Slide deck from DotNetNuke SEO (Search Engine Optimization) webinar I presented with Tom Kraak.

1. DOTNETNUKE SEO … a spotlight series webinar Nik Kalyani DNN Corp. Feature Expert:Tom Kraak Seablick Consulting Twitter: #dnn

3. Founded DNN-focused Seablick Consulting in 2005

4. Co-host of DNNVoicePodCast

5. Co-founder of CT DNN user group

6. Blog: seablick.com/blog

8. CONCEPTS: SEO   

9. Search engines are the #1 driver of website traffic for most industries The #1 goal of SE’s is to try to provide the best results based on limited information (1-4 keywords) Better search results = happier searchers Happier searchers = more search/repeat usage More search usage = more inventory More inventory = more opportunity to sell advertising SEARCH ENGINE 101 concepts

10. SEARCH ENGINE WORKFLOW concepts Web Page Link Web Page Link Web Page Link Web Page Link Web Page Link Web Page Search bots (a.k.a. spiders or crawlers) follow links and return information to for the search engine index (www.robotstxt.org lists 298 bots) Cached Pages In Database Update & Refresh Schedule News (hourly) INDEXWeb Page Content Crawl Site + Sitemap.xml Business Rules Algorithm Ancillary Data Sources Fresh (recent) Local Content (standard update) Foundation Database (standard update)

11. Spiders can: Read meta tags, title tags and HTML content. Read URL’s (some read past a ? variable, some don’t). Read some dynamic content. Follow links throughout the site if built into page. Look for STRONG uses of keywords. Look for CONTEXT Look for block of related text, pages with single themes, etc. Spiders can only return what they can read and find Our job is to help them find the right information in the right format SPIDERS, BOTS & CRAWLERS concepts

12. WHAT IS SERP? concepts SERP = Search Engine Results Page Paid Results Organic Results Paid Results

13. Eye-tracking data shows top 1-3 items on a SERP get most users’ attention Page Rank is very IMPORTANT Users seldom look past Page One of results IMPORTANCE OF SERP RANKING concepts

14. RANKING concepts Popularity (Link Analysis) Relevance (Document Analysis) RANKING

15. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via "natural" ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results. -- Wikipedia WHAT IS SEO? concepts

16. On-page = Content and structure of site Off-page = Relationship of site with other sites ON-PAGE VS. OFF-PAGE concepts

17. Using SEO best-practices you can ensure that your website’s rank on SERP for relevant keywords is high GET FOUND! WHY SEO? concepts

18. INSIGHTS: DOTNETNUKE SEO   

19. Follow web standards for skin development Separate content from presentation with CSS Use CSS for page layout Semantic containers – H2, H3 for module titles Write valid (X)HTML and CSS SE-friendly menus to increase “crawlability” Emit plain HTML links vs. JavaScript-driven links SKINS & NAVIGATION insights

20. PAGE SETTINGS insights

21. Make your brand stand out Incorporate keywords Be aware of character limits Target searcher intent Repeat in headline PAGE TITLES insights

22. Describe page content honestly Be aware of character limits Write ad-like copy Incorporate keywords and phrases Don’t always write meta descriptions PAGE DESCRIPTIONS insights

23. Watch for proper internal linking and URLs Check for standards-compliant HTML and CSS Avoid JavaScript/Ajax/Flash for content delivery Press for control over HTML meta tags No Black Hat, no Gray Hat MODULES insights

24. Use keywords and phrases in header tags Place important content in HTML text DNN5 RelocationWidget moves content higher Write semantically meaningful markup Know limits of WYSIWYG editors Pay attention to links and avoid LinkClick.aspx Watch for duplicate content OPTIMIZE PAGE CONTENT insights

25. Describe your content Keep it short Rewrite dynamic URLs to appear static Separate with hyphens Cut down on duplicate (home) pages FRIENDLY URLS insights

26. Use dotnetnuke.com/robots.txt as base Block printer-friendly, landing, and “throw-away” pages Disallow “Privacy Statement” and “Terms of Use” Choose between site and page level exclusion Site: robots.txt Page: <meta name="ROBOTS“ content="NOINDEX"> Point to XML sitemap ROBOTS EXCLUSION PROTOCOL insights

27. SITE SETTINGS insights

28. Recognize limitations of DNN’s sitemap.aspx Use third-party tools or modules/providers to generate sitemap file Submit to all major search engines XML SITEMAP insights

29. Attract editorial, one-way incoming links with link-worthy content Approach associations and business partners for link opportunities Take advantage of social networks Submit to quality, industry-specific (paid) directories OFF-PAGE SEO TIPS insights

30. ANSWERS: AUDIENCE QUESTIONS  

32. Twitter: @techbubble

33. Blog: seablick.com/blog

34. Twitter: @tkraakgoogle.com/support/webmasters/ help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/search/webmaster/ webmaster.live.com seomoz.org seobook.com searchengineland.com seablick.com/blog/seo