Google Top 5 results only derives the more organic traffic !

We know from Enquiro’s Eye Tracking Report and the Golden Triangle, that most users’ eyes go to the google top 5 organic results:

Organic Click Through Rate Based on Search Ranking

Many have tried to correlate click-through rates with search rankings, starting with an AOL data leak in 2006, but my preferred click-through rate chart comes from Optify, an inbound marketing software company, who released a report in 2011 called The Changing Face of SERPs. About 38% of clicks go to the first result, and 75% of clicks go to the first 5. This is why SEO is so important: most people don’t go on to the second page, instead they change their query rather than looking at more results.

Google SERP % sharing of Organic VS. Paid

Data can vary wildly from industry to industry, but there is roughly a 70/30 split for organic and paid traffic:

New SEO Check List - 2013

                     

2013 – SEO DO’S & DON’T

DON”T

1.       Article Submission

2.       Duplicate Sites

3.       Spammy Blog Comments

4.       Linking to Google Strength Purpose

5.       Doorway Pages

6.       Link Schemes

7.       Hidden Text Behind Images & Backgrounds

8.       Keyword Stuffing

9.       Blog Spinning

PENGUIN

Targeting webspam introduced to punish sites with poor quality links

Don’t

1.       Links should not be excessive

2.       Links should be natural

3.       Links should not be paid

4.       Links should not be reciprocal

5.       Links should come from a variety of domains

PANDA

                Targeting webpages introduced to punish sites which use poor quality duplicated or very little content.

Don’t

1.       Content should be of a decent standard

2.       Content should be unique

3.       Content should be on all of the main pages you want to rank for

4.       Content should not scraped or span

ZEBRA

                What is next update? What will be the next Google algorithm update be called? Rumour has it that the zebra is on its way; but what could this potentially.

                               

Don’t

1.       Spammy social media activity?

2.        Fake social profiles?

3.       Social bookmarking?

4.       Fake followers?

2013 – Newer Tactics, The big players

                As the SEO landscape evolves, what are the main areas to focus on in 2013.

SOCIAL SINGALS:-

                FACEBOOK- SHARES>>LIKES>>COMMENTS

                GOOGLE + - +1’s

                TWITTER – TWEETS/RETWEETS>>MENTIONS>>FOLLOWERS>>CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT

AUTHOR RANKING/ REL = AUTHOR

                (You’re Face in the SERP)

                AVATAR - Writer’s avatar displayed alongside search results.

                TRUST -Trust indicator for Google User’s.

                CREDIBILITY - Credibility of author for ranking purpose.

                GOOGLE + - Linked to your Google + Profile.

                VERIFIED – Verified authors will gain more authority.

STRONG CONTENT

                Content – High quality content.

                Content Strategies – Sustainable content strategies.

                Linking – Generating inbound links and encouraging social interaction via.

GUEST BLOGGING, INFOGRAPHICS, WHITE PAPERS, VIDO’S, PR MENTIONS, BLOG POSTS

TECHNICAL SEO:-

DO’S

1.       User - Friendly URL’s:- Relevant and simple theme throughout your site.

2.       Robots.txt - File in place

3.       Image ALT Tag:- Include image Alt Tags

4.       Compelling Meta descriptions:- 150 – 160 characters, no duplication, correct spelling

5.       Implement 301 & 302 redirects where necessary

6.       Remove site-wide links

7.       Check the site speed

8.       Title Tag:- 70 characters maximum, not keyword stuffing

9.       Submit sitemap.xml to the search engines

10.   Heading Tags:- H1 & H2 tags added

NAVIGATION AND USABILITY

1.       Site Images Viewable?

2.       Site links Clickable?

3.       Do videos display properly?

4.       Correct formatting in different browsers?

5.       Do links click through the relevant page?

6.       Avoid using unnecessary flash & JavaScript.

ON – PAGE CONTENT

1.       Check for duplicated content

2.       Correct grammar and spelling

3.       Ensure text starts above the fold

4.       Do all pages convey the right message

5.       Do you need more content written for additional pages?

6.       Avoid excessive use of ads on each page

LINK BUILDING OR PR – WHAT’S THE SCORE?

                LINKS are relevant, but they need to be from strong, worthwhile sources, this is where PR comes into the SEO equation. SO, seek your links through.

BLOGGER AND AUTHOR OUTREACH, CREATING GREAT & ENGAGING and INSIGHTFUL CONTENT, PROMOTION ON RELAVENT AND TARGETED SITES, PR OPPORTUNITIES, SPEAKING OPPORTUNITIES & CONFERENCES.