How To Get To The Top Of Google in 2020 The Plain English Guide to SEO - Tuxford, Andrew & Davies, Dale & Cameron-Kitchen, Tim

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Here is a summary of the key points from “How To Get To The Top Of Google: The Plain English Guide To SEO”:

• The book provides strategies and techniques for using search engine optimization (SEO) to rank highly in Google search results and drive more traffic, leads, and sales to websites.

• Real-world case studies show how the SEO methods outlined in the book have significantly increased revenue, traffic, and leads for various businesses - in some cases generating over $100k per day in sales.

• SEO tactics that once worked easily are now more complex due to Google constantly evolving and increased competition online. However, the core principles remain the same.

• The book is intended for business owners, marketers, website owners, and anyone looking to use SEO to promote their brand and grow their business.

• It provides a step-by-step guide and roadmap for planning and implementing an effective SEO strategy covering on-site optimization, link building, content marketing, tracking progress, and more.

• The overall goal is to help readers generate more qualified leads, sales, and profit by ranking highly in Google search results through the SEO methods discussed.

So in summary, the book teaches proven SEO strategies and tactics for getting websites to the top of Google search through optimization, content, and link building - backed by real case studies of major successes achieved through these methods.

• The book aims to share real-world SEO strategies and optimization techniques that work today based on analyzing thousands of website reviews.

• The core principles of SEO are actually quite simple, but many businesses don’t understand them and waste time/money on ineffective tactics.

• Implementing changes to on-site SEO like optimizing titles can see quick results within weeks/months. More involved promotion work takes longer but can provide major impacts.

• Case studies show websites achieving large increases in traffic, sometimes upwards of 100%+, and corresponding boosts to sales and bookings. One client went from flat growth to a 3,357% sales increase.

• Top rankings in Google can transform a small business, as shown by a case study where a plasterer went from getting no online work to dominating the local market.

• The book promises to explain effective SEO in plain language and provide tools and strategies to help readers grow their business and see success stories like those discussed.

So in summary, the book aims to educate on real-world SEO best practices and share case studies demonstrating how optimization and promotion can significantly improve websites, traffic and business results when done correctly.

• The passage offers a free expert review of a website’s SEO by a marketing consultant, which will provide quick tips to improve rankings and sales.

• It claims these reviews are helpful for marketing managers and business owners based on feedback. To get the free review, visit the listed website.

• It discusses how Google aims to be a level playing field but in reality, top rankings usually require paying an SEO agency or dedicating significant time. Smaller businesses can compete but need to prioritize SEO.

• It recommends cherry-picking strategies from the book based on relevance and available time. Knowing all the strategies is still useful even if not implementing immediately.

• The book focuses on Google but strategies also apply to other search engines. It will look at how Google works, optimizing websites for Google/visitors, content marketing/link building, and developing an SEO strategy.

• The book is written by SEO professionals, not authors, so the language may be straightforward but the advice is practical based on testing and experience in the industry.

In summary, the passage introduces a free expert website review service and previews an SEO strategy book focused on Google but applicable more broadly, written from practical experience rather than theoretical knowledge.

Here is a summary of sections 2 and 3:

Section 2 discusses the key factors that Google uses to determine search rankings:

• Relevance: Google prioritizes websites that are most relevant to the specific search terms used. Relevance is measured by how well keywords are optimized in content, titles, meta descriptions etc.

• Popularity/Authority: Google considers how popular and authoritative a website is based on external links, domain authority, third party references, social shares etc. More popular sites tend to rank higher.

• Quality: Other factors like loading speed, mobile friendliness, unique content, frequent updates signal high quality to Google and can boost rankings.

Section 3 explains Google’s indexing process where robots crawl websites to find keywords and build an index. It emphasizes optimizing keywords in content to get noticed by Google. User behavior is also important - how people interact with search results and which sites they click can impact rankings over time. The sections establish that SEO is about optimizing websites to demonstrate relevance, quality and authority to Google in order to influence search rankings.

• The third website is the one Google would want to rank highly for “designer satchels” searches, as it provided the best user experience. It attracted the user’s click, kept their attention by having relevant products, and even resulted in a purchase.

