Rock Solid SEO.

Big Ideas. Big Challenges. Massive Solutions.

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Grant Simmons
VP of Search Marketing

@simmonet

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Grant Simmons
VP of Search Marketing

@simmonet

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
 Rock Solid SEO.
Big Ideas. Big Challenges. Massive Solutions.

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Rock Solid SEO?

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
“The Rock” Solid SEO

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Why is he called “The Rock”?

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Why is he called “The Rock”?

Not many people know…

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Why is he called “The Rock”?

Not many people know…

Before he was The Rock…

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Things We Will Learn

RSS

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Things We Will Learn
Rock Solid SEO
• Big site strategy
• Big brand strategy
• Big site architecture
• Big site internal linking
• Big site content*
• Big site linking*
• Some ‘The Rock’ stuff
@simmonet #CMSEO2019
There Will Be No Cute Puppies

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
There Might Be a Little Rocky Balboa

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
But No Simpsons

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Feel Free to Leave Anytime

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
 Rock Solid SEO.
Big Ideas. Big Challenges. Massive Solutions.

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Rock Solid
Site Strategy

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Why Strategy First?

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
 Success at anything
will always come down
to this: focus & effort,
and you control both.”

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
 Focus = Yes
Effort = Yes
Unless you have a
development team that
has/does neither.

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Without Focus…

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Without Focus…
A fuzzy picture you
think is of The Rock
is actually a fat
version of Bruce
Willis

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Rock Solid Site Strategy

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Know Your Audience

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Indentify Competition

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Define Gaps / Opportunity

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
 Define Gaps / Opportunity
& Necessary Performance Enhancing Drugs
@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Similar Web is Pretty Cool

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
 Audience
interests

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
 Audience
interests

Audience
visits
these
sites too

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
 Audience
interests

Audience Audience
visits Searches
these this way
sites too

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Other Tools
• GSC
• Google SERP
• People also search for
• Click back
• Related searches
• Media mix
• SEMRush

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Hard Work
• Keyword research
• Topic research
• Content gaps
• Content dominance
• Ideal structure
• Link graph
• Link crap
• Link needs
@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Build Strategy: Brand | Architecture | Content | Link

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Set Timing & Priorities

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Rock Solid Site Strategy
A Story

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Rock Solid Site Strategy
A Story

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Napster vs iTunes
• iTunes launches site
• Built Napster Strategy
• Build genres pages
• Internal linking
• Song / album crawl path
• Profile tags
• Lots of opportunity
• Built plan / timeline
• pages / content gaps
@simmonet #CMSEO2019
 Massive Opportunity
Brilliantly Simple Strategy
A Story

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
 Massive Opportunity
Brilliantly Simple Strategy
“Too Much Work”

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Rock Solid Site Strategy
What to Do?

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Rock Solid Site Strategy
What to Do?

Build “Rockster” J
@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Rock Solid Site Strategy
Launched 3/09

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Rock Solid Site Strategy
Launched 3/09

AdWords Update Medic Update

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Rock Solid Site Strategy
What to Do?

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Rock Solid Site Strategy
Takeaway?
Don’t be Napster

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Rock Solid Site Strategy
Takeaway?
Don’t be an idiot
Na p s ter
Start and grow with a smart strategy
@simmonet #CMSEO2019
@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Rock Solid
Brand Strategy

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
I’m already “Super”… Why do I need a brand?

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
What is a Brand (to Google)?
Known
Location / Company / Author / Product
• People, places, things
• Pulled from Freebase
• Pulled from Metaweb
• Pulled from Wikipedia

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
@simmonet #CMSEO2019
 Brand is…
Frikkin’ Important
(Very technical Term)

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
 Brand is…
A Unique Entity
((that Google understands))

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
 Brand is…
Frikkin’ Important
(Very technical Term)

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
 Brand is…
Frikkin’ Important
(Very technical Term)

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
 Brand is…
Frikkin’ Important
(Very technical Term)

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Brand gives you
Entity* Status
(which rocks!)

*Authority
@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Brand will
also give you
Clicks!
(which rocks more!)

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
The Importance of Brand – Click Study

We did a generic set first

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
The Importance of Brand – Click Study

Then added in brands + mix

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
The Importance of Brand – Click Study

Position
1 2 3 4

Homes 20% 7% 9% 7%

Zillow 54% 39% 39% 35%

Trulia 20% 16% 10% 6%

Realtor 45% 34% 30% 30%

Generic 50% 15% 25% 11%

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
The Importance of Brand – Click Study

Position
1 2 3 4

Homes 20% 7% 9% 7%

Zillow 54% 39% 39% 35%

Trulia 20% 16% 10% 6%

Realtor 45% 34% 30% 30%

Generic 50% 15% 25% 11%

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
The Importance of Brand – Click Study

Position
1 2 3 4

Homes 20% 7% 9% 7%

Zillow 54% 39% 39% 35%

Trulia 20% 16% 10% 6%

Realtor 45% 34% 30% 30%

Generic 50% 15% 25% 11%

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Rock Solid Brand Strategy
Takeaway?
Be a Brand
E nt i t y
an
Google & People Love Things Not Strings
@simmonet #CMSEO2019
@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Rock Solid
Site Architecture

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
@simmonet #CMSEO2019
We’ve all got a site that thinks it
looks like this, but actually looks
like this.

