent indexing (such as /thank-you.html),
but no script files should be blocked according to Google.
Some older search engine optimizers believe blocking
scripts may improve "Crawl Budget," which is false. A better
solution for blocking HTML pages is using a robots meta
tag. It's also acceptable to block some third-party crawlers if
you don't want competitors crawling your website.
Tools:
Scoring:
If the robots.txt file allows for crawling without blocking .js,
.css or image files, and declares the path to the site's XML file,
10 points are awarded. If assets are blocked, a maximum of 5
points are awarded. If XML is not declared, 3 points are
deducted. If the website is blocking crawling of the website
altogether (Disallow: /), no points are awarded.
Robots Testing Tool

In January of 2018, Google announced that it would be
using mobile page speed as a ranking signal, and then
updated the announcement in July of 2018, stating, "The
Speed Update is now rolling out for all users." It's also
acceptable to block some third-party crawlers if you don't
want competitors crawling your website. Here is a list we
found that includes the common bots to block.
Tools:
Scoring:
Unless the page's purpose is to render content that users
would expect to be slow, such as an art or photography
gallery, a large infographic or an experience users know
requires additional load time (full points), the score should be
full points if in the green, half points if in the orange, no points
if in the red.
Google PageSpeed Insights

It makes sense that search engines aren't fans of listing search
results that include broken URLs. Their crawlers are also not fans
of finding 4xx errors while crawling within a website.
Webmasters can't control third-party websites linking to expired
content, but they can and should control links within their own
domain. When this happens, search engines may not recognize
improvements to pages deeper within a taxonomy since they
may not crawl as often or as deep if errors exist.
Tools:
Scoring:
If a 4xx error is identified within a crawl using Screaming Frog,
Ryte, OnCrawl, DeepCrawl or any other software, the item is
marked as Fail. Points may be awarded based on the
percentage of 4xx to 200 "okay" status codes. Five points are
deducted for every 10% of broken links found, meaning if 20%
or more of the links are broken, zero points are awarded.
Google Search Console

As the internet evolves, so has the demand for data protection. Google
has made significant strides in ensuring the protection of search engine
users when recommending results. So much, in fact, that advertisers
utilizing the Google Ads platform have seen ads disapproved when the
destination URL of the ads does not include a privacy policy or global
link to information about how the site collects and uses visitor data.
This is discussed within their advertising guidelines here, which uses a
very similar algorithm (Ad Rank) for determining quality as the organic
algorithm (PageRank), the primary difference being that Ad Rank also
factors in an advertiser's maximum bid.
Tools:
Scoring:
If a website offers a link to a valid privacy policy in the global
navigation (typically the footer/bottom of the website), the
site passes this criterion. Valid privacy policies include
information about how the website collects and uses a visitor's
information.
Manual Inspection (No Tool)

With page speed top of mind, using a third-party script manager such as
Google Tag Manager (GTM), Tealium or Adobe Launch, a website can
trigger most JavaScript asynchronously versus a much slower "one at a
time" process, slowing down the load time of a page. Since most
websites use GTM, and it's impossible to know all the various
management systems, we recommends testing with Tag Assistant, a
Chrome extension that determines the use of GTM and identifies
duplicate Google Analytics tags (double-reporting) and errors in tag
configuration.
Tools:
Scoring:
If GTM is detected with Tag Assistant, without errors or
duplicate Analytics tags, the website passes this criterion. Half
points are given if GTM and Google Analytics exist, but with
errors or warnings.
Google Tag Assistant

Google Trends Analyst Gary Illyes, who recommends page load times of
2 seconds or less (Pubcon conference 2017), especially for younger
users. Illyes elaborated shortly afterward on a blog post in Google's
Webmasters Blog, stating, "Making a site faster improves the user’s
experience while also increasing crawl rate. For Googlebot, a speedy
site is a sign of healthy servers, so it can get more content over the
same number of connections."
Tools:
Scoring:
Using any third-party speed tool, such as Pingdom or
GTmetrix, the speed of a webpage can be determined quickly
and easily. Since the homepage is visited more often than any
other webpage on a domain, we use the homepage for this
test, knowing site templates and overall framework aren't too
different within the root domain. If the speed is over 2
seconds, the site fails the criterion.
Pingdom Page Speed Tools

Both Google and Bing recommend the use of breadcrumbs and
schema.org/BreadcrumbList to help users reverse-navigate from the
page they may have landed on from an external webpage or search
engine and to help search engines better understand how a
website's content is organized, categorized and prioritized. Since
Google uses links as a primary ranking signal, the use of
breadcrumbs may also help increase the volume of internal links
from a supportive page to its parent page
Tools:
Scoring:
1. 3 points are deducted if missing schema.org/BreadcrumbList or if
there are errors in the markup.
2. 3 points are deducted if the current page links to itself (should be
unlinked altogether).
3. No points if missing breadcrumbs.
Google Schema Validator
Example
In the table above, a website offering tax services can create four internal
links using the link text "Tax Services," a primary keyword the business may
receive relevant organic traffic from if they were able to rank for it within
search results. This also helps users quickly navigate to the parent page to
see other services offered.