• The first website was ignored as its description was ambiguous and not clearly relevant. Low click-through rates from users would harm its ranking over time.

• The second website attracted a click but failed to keep the user’s attention as it lacked the desired satchels. Bouncing back without interacting would negatively impact its ranking.

• Google uses link juice/PageRank to measure popularity and authority. Sites with more/higher-quality incoming links have higher PageRank and thus authority. This affects their ranking.

• Quality is also important. Google has guidelines for high-quality sites. Meeting these standards like having good, substantial content can help unlock better rankings attained through other SEO efforts.

In summary, Google aims to rank sites highest that provide the best user experience by being relevant, keeping users engaged, and maintaining high standards of quality content and authority through links.

-Adding more content to a website, even if poorly written, is often an effective way to improve SEO rankings in the short term. This is because it provides Google with more pages and information to index about the site’s topic.

-However, low-quality or incomplete content will not satisfy real user needs or help establish the site as an authority on its topic. Searchers are unlikely to want poorly written sites with little information.

-Google is also working to better fact-check content to identify inaccurate or misleading information. High-quality, factual content is important for SEO and the user experience.

-To rank well long-term, the focus should be on creating useful, well-written content that answers user questions and establishes expertise. Quantity of content alone is not enough - the quality and experience for users also matters greatly to search engines and business success.

So in summary, while increasing content may provide temporary boosts, the priority should be optimizing the site for both users and search engines by ensuring the content is of high quality, complete, factually accurate and answers people’s needs - not just increasing pages for the sake of it. User experience and authority on the topic are also important Ranking factors.

• Steps 5 through 8 outline how to identify location-based keywords, find the most profitable keywords based on search volume, competition, and CPC, sanity check keywords by searching them on Google, and identify key pages on the website to target for SEO.

• Step 5 suggests adding nearby locations as suffixes and prefixes to keywords to target local searches.

• Step 6 provides criteria to prioritize keywords based on search volume, competition level, and CPC to indicate commercial intent.

• Step 7 recommends searching keywords on Google to verify their meaning and relevance.

• Step 8 instructs identifying key pages already ranking or receiving traffic from Search Console and Semrush, then mapping keywords to those pages to focus optimization.

Here is a summary of the key points from the provided text about analyzing a local plumber competitor:

• Check the rankings for relevant keywords like “local plumber” to see who is outranking you in organic search results. Take note of direct competitors as well as large informational sites.

• Analyze competitors’ Google Maps listings - how many reviews do they have? Are they actively working to gain more reviews?

• Choose the top 3 competitors who consistently outrank you across keywords to analyze further.

• Look at competitors’ titles, descriptions and page content in organic search results. Do they entice clicks? How often do they contain the target keywords?

• Check which specific page the competitor’s listing links to - does the URL contain the target keywords? This shows targeted optimization.

• View competitors’ websites and check how many times the target keywords appear on the page content. Frequent, natural use is a sign of good optimization.

The goal is to understand what competitors are doing well in SEO to rank highly, so you can optimize your own website and online presence to outperform them over time. Analyzing competitors is an important part of identifying opportunities to improve rankings.

• Open Site Explorer can be used to analyze the number and quality of backlinks for a website compared to competitors. It shows metrics like Domain Authority, Page Authority, and number of established links.

• Comparing yourself to top competitors can reveal why they may be outranking you, such as having more/higher quality links.

• Anchor text is the clickable text in links. It signals to search engines what the linked page is about. Using relevant keywords as anchor text is important.

• Exact match anchor text spamming (e.g. 80% of links say the target keyword) can be penalized. Anchor text should look natural by including the company/domain name along with relevant keywords/phrases.

• The goal is to analyze competitors’ link profiles, anchor text strategies, and get an idea of keywords to target along with variations and modifiers. Understanding competitors’ on-page and off-page optimizations provides insights to improve one’s own SEO approach.

• The website domain/URL can significantly impact SEO rankings and branding. Historically, exact match domains (EMDs) that exactly matched search terms provided a big ranking boost, but Google changed their algorithm in 2012 to diminish this effect.

• However, descriptive domains that clearly convey what the site is about can still help rankings. For example, “accountantsbury.com” would likely outperform “esmithandson.com” for the search term “accountants bury”.

