Here are 5 Ways to Adapt Your Content for 2016. These are the most important actions you can take to make sure that your marketing is aligned with the future of SEO. • How to target topics, not just phrases (Semantic Search) • How to incorporate natural language into your content (Voice Search) • How to make visitors happy in ways that make Google happy (User Interaction Signals) This presentation includes the step-by-step process for each of the specific actions that will future-proof your search engine rankings.

1. The Future of SEO
Search Optimization in 2016
Andy Crestodina
Strategic Director | @crestodina
Wine & Web #53
#wineweb

2. blog post
guest post
research
post on another site
keyphrase
keyphrase
@crestodina

3. blog post
guest post
research
post on another site
keyphrase
keyphrase
@crestodina

4. blog post
guest post
research
post on another site
keyphrase
keyphrase
@crestodina

5. blog post
guest post
research
post on another site
keyphrase
keyphrase
Which of these links and keywords affect your rankings?
@crestodina

6. blog post
guest post
research
post on another site
keyphrase
keyphrase
Which of these links and keywords affect your rankings?
@crestodina

7. blog post
guest post
research
post on another site
keyphrase
keyphrase
@crestodina

8. @crestodina

9. 1. Semantic Search
2. Natural Language
3. User Interaction Signals
4. Build Your Network
5. Quality Rater Guidelines
Future Proof your Search Rankings

10. Semantic Search

11. We’ve been working on an intelligent
model...
that understands real-world entities and
their
relationships to one another:
things, not strings.
Amit Singhal
Google

19. website copyright
copyright text
website footer examples
header and footer
website footer definition
at the bottom of the page
designing a website footer
fat footer
guidelines
standards
best practices
usability
content
ideas
inspiration
links SEO
sitemap
social media
navigation
purpose of
responsive
template
Semantically linked to “footer design”

20. website copyright
copyright text
website footer examples
header and footer
website footer definition
at the bottom of the page
designing a website footer
fat footer
guidelines
standards
best practices
Semantically linked to “footer design”
usability
content
ideas
inspiration
links SEO
sitemap
social media
navigation
purpose of
responsive
template

22. 1. Find the words and phrases that are
semantically linked to the phrase you
are targeted
2. Use those phrases within your content
Adapt to Semantic Search

23. Digital Assistants, Natural Language

29. 1. Use sentences that include the
complete meaning
2. Include full questions and full answers
Adapt to Natural Language Search

30. Improve User Interaction Signals

32. The Time on Page / Ranking
Correlation

33. The Time on Page / Ranking
Correlation

34. Anatomy of the “Long Click”

35. 1. Format for Scanners
2. Add Multiple Images
3. Add Video
4. Internal Linking
5. Go Deep
5 Ways to Keep Your
Visitors

38. • Header and Subheaders
• Bullet Lists and Numbered Lists
• Bolding and Italics
• Internal Links
• Multiple Images
Types of Formatting

39. source: How Little to Users Read? NN Group
Users have time to read at most 28%
of the words during an average visit; 20%
is more likely.
Types of Formatting

40. source: 2015 Blogger Survey
What Media are
Bloggers Adding?
@crestodina

42. In a desert of text, images are water.
Give your readers a sip!

43. Build a Network of Content Creators

44. links are credibility

45. more links = more credibility

46. links from credible sites =
much more credibility

47. Source: MOZ Search Ranking Factors 2015
Correlation between links
and rankings

48. Everything in marketing is
based on relationships.

49. lead
@crestodina

50. lead
traffic
conversions
@crestodina

51. lead
traffic
conversions
search
email
social
@crestodina

52. lead
traffic
conversions
search
@crestodina

53. lead
traffic
conversions
rank
@crestodina

54. lead
traffic
conversions
rank
content
links
@crestodina

55. lead
traffic
conversions
rank
content
links
content
relationships
@crestodina

56. There are two kinds of people on the internet
Creators
Contributors
And “lurkers”
@crestodina

57. • Journalists
• Authors
• Podcasters
• Academic Researchers
• Event Producers
And of course...
• Bloggers and blog editors
Who makes content?
@crestodina

58. Two Types of Social Media
Content Promotion Online Networking
Traffic and Branding Relationships with Influenc
@crestodina

59. 1. Weekly Outreach Calls
2. Coffee, Lunch, Beer
3. Mastermind Groups
4. Office Hours
5. Attend Events
5 Ways to Build Your Network
source: 5 Ways to Produce Better Web Content, Orbit Media
@crestodina

60. Office Hours
source: YouCanBook.Me
@crestodina

62. Content Marketing Mastermind
1. 59 minutes on Skype, Hangout or Blab
2. Once per month for one year
3. Agenda:
“What are you doing that we can promote”
“What are you writing that we can collaborate on”
“What are you doing to be more productive?”
“Anyone I know that you want to meet?”
4. Bring a guest each month
5. Miss it twice and you’re out!
@crestodina

63. Get Out There!
...events are the best shortcut

66.  Sit in the front row
 Ask a question during Q & A
 Thank them in person after the
session
 Have them sign a book
 Ask if you can email them to get a
contributor quote later...
Tips for attending events
@crestodina

67. 1. Quote and Mention
2. Contributor Quote
3. Roundup Posts
4. Deep Dive Interview
5. Invite to Guest Post
5 Ways to Collaborate
source: 5 Ways to Produce Better Web Content, Orbit Media

70. Content optimized for search
includes keywords.
Content optimized for social
includes people.

71. YOUR SITE
OTHER SITES
WHERE to publish

72. WHO does the writing
CREATED BY YOU
CO-CREATED WITH
INFLUENCERS

73. Content = 2
Links = 0
Friends = 0
Content = 3
Links = 1
Friends = 2
Blogger vs. Blogging
Collaborator

74. (better links + real connections)
Content = 4
Links = 0
Friends = 0
Content = 6
Links = 2
Friends = 4
Round two...

75. Nice blog, but… This is what great
content marketing looks like.
Round four...

78. If you’re not making friends,
you’re doing it wrong.

79. Publish the Best Piece of Content on
the Topic

80. Google’s Search Quality Guidelines!
source: Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines
@crestodina

81. 1. Content is “Front and Center”
2. EAT: Expert, Authoritative, Trustworthy
3. “Highly Meets” vs. “Fails to Meet”
3 Ways to Meet Google’s Guidelines
source: Brian Dean
@crestodina

82. “Is the content is at the top of the page?”
Put information high on the page, so visitors
can read without scrolling.
Content is Front and Center
source: Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines
@crestodina

83. "Can you trust the source of this content?”
• Expertise
• Authoritativeness
• Trustworthiness
Prove that you’re an expert, or "borrow"
authority by citing sources and other
experts.
E-A-T the Results
source: Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines
@crestodina

84. “Does the content succeed at meeting the
goals of the visitor?”
Page should provide a comprehensive
answer, truly meeting their needs.
Create long, in-depth content that covers
every angle of your topic.
Highly Meets vs. Fails to Meet
source: Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines
@crestodina

85. The Results?
...let’s take a look.

89. Rankings climb for “website
footer design”

90. What was the search
volume?

91. And finally, the traffic...

92. Best of all? It’s attracted
links!

93. Make the best page on the Internet
for your topic. Be the best answer.

99. Thank you!
Andy Crestodina
Strategic Director |
@crestodina
#wineweb

100. These might help...
http://bit.ly/orbitfutureSEO http://bitly.com/contentchem