A customer-attracting page is one designed and optimized to attract
and immediately convert customers. For e-commerce websites, these
are categories and product detail pages.
Tools:
Scoring:
1. 2 points if user sees a call-to-action button without scrolling (buy,
purchase, order, etc.)
2. 2 points if the calls to action are sticky buttons
3. 2 points if there is an easy-to-find clickable phone number available
(icon is okay)
4. 2 points if there is an easy-to-find search box for users to search
the website
5. 2 points if the user can identify the benefits of the product or
service without scrolling
Manual Check (No Tool)

Pop-ups in and of themselves are not a ranking signal and can be
extremely helpful for users. Case in point, attorneys often offer a web
chat feature for users in today's world who prefer text over voice
conversations. However, when a user expects to see an article that they
found in a search result and is forced to view a pop-up that has little to
do with that article or their intent to read an article (such as an ad or
spam), it can be annoying and intrusive.
Tools:
Scoring:
1. 10 points if there are no pop-ups or if the pop-up is helpful and
supports the user's original intent
2. 5 points if there is one pop-up that is questionable but not
obtrusive
3. 0 points if there is more than one pop-up or if the pop-ups are
annoying and intrusive

Promoted from "Low Priority" to "High Priority" after multiple
American Disability Act (ADA) crackdowns on websites that aren't
ADA compliant. While there's no data to prove that accessibility is a
ranking signal, Google brings it up in every library they have on SEO
and usability and even offers complete guides on accessibility such as
this one and this one.
Tools:
Scoring:
1. 4 points awarded for having ALT tags on 100% of images
2. 2 points for having an HTML version of each indexed PDF
3. 2 points for using em and rem versus px or pt (Inspect Element)
4. 2 points if videos on the page (test homepage) include captions; 2
points if not applicable

Remember, to Google, links are votes. The more you have, the less value
each vote carries. Less is more.
2014 2024

Working with templates and block
modules to improve the uniqueness of
each page on the website.
● Duplicate headings
● Navigation & super navigation
● Recent blogs/article modules
● Breadcrumbs
● Announcement banners
● Privacy and T&C links
● Site-wide calls to action

● how do you wash a puffer jacket, coat, or vest?
● how do you wear a puffer vest?
● how do you fix or repair a puffer jacket?
● what is a puffer jacket?
● how do you style a puffer jacket?
● what are some puffer jacket outfit ideas?
● how do you style a puffer vest?
● what are some puffer vest outfit ideas?
● how do you remove stains from a puffer jacket?
● are puffer coats warm?
● are puffer jackets in style this year?
● how do you wear a puffer jacket?
● are puffer jackets waterproof?
● are puffer vests in style this year?
● what are puffer jackets made of?
● why are jackets so popular?

Upper-Funnel Landing Pages
martha.com/shop/jackets-coats/puffer
puffer/how-do-you-wash-puffer-jacket-coat-or-vest
puffer/how-do-you-wear-a-puffer-vest
puffer/how-do-you-fix-or-repair-a-puffer-jacket
puffer/what-is-a-puffer-jacket
puffer/how-do-you-style-a-puffer-jacket
puffer/what-are-some-puffer-vest-outfit-ideas
puffer/what-are-some-puffer-jacket-outfit-ideas
puffer/how-do-you-style-a-puffer-vest
puffer/how-do-you-remove-stains-from-a-puffer-jacket
puffer/are-puffer-coats-warm
puffer/are-puffer-jackets-in-style-this-year
puffer/how-do-you-wear-a-puffer-jacket
puffer/are-puffer-jackets-waterproof
puffer/are-puffer-vests-in-style-this-year
puffer/what-are-puffer-jackets-made-of
puffer/are-puffer-jackets-warm

Reviewed By Norma Kamali
Satisfying Google’s E-E-A-T (Expert, Authority, Trust) Signals,
this section tells the user and search engines that they
can trust this page. Add schema.org code per previous
recommendation and lock in structured data and rich
results in Google.
[Learn More About Norma Kamali]

