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SMX West 2014 Takeaways The Part Deuce Created by @ Matt_Dimock of .

SMX West 2014: The Best of the Best Takeaways - Part Deuce

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This is the second of a two part series for what I considered to be the best of the best takeaways from my visit at SMX West in San Jose of 2014. Inside you'll find internet marketing tips for improving your search engine optimization (primarily local SEO), mobile SEO, link building & social media strategies. I even have some of the talking points from the Q&A session with Matt Cutts from Google.

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Page 1: SMX West 2014: The Best of the Best Takeaways - Part Deuce

SMX West 2014

Takeaways

The

Part DeuceCreated by @Matt_Dimock of .

Page 2: SMX West 2014: The Best of the Best Takeaways - Part Deuce

Table of Contents

Social

Linking

Mobile

SEO

Food for Thought

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Page 4: SMX West 2014: The Best of the Best Takeaways - Part Deuce

Social“Create a Google+ account so you can setup authorship.

Doesn't mean you have to use it.”- Danny Sullivan

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Page 5: SMX West 2014: The Best of the Best Takeaways - Part Deuce

Social“Don't focus so much on creating endless streams of

contenton Google Plus Local.”

- Adam Dorfman

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Social

“Customize your Google+ page. Use a banner, images & video to differentiate yourself from competitors.”

- Adam Dorfman

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Social“Google+ description doesn't impact rankings much, but

great for driving funneled traffic to landing pages.”- Adam Dorfman

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Social“Use the Open Graph Metabox WordPress plugin to

customize how blog posts display on social platforms.”- Greg Gifford

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Linking“If you buy links, just make sure we are aware of it.”

“The computers NEVER forget.”- Duane Forrester

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Linking

Q: “Should I proactively disavow bad links?” �A: “Yes, if there is a worrisome amount. Disavow at domain

level.”

Q: “Can you show all bad links in GWT so we can disavow bad ones?

A: “No, but we give you 100,000 links to review.” �- Matt Cutts

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Mobile

“People should be thinking about mobile first.We'll be more likely to show mobile search errors.”

Q: “What is mobile friendly?” �A: “There are different good strategies.

But DON'T redirect all pages to the home page!” �

Q: “Will mobile site ranking impact desktop rankings?” �A: “Not likely.

- Matt Cutts

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SEOUnderstanding Hummingbird

“Google is trying to understand the intent, context and entities of a search.”

- Marcus Tober

Hummingbird is about three things:1. Contextual search2. Conversational search3. Semantic search

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SEOExample of Contextual Search

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SEOExample of Conversational Search

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SEOExample of Semantic Search

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SEOUnderstanding Hummingbird

• Pre-Hummingbird, 4/10 ranking pages matchedfor semantic searches. Post-Hummingbird: 9/10.

• As a result, # of unique domains dropping week by week.

• There was no increase to knowledge graph integrations.

• Hummingbird is a work in progress.Created by @Matt_Dimock of .

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SEOHummingbird Tips

• Incorporate Google Instant suggestions withinyour content.

• Write conversational content!

• Consider an FAQ page.

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SEOUnderstanding Schema

“You should include structured data on your website tocapitalize on rich snippets.”

- Janet Miller

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SEOTypes of Schema

• Creative Works• Embedded non-text objects• Organization• Event• Person• Local Business• Product• Review

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Page 23: SMX West 2014: The Best of the Best Takeaways - Part Deuce

SEOSchema Tips

• Only use what’s relevant to your business.

• Use video schema

• Use aggregatedreviews schema

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Page 24: SMX West 2014: The Best of the Best Takeaways - Part Deuce

SEOUnderstanding Local SEO

“Create iconic pieces of content that are locally targeted!”

“Blog about your community on your local landing pages; don't be vain!” - Greg Gifford

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SEOLocal SEO Tips

• Easiest way to identify a Google Places page: look for a map.

• No custom categories = sucks for niche businesses.

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SEOLocal SEO Tips

• Dot your i‘s and cross your t’s.