• Simply pointing many EMDs to the main site provides no benefit - each domain would need unique, targeted content.

• The EMD update removed the advantage rather than installing a “penalty”. Sites may have dropped in rankings by losing the EMD boost rather than being directly penalized.

• Google treats top-level domains (TLDs) like .com, .co.uk equally. But the general public is more familiar with .com, so it’s usually preferable if available over alternative TLDs from a branding perspective.

• Avoid using hyphens in the domain name.

• Hyphens in URLs are preferable to underscores for SEO purposes. Google sees hyphens as separating words, but does not interpret underscores the same way.

• Shorter domain lengths (14-16 characters) are better for usability and may prevent issues with ads. Long domains can be hard to remember, type, and fit in ad display URLs.

• Domain age can positively impact rankings, as older domains signal established reputable businesses. However, the effect is minimal according to Google.

• Domain registration length does not impact rankings - Google has confirmed paying for a longer registration period does not affect SEO.

• Keep URLs and page titles lowercase for usability, as users expect lowercase. Capitalization does not matter for domains but is case-sensitive for pages.

• Include keywords descriptively in page URLs to help search engines understand relevance, but avoid overstuffing which could reduce clicks or trigger spam penalties.

• Properly structure internal site pages in a logical hierarchy with relevant categories/subcategories to help visitors navigate and potentially rank for more specific searches.

Here is a summary of the key points about directories and sitemaps:

• Directories refer to the organization of pages on a website into a hierarchical structure, usually represented by folders or categories.

• The directory structure should be reflected in the URLs so it is clear to search engines how pages are related. For example, an “About Us” page would have a URL like www.example.com/about-us rather than just www.example.com.

• Sitemaps provide a map of the website structure to search engines to help them find and index all pages. There are XML and HTML sitemaps.

• XML sitemaps are designed for search engines and contain metadata on page importance and recrawling frequency. HTML sitemaps are for humans and show the page hierarchy in a readable format.

• It is important to have a logical directory structure and submit an XML sitemap to search engines to ensure they can comprehensively crawl the whole website.

• Google uses machine learning to judge website quality, based on answers from human testers to 23 questions about websites. This allows algorithms to develop an “understanding” of what makes a high-quality site.

• Some key signals that determine quality according to Google include: expertise of author, trustworthiness, errors, originality of content, production quality, and recognition as an authority on the topic.

• Having a mobile-friendly website is now essential, not optional, as mobile traffic increases significantly. Websites should have a mobile-first approach.

• Google announced in 2016 that mobile website experience will be a primary factor in search rankings. So a poor mobile version can negatively impact rankings.

• Historically, some websites had separate mobile versions at a different URL, but responsive design that adjusts one website for any screen size is now preferred, to avoid issues with content gaps, links, and canonicalization between desktop and mobile versions.

• Website content is extremely important for ranking well in search engines like Google. High-quality, original content that is useful to users is needed.

• Content should be detailed, informative and address common questions and objections about the topic or product/service. It should guide the user towards the desired next step, like making a purchase.

• Keywords should be naturally included throughout pages, especially in headings. Pages need to serve as standalone landing pages that introduce the topic without prior context.

• Writing style should be clear, concise and at an appropriate level for the intended audience. Spelling and grammar are important signals of quality.

• Duplicate or copied content between pages can hurt rankings, so each page needs original text customized to its topic. Local businesses should highlight their location.

The overall message is that websites need highly optimized yet original, user-focused content in order to rank well in search engines and drive conversions through clear calls to action and addressing user needs at each stage.

• Knowledge bases and frequently asked question (FAQ) pages are an effective way for websites to generate useful content and increase traffic from search engines like Google.

• These sections provide in-depth information to answer common questions about a company’s products/services, demonstrating expertise.

• They allow a website to target long-tail keyword phrases that may get a lot of search volume but have low competition. This can help the site rank for many relevant queries.

• A case study example is provided of an accounting firm, SJD Accountancy, that generates an estimated 24,000 monthly visitors and £117k equivalent AdWords value from their extensive resources and guides sections, which act as a knowledge base.