Our content
hiding from
search engines
(and users)

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
John Mueller of Google says…

“if we’re only seeing … URLs

through your sitemap file
then we don’t really know
how these URLs are related to
each other and it makes it
really hard for us to be able to
understand how relevant this
piece of content is in the
context of your website”

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
The Rock says…

“When life puts you

in tough situations,
don’t say ‘Why me?’
just say ‘Try me’.”

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Yoda says…

“Do or Do Not,
There is No Try”

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
What’s Your Point?

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
For big sites, great
architecture is not
an option…
It’s a necessity

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
For big sites, great
architecture is not
an option…
it’s a necessity

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Great Site Architecture
• Plan for users’ needs / intent
• Logical entities / categories / hierarchy
• Cleanest urls possible
• Technical excellence
• Value of content
• Gold at the end of rainbow
• It’s just business!

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Users’ Needs / Intent
Umbrella CONCEPT?
• Main site topic
• Logical sub-topic
• Sub-sub-topic
• Sub-sub-sub-topic
• etc.
What Should Be Under the Umbrella?

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Users’ Needs / Intent - Answers
Umbrella CONCEPT?
• Main site answer
• Sub-topic answer
• Sub-sub-topic answer
• Sub-sub-sub-topic answer
• etc.
What Should Be Under the Umbrella?

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Who are the Beatles?

Organize Logically (Not the same) - Silos

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Users’ Needs / Intent – The Beatles
Beatles
• History: Formation, Early life, Popularity, Where now?
• Venues: Liverpool, Russia, Hamburg…
• Band: John, Paul, Ringo, George
• Other bands: Wings, Traveling Wilburys
• Wives: Yoko, Linda
• Kids: Julien, Stella
• Albums
• Songs
• Details, lyrics etc.

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Logical Categories / Hierarchy

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
 Old

Logical Categories / Hierarchy

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
 New

Logical Categories / Hierarchy

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
 New

Logical Categories / Hierarchy

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Explore What?

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
When You Let Users Organize

Simple. Logical. Wonderful.

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Brand Folks
• We don’t like that word.

• Can we use this word I just made up?

• That’s not the feeling we’re trying to capture.

• Can we put it at the bottom of the page?

• There’s too much navigation.

• Blah di blahdidity blah.

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Brand vs SEO (as user advocates)

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
There can only
be one winner

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
There can only
be one winner

yes…
SEO is sexy

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Cleanest URLs Possible
@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Developers
• We can only do parameter-driven URLs.

• That structure isn’t possible in our CMS.

• We need to have /x/ directory in the path.

• What’s a stop word. We can’t stop those.

• We prefer underscores not hyphens.

• Blah di blahdidity blah.

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Developers vs SEO (as Search Engine advocates)

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
There can only
be one winner

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
There can only
be one winner

yes…
SEO is sexy

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Technical Excellence
• Structured markup
• “Same as’ entity markup – inlinks
• Site speed “doh”
• XML sitemaps (discovery)
• Crawl paths
• Mastery of JavaScript
• Pre / Server rendering

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Non-Technical Excellence (a story)
üStructured markup
• “Same as’ entity markup – inlinks
üSite speed “doh”
üXML sitemaps (discovery)
üCrawl paths
• Mastery of JavaScript
• Pre / Server rendering
• Not really

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Homes.com Traffic (SEMRush)

I joined We launched
The company React site
We launched
J Angular site

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Homes.com Traffic (SEMRush)

I joined We launched
The company React site
We launched
Angular site

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Homes.com Traffic (SEMRush)

I joined We launched
The company React site
We launched
J Angular site

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Homes.com Traffic (SEMRush)

I joined
The company
We launched
J Angular site

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Homes.com Traffic (SEMRush)

I joined We launched
The company React site
We launched
J Angular site

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
JavaScript vs SEO (not a fun experience)

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
There can only
be one winner

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
There can only
be one winner

yes…
SEO *is* dead

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
There can only
be one winner

yes…
SEO *is* deadish

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
There can only
be one winner

yes…
SEO *is* deadish
…But still breathing!
go.homes/ilovehatejavascript

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
There can only
be one winner

yes…
SEO *is* deadish
…But still breathing
go.homes/ilovehatejavascript

thx @g33konaut
@simmonet #CMSEO2019
JavaScript

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
 JavaScript

In case you’re wondering… Not a fan.

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Value of Content

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Find the Gold at the End of the Rainbow

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
What Does That Mean?

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Make Sure Whatever Pays the Bills is Easy to Find

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Quick Question
(Very technical Term)

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Will The Rock ever finish buttoning his sleeve?

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Make Sure Whatever Pays the Bills is Easy to Find

@simmonet #CMSEO2019
Feed the Beast!

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@simmonet #CMSEO2019
End of Pt 1

@simmonet #CMSEO2019