• Great local aggregator tools:• Localeze• Info USA• Acxiom

• Using geographic modifier in Google Places listing = OK!

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SEOLocal SEO Tips

• If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.

• Google states not to manually merge Google Plus/Places.

• Use consistent themes for local listings.

• Apple Maps reaches 23% of smartphone users.

• Google Places = highest priority for directory building.

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SEOLocal SEO Tips

• Prioritize directory building (quality 1st, suckiest 2nd):• Yext• Moz Local

• Bing Local = easiest directory to claim.

• Yahoo Local = hardest directory to claim.

• Email YP support for directory verification help.

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SEOLocal SEO Tips

• Only pay for enhanced listings on Yelp as test pilot.

• Maintain consistent NAP & use company e-mail.

• Capitalize on Barnacle SEO!

• Vertical directories are ranking very well recently.

• Use City, ST in content, URL, metas & alt tags

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SEOLocal SEO Tips

• Embed a Google Map.

• Toll free call tracking #’s =BAD for SEO.

• Local call tracking #’s =OK for SEO.

• Sponsor local events & createlocal event guides.

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Page 31: SMX West 2014: The Best of the Best Takeaways - Part Deuce

SEOLocal SEO Tips

• Create a local resource directory.

• Build links to local landing pages.

• Build directories within your niche.

• Rebranding your local business will be a huge endeavor.

• Threshold for # of reviews needed to rank well.

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SEOLocal SEO Tips

“If you want to kick @$$, and you’re all out of bubblegum,

you have to build citations.”- Greg Gifford

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SEOLocal SEO Tips

• Unstructured citations still count!

• Clean up citations & expect big results.

• Local SEO tools:• Whitespark• BrightLocal• PlacesScout

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SEOQ&A with Matt Cutts

Q: “Will new TLD domainsinfluence better rankings?”.� A: “No.”�

Q: “Is filtering out hack sites a priority?”.�A: “Very important priority. Helping people identify via GWT.”

Q: "Are Penguin updates on a 6 month refresh interval?”.�A: “It depends on what we have in the works, but yeah.”

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SEOQ&A with Matt Cutts

“If you got hacked and repaired it,it should not affect your rankingsfor long term.” �

Q: “Can iFrames be read?” � A: “They can.”

Q: “When will you update theGoogle Webmaster Tools keyword data?” �A: “It's on the list. Not sure when.”

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SEOQ&A with Matt Cutts

Q: “Is there AuthorRank?” �A: “ AuthorRank is used in one way:in-depth articles!”

Q: “Do we need to be worried aboutnegative SEO?” �A: “I don't think so. We try to make sure our algorithms are negative SEO resistant.”

“We're also working on the next generation of Panda. DON'T PANIC! It'll appear more fierce to a small %.” �

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SEOQ&A with Matt Cutts

“Some themes Google will beworking on this year:mobile, SSL and JavaScript.”

“We're looking at revampingWebmaster Academy.”

“Don't just talk about recent events. Put it into context. Give historical insight!”

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SEOQ&A with Matt Cutts

Q: “How do you prioritize yourmarketing efforts?”

• Content

• Usability

• Social Media

• Link Building

• SEO

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Page 40: SMX West 2014: The Best of the Best Takeaways - Part Deuce

Food for Thought“The measurement of successful SEO has changed. �

Stop relying on just ranking reports!”- Janet Miller

“If your traffic for IE8 looks like it drops for a few weeks, don't panic. It'll only be temporary.”

- Matt Cutts

“We are at the end of stupid for this industry.”- Brian Clark

“It's not just our jobs to setup the sites and walk away.”- Justin Sanger

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Page 41: SMX West 2014: The Best of the Best Takeaways - Part Deuce

Food for Thought“Data has got to become a bigger part of our jobs.”

- Unknown

“2/3 of sales require more than one click for completion.”- Brad Geddes

“Panda updates daily behind the scenes;Penguin about every 6 months.”

&

“Unblock your CSS files so Google can properly crawl your site.”

- Matt Cutts

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Page 42: SMX West 2014: The Best of the Best Takeaways - Part Deuce

The End

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