• Taking the time to develop thorough, high-quality knowledge base content can significantly increase organic traffic and visibility for websites through search engine rankings. It is an important content strategy, especially for sites with many products/services to describe.

• The article discusses using a blog to generate traffic and leads for a business, rather than just posting news updates.

• It recommends treating the blog like a place to answer audience questions and provide useful information they genuinely care about, rather than just dumping “boring news”.

• When people search questions on Google, well-written in-depth blog posts that answer those questions could rank highly and bring in traffic.

• If the posts provide value to readers and include a clear call-to-action, some of that traffic can convert to leads.

• An example is given of a client’s law firm blog that was able to increase their monthly search traffic from 270 to over 6,000 visits and leads from 11 to 55 through question-answering blog posts on their specialty legal topic.

• In summary, the key point is that blogs should aim to provide value to readers by answering their questions, rather than just sharing company news, in order to generate meaningful traffic and leads.

• The topic discusses how to identify questions potential clients are asking and write blog posts targeted at answering those questions. This strategy can help attract the right type of clients.

• Step 1 is to brainstorm expertise topics and check sites like Buzzsumo for popular content areas.

• Step 2 uses AnswerthePublic.com to find common questions asked about each topic area. Both basic and in-depth questions should be considered.

• Step 3 checks search volumes on keywords using tools like SEMrush or KWFinder, but not to rule out topics entirely based on volumes.

• Step 4 plans the blog post structure with a targeted keyword in the title and subheadings answering related questions.

• Step 5 provides tips for writing the post in a detailed and useful manner to read like an informative presentation.

• Step 6 discusses optimizing before publishing, including titles, headings, links, calls to action, and behind-the-scenes elements like meta descriptions.

• The goal is to create highly relevant content that answers clients’ questions and drives traffic, leads and sales. Regular posting of optimized blogs is presented as an effective strategy.

• Page titles should contain the main target keywords, location (if relevant) and brand name. This improves click-through rate (CTR) from search results.

• Meta descriptions are the text that displays in search results under the page title. They should entice visitors to click through and mention the main keywords. Google prioritizes descriptions around 300 characters.

• Meta keywords are mostly ignored by Google now as they were easily manipulated. Don’t spend time optimizing them.

• Alt text for images should describe the image contents for visibility and inform search engines of relevancy to keywords.

• Schema markup enhances how pages are displayed in search results by identifying additional elements like reviews, ratings, etc. Less than a third of sites use it so it provides an advantage.

• Other on-page optimizations mentioned include filename optimization for images and checking competitors’ strategies for ideas.

Here are the key points about Google Search Console:

• It allows you to monitor how your website is performing in search results on Google.

• You can see metrics like number of impressions, clicks, average position, backlinks, etc.

• It’s important to verify ownership of your site in Search Console by adding your site and submitting your XML sitemap. This ensures Google can properly crawl and index your site.

• The Search Results section shows you keyword queries your site ranks for, impressions, and clicks directly from Google’s data. This allows you to track SEO progress over time.

• You can check for any manual spam penalties or security issues flagged by Google that may be impacting rankings.

• If your site is penalized, Search Console allows you to request Google to reconsider the manual action through a formal reconsideration request process.

• In summary, it’s a valuable free tool to understand search performance and diagnose any issues affecting visibility on Google search.

• The Manual Actions tab in Search Console allows you to check if your site has received any manual penalties from Google’s webspam team, which are rare but can severely impact visibility.

• Buying lots of cheap, low-quality backlinks from places like Fiverr will likely be ignored, but could risk a manual penalty if detected.

• Common manual penalties are for unnatural/paid links or a hacked site producing spam. Fixing the underlying issues and requesting a review can help get the penalty lifted.

• Most of the time, gradual drops are not truly penalties but algorithms updating, competitors improving, or other issues like site speed/quality that Google favors more now.

• High quality links that people would naturally encounter from relevant/popular sites are valuable, while links solely for SEO fromdomains like linkdirectory123.biz are junk.

• While link metrics like Domain Authority can help analyze large amounts of links, they are not necessary - the focus should be on building quality backlinks naturally over time through good content and promotion.

