Learn to code! You’ve heard it before, but starting seems like a monumental undertaking. It’s not. And, even a basic understanding of programming can pay off immensely. You’d be surprised by how much more efficiently and effectively you can work with your developer counterparts once you have a few easy concepts down. In this session, Catalyst’s Paul Shapiro will help get you started. Paul will discuss the fundamental components that make up a computer program and how you can easily leverage them to improve your work as an SEO. You’ll learn about basic concepts like loops, variables, if-else statements, functions, and arrays (they sound scarier than they are!), how to identify specific marketing tasks you do today that can benefit from basic programming skills and knowledge, how to pick your first programming language, and more.

2. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
Just Enough to Be
Dangerous
–
Programming Basics for SEOs

3. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost

4. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
Why should I bother to learn
to code?

5. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
- Self-sufficient, less reliance on software with limitations
- Able to better understand website construction and operation, able to make
more practical recommendation and work better with web developers
- Fewer data limitations
- More efficient and effective work
- Basic literacy

6. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost

7. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
Which programming
language should I learn?

8. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
Which programming language should I learn?
- Don’t worry about it so much. There is not really a
“better” programming language to learn and any
programming language will be useful for the most
part.
- Focus on learning the logic!
However if starting from scratch, I do have a
couple of recommendations…

9. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
Recommendations
1. JavaScript
2. Python

10. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
JavaScript
• An excellent option if you’re
interested in web
development. It’s the
programming language of
front-end web development
and via Node.js one of the
best options for backend
development as well.

11. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
Python
• The better option if you’re
interested in a versatile
programming language that
excels in data analysis and
automation tasks.
Note: Is an interpreted programming language, and isn’t
the best option for GUI software or games

12. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
What You Need for Python…
1. Python
• Latest version: https://www.python.org
• Or if more data analysis focused:
• https://www.anaconda.com/download/
2. Text Editor (with syntax highlighting as a minimum feature)
• Windows
• Notepad++, Sublime, Atom, Jupyter Notebook
• Mac
• TextWrangler, BBEdit, Atom, Sublime, Jupyter Notebook
• Linux
• VIM/Emacs probably, Jupyter Notebook

13. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
Let’s Use Python as Our Example
The Basics

14. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
Hello World (let’s display some text)
1. Open text editor
2. Enter code
print("Hello World")
3. Save as helloworld.py (or *.py)
4. Using command line and execute:
python helloworld.py (python *.py)

15. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
Variables
Yes, like algebra:
If x = 7, then x + 3 = 10.
There different data types of variables:
• Integer (numbers, no decimals)
• Boolean (true and false)
• String (text)
• Etc.
In some programming languages you have to define what type of variable you’re
using. This isn’t the case in Python.

16. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
Variables: Examples
full_name = "Paul Shapiro"
age = 29
is_seo = True
boardgames = ["Gaia Project", "Great Western
Trail", "Spirit Island"]
String
Number, Integer
Boolean
List, type of array

17. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
Variables: Examples

18. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
Conditional Statement
• if, else, elif (else if)
• if condition is true, then do something. Else, do something
different.
subject = { "animal": True, "temperament": “grumpy" }
if (subject["animal"] == True and subject["temperament"] == “grumpy"):
print("animal is a cat")
elif (subject["animal"] == True and subject["temperament"] == "playful"):
print("animal is a dog")
else:
print("It is something else")
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

19. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost

20. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
Conditional Statement

21. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
Loops
• while Loop: loop while a condition is true
• for Loop: loop a specified number of
times, and in Python, iterating over a
sequence (list, tuple, dictionary, etc.)

22. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
Loops – while Loop
i = 1
while i <= 5:
print(i)
i += 1
1
2
3
4

23. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
Loops – while Loop

24. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
Loops – for Loop
boardgames = ["Gaia Project", "Great
Western Trail", "Spirit Island"]
for x in boardgames:
print(x)
1
2
3

25. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
Loops – for Loop
print(x)

26. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
Functions
Re-usable code blocks that can be passed data via “parameters”.
def send_email(address):
print("Email sent to " + address)
send_email("foo@bar.com")
2
3
1

27. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
Functions

28. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
Libraries/Modules
Build your own or use other people’s
expanded code features.
Notable for data analysis:
• pandas
• NumPy
• matplotlib
• tensorflow
import requests
import json
import pandas as pd

29. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
How to Work with APIs
API Endpoint:
http://api.grepwords.com/lookup?apikey=random_string&q=keyword
String is unique
to you
(authentication)
Variable,
changes and
often looped

30. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
How to Work with APIs
http://api.grepwords.com/lookup?apikey=random_string&q=board+games
[{"keyword":"board games","updated_cpc":"2018-04-30","updated_cmp":"2018-04-
30","updated_lms":"2018-04-30","updated_history":"2018-04-
30","lms":246000,"ams":246000,"gms":246000,"competition":0.86204091185173,"co
mpetetion":0.86204091185173,"cmp":0.86204091185173,"cpc":0.5,"m1":201000,"m1_
month":"2018-02","m2":246000,"m2_month":"2018-
01","m3":450000,"m3_month":"2017-12","m4":368000,"m4_month":"2017-
11","m5":201000,"m5_month":"2017-10","m6":201000,"m6_month":"2017-
09","m7":201000,"m7_month":"2017-08","m8":201000,"m8_month":"2017-
07","m9":201000,"m9_month":"2017-06","m10":201000,"m10_month":"2017-
05","m11":201000,"m11_month":"2017-04","m12":201000,"m12_month":"2017-03"}]

31. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
Bringing Some Concepts Together
import requests
import json
boardgames = ["Gaia Project", "Great Western Trail",
"Spirit Island"]
for x in boardgames:
apiurl =
http://api.grepwords.com/lookup?apikey=key&q= + x
r = requests.get(apiurl)
parsed_json = json.loads(r.text)
print(parsed_json[0]['gms'])
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3
4
5
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7
8

32. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
Bringing Some Concepts Together

33. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
Learning Resources
Python
• https://www.learnpython.org/
• https://www.codecademy.com/learn/learn-python-3
• https://learnpythonthehardway.org/
• https://www.lynda.com/
JavaScript
• Learn HTML + CSS first
• https://www.codecademy.com/learn/introduction-to-javascript
• https://www.lynda.com/
• https://www.freecodecamp.org/
Free with most library cards!
Free with most library cards!

34. Paul Shapiro | @fighto | #TechSEOBoost
Thanks a bunch!
–
Paul Shapiro
@fighto
https://searchwilderness.com
Catalyst
@CatalystSEM
https://www.catalystdigital.com