What to Look For What to Avoid
● The linking page is likely to earn links of it's
own over time.
● The linking page is likely to send qualified
referral traffic.
● The linking page is likely going to be seen by
tens of thousands of people over time.
● Links that seem obvious that they were for
search engines, not users.
● Links created using private blog networks.
● Links that can be proven to have been
purchased or incentivized (i.e.: sponsored).
● Links that appear to violate Google link spam
guidelines.
https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies

Attorney Darryl Isaacs in Kentucky hosted an event
on National Bicycle Safety Day, providing free
helmets to kids, which attracted news outlets and
earned links from website Google deemed as "great
votes" for the attorney's webpage.
Tips:
● Brainstorm ideas with the staff
● Enlist college students to spread the word
(the "street team")
● Let the city offices and local news know
about the event far in advance

Applebee's has earned thousands of links to the annual
Veterans Day promotional page, some from military.com
and va.gov, both of which significantly support search
engine ranking efforts. IHOP has National Pancake Day.
The higher the quality of the linking page, the more it benefits
referral traffic and keyword rankings.
Tips:
● Consider promoting the event locally to neighboring
businesses, city offices, and community centers.
● Request a link to the promotional page, but most-
importantly, request a link to your location page, so
guests know "where to go."

Applebee’s
Veterans Day
IHOP
National Pancake Day
Water
Use It Wisely
Canva
Color Pallet Generator
JustPark
Reaction Time Test
Bloomberg
How Americans Die
Buffer
How to Be Happy
The Oatmeal
Design Goes to Hell
Ramsey
Mortgage Calculator
Online Doctor
Perfection

1. What are the Three Disciplines of SEO?
2. Name one technical SEO focal point.
3. Content optimization can be broken into two primary areas:
4. Name one of three quality inbound link attributes.

Large Language Models
A large language model is a super smart computer
program that learns how to use words and sentences,
just like we do, by reading a massive amount of books,
stories, and a controlled amount of internet content.
● Like a word detective: It understands how words
fit together and what they mean.
● Storyteller: It can create its own stories and
poems.
● Language translator: It can help you understand
different languages.
● Always learning: The more it reads, the smarter it
gets!
Generative AI
Generative AI is a type of computer program that can
create new things, like pictures, stories, music, and even
ideas.
● Super Creator: It learns how to make things by
looking at lots of examples.
● Picture Painter: It can draw new images or
change existing ones.
● Imaginative Writer: It can write different kinds of
stories, poems, or scripts.
● Idea Machine: It can even come up with new
inventions or solutions!

● LLMs (Large Language Models) are the
"Learners": They process huge amounts
of text to understand how language
works – the patterns, meanings, and
rules that make up our communication.
● Generative AI is the "Maker": It uses
the knowledge and understanding
gained by LLMs (and other training
data) to create new stuff. This could be
text, images, code, and more.

Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE) is
available in labs.google.com. It gives a preview of what
Google might be rolling out to all users (some already
see it outside of labs).

Factors that may influence "AI Overviews":
1. High-Quality, Trustworthy Content
2. Content Structure & Clarity
3. Address Search Intent
4. Technical SEO

1. Expertise: Demonstrate your site's authority
on specific topics by creating in-depth, well-
researched content.
2. Accuracy: Ensure the factual correctness of
your content. Back up claims with sources
when necessary.
3. Trust signals: Implement elements that signal
trustworthiness to both users and search
engines (e.g., author bios, HTTPS, clear
contact information).

1. Clear headings and subheadings: Organize
content with headings that accurately reflect
the information within each section.
2. Concise writing: Present information in clear,
easy-to-understand language. Avoid overly
complex or wordy sentences.
3. Lists and tables: Use these formatting tools
to present key points and comparisons
succinctly.

1. Target informational queries: Focus on
content that answers questions with a
potentially complex explanation (e.g., "how
to" queries, "what is" inquiries).
2. Diverse perspectives: If applicable, offer
multiple viewpoints within your content. This
can help Google's AI identify your content as
providing a well-rounded overview.

1. Structured data: Implement relevant
schema markup (e.g., FAQPage,
HowTo) to help Google understand
your content better.
2. Fast loading times & mobile-
friendliness: Both are critical factors
for ranking well, even within SGE
features.

1. Ask ChatGPT for how people might search
for your business.
2. Search ChatGPT using those ideas.
3. Analyze the answers and look for
references and links to study.
4. Optimize your presence in referring sites;
also called Barnacle SEO.
5. Make sure your own content has all the
same (and better) information than the
references themselves.

1. What’s the name of the experience coming to Google results?
2. Name two SEO key performance indicators.
3. Name two free tools from Google to help measure performance.

99
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