Here is a summary of the key points about online link metrics and directories:

• Third-party link metrics like Domain Authority (DA), Page Authority (PA), Trust Flow (TF), and Citation Flow (CF) are useful shortcuts but should be taken with a grain of salt as they rely on crude algorithms compared to Google’s.

• DA is the most commonly used metric to assess link quality and authority of a website, but one shouldn’t obsess over it as Google cares more about the authority of individual pages.

• Directories are a quick way to build initial links, but paid listings usually don’t provide a good ROI.

• Targeted, niche directories related to your industry or location are better than generic directories for relevance and potential leads.

• When listing on directories, optimize entries with descriptive text, internal links, consistent contact details, and filled out profiles to boost rankings on the directory site itself.

• Be wary of spammy directories that allow automated mass listings as these provide low quality links.

• Irrelevant websites like directories that list various unrelated businesses together like viagra suppliers and roofing companies are considered “junk directories” by Google. They usually have low quality content and no unique categories.

• Signs of a spammy directory include mentioning “SEO”, having an unusual URL, listing submission being the main call-to-action, and allowing unsorted listings without review. In general, avoid directories that publish listings without human review.

• Getting video links from your YouTube channel and video descriptions on other sites is a relatively quick way to gain some links. Make sure to use the full HTTP link. Partners can also add links within their videos.

• Content marketing strategies like blogging can significantly improve rankings and leads/sales through high-quality, relevant content.

• Digital PR involves getting coverage on websites the target audience reads through helpful, interesting stories rather than boring press releases. Editors are looking for content and view businesses as potential content providers. The story should have a benefit for readers rather than just self-promotion. Questions can help identify potential story angles.

Here are the key points summarized from the given text:

• Businesses can generate surveys to create their own news stories and gain publicity and marketing benefits. Many surveys published by media outlets are done to promote products or services.

• It’s possible for any business to run surveys cost-effectively using tools like Google Surveys or SurveyMonkey to get statistically valid responses.

• The strategy of using surveys to generate data and then pitching that data to media outlets and influencers for coverage is called “data outreach.”

• Examples shared of successful data outreach campaigns include an e-commerce client generating survey results on attitudes toward e-cigarettes that got coverage from over 80 million people. Another client identifying legal leads gained backlinks from a survey on mis-sold PPI coverage.

• In summary, businesses can leverage surveys as a source of leads, backlinks and publicity by researching topics relevant to their industry, generating survey data, and then pitching that data to various outlets for coverage. This is an effective low-cost strategy.

• The Financial Conduct Authority launched an advertising campaign featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger to promote the deadline for PPI (payment protection insurance) claims.

• After a couple months, the company conducted a study surveying over 800 people to see how effective the ads had been at educating the public on the deadline.

• They found that only 16% knew the deadline, despite the large amount spent on the ads.

• The company was able to get hundreds of high-authority websites like the Mirror, Unilad and Yahoo Finance to report on their study findings.

• This increased traffic and leads to their client’s blog significantly over time, from around 10 leads per day up to almost 200.

• The key is conducting studies that produce interesting, surprising or sensational headlines to attract media coverage. Things like commenting on existing data or surveys can provide ideas.

• Proper outreach to journalists and promotion through press releases and distribution services helps get media outlets to report on the findings.

• Blogger and influencer outreach focused on relevant micro-influencers who write blogs and reviews can also be effective for promoting products if done properly by identifying the right targets and communities.

• Journalists who write for major publications are under tight deadlines and pressure to find quality sources for their articles.

• Services like ResponseSource and HARO allow journalists to send requests to their database of subscribers seeking expert sources on particular topics.

• As a subscriber, you would receive these requests by email and have a very short deadline, usually just hours, to respond.

• Responding with a well-written, on-topic quote or perspective could result in being featured and linked in the journalist’s article.

• It’s important to understand the journalist’s needs, meet their deadline, and provide concise yet compelling information to optimize your chances of being included.

• Following up the journalist on Twitter is also recommended to build rapport and opportunities for future collaboration. Utilizing journalist request services can help gain free exposure and links from major publications.

• Journalist tips or pitches can get businesses high-quality links from authoritative news sites quickly. They provide the full tip, bio, and link for journalists to use if they choose.

• They don’t usually wait for client approval since time is critical - other marketers will share tips too. This strategy secured a link from the Mirror, a UK site with a domain authority of 91.

• These links can lead to greater opportunities, like getting interviewed on TV shows. Self-perpetuating coverage brings more credibility and doors open.

• You can find journalist query hashtags like #journorequest on Twitter without paying an inquiry service. Be fast to respond (within hours) and give an interesting angle for their story.

• Social media can boost SEO by building authority, sharing content, and optimizing profiles for indexing with descriptions, keywords, photos and links to the website.

• Profiles on Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube are important “homepages” to optimize. Getting positive reviews on Google and Facebook is also important.

• Asking customers for reviews is difficult but important for credibility - most won’t leave one so you need to continuously ask select customers.

Here are the key points from the provided text:

• To design an effective SEO strategy, focus first on “low-hanging fruit” like optimizing your website and addressing any issues.

• The first step is doing a website review to ensure it’s mobile-friendly, has pages targeting key topics, has sufficient text on pages, has a blog, and clearly communicates what the business does.

• The second step is identifying target keywords through keyword research linked to competitor analysis. Analyze top competitors’ targeting strategies.

• The third step is a detailed competitor analysis, examining aspects like website structure, social profiles, on-page SEO, number of pages/blogs, and their link profile.

• Automating review collection helps build reviews over time versus manual requests which tire people out. Fake reviews should be avoided as detection improves and they look suspicious.

• For offline businesses, signs displaying WiFi info and review requests can garner reviews from customers while waiting.

• The strategy outlined prioritizes quick wins from website fixes before pursuing off-site SEO like links. Focusing efforts is important given the breadth of SEO tactics.

Here is a summary of the key points about tracking SEO progress and measuring success metrics from the passage:

• The most important success metric for any SEO campaign is the money - how much revenue is generated from the organic traffic. Other metrics like rankings, traffic, leads are steps to generate money but not the ultimate goal.

• To track number of keywords ranking for, tools like SEMrush can be used to see estimates of keywords, traffic, positions. But traffic estimates are not accurate.

• It’s important to specifically track ranking of target keywords that are most relevant commercially through tools like SEMrush, AgencyAnalytics, RankTrackr which allow inputting keywords to track over time.

• Rankings may fluctuate daily so don’t get too obsessed with day-to-day changes, focus on long term trends over months which typically show increases with good SEO strategies.

• Visual charts over time in tools like SEMrush can show rankings fluctuate but ultimately increase for clients following the book’s strategies, showing the long-term focus needed.

So in summary, the key metrics are money/revenue but keywords, traffic and position data from tools provide useful tracking steps, while emphasizing long-term trends over daily or short-term fluctuations in rankings.

• Whether outsourcing SEO to an agency or doing it yourself internally, the same basic principles apply to be successful, though progress may be slightly slower when doing it alone.

• A website example is given where rankings initially fell after starting SEO work, but then improved significantly once a new optimized website launched and content marketing took effect, showing the need for patience.

• Flat or declining performance periods are common and can be due to insufficient content marketing investments to compete in the market over time.

• Short-term rankings gains from technical SEO work may not be sustained without ongoing content creation.

• Persistence with SEO processes over many months or years is usually required to see significant results, though some quicker wins are common in the initial 3-6 months.

• Outsourcing SEO vs doing it in-house requires considering available time, skills, funding and whether tasks could be better done by others to free up one’s own time for core business responsibilities. Monitoring outsourced work is still advised.

• The document introduces MarketingU, which provides video tutorials showing marketing strategies and techniques used by the author’s clients. It teaches DIY digital marketers how to market their business online through different channels like PPC, Facebook ads, social media, email marketing, and SEO.

• A voucher code is provided to get a discount on MarketingU membership.

• Exposure Ninja offers a free website and marketing review to assess a website and provide an action plan to increase visibility and sales.

• The book is structured into sections on foundations of SEO, optimizing the website, promoting the website, and designing an SEO strategy.

• Chapters cover topics like keyword research, competitor analysis, on-page SEO, link building techniques, content marketing, social media, measuring progress, and deciding between DIY vs outsourcing SEO.

• The goal is to provide guidance on the essential activities and best practices to rank highly in Google search results and boost a business through organic traffic.