SEO Fundamentals - lec 2
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Questions and Answers

What is the primary advantage of targeting long-tail keywords for a small website?

  • Increased brand visibility
  • Lower competition (correct)
  • Broader audience reach
  • Higher search volume

A high bounce rate from a landing page is generally considered a positive signal for search engine ranking.

False (B)

What is the term for links from external sites that point back to your website?

backlinks

Links that are earned without the page owner doing anything are known as ______ links.

<p>natural</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following actions could be considered a 'manually built link'?

<p>Customers linking to your website. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why do search engines punish websites that contain duplicate content?

<p>To provide users with unique and relevant search results (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

The quality of backlinks is more important than the number of backlinks for determining search engine ranking.

<p>True (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Explain the concept of 'online currency' in the context of off-page SEO. (Insanely Difficult)

<p>In off-page SEO, 'online currency' refers to backlinks, which represent value and authority passed from one website to another, influencing search engine rankings.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following defines Search Engine Marketing (SEM)?

<p>A form of internet marketing involving promotion of websites by increasing their ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Paid search results are derived from an algorithm.

<p>False (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of a search engine?

<p>To carry out web searches for information specified in a textual web search query.</p> Signup and view all the answers

An Internet bot that crawls websites and stores information for search engines is known as a web ______, also called a search engine spider.

<p>crawler</p> Signup and view all the answers

Approximately what percentage of all site traffic is attributed to organic search results?

<p>54% (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the main goal of Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

<p>To achieve higher positions in the organic section of search results. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Susan Athey, an economist and winner of the John Bates Clark Medal, stated that "search is a statement of:"

<p>intent (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a characteristic of Black Hat SEO?

<p>Employing deceptive and manipulative tactics (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Engaging in link farming is a recommended White Hat SEO technique.

<p>False (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Insanely difficult: If 'algorithm' is to organic search results as 'paid placement' is to sponsored results, what term describes the strategic dueling between SEO practitioners leveraging 'white hat' techniques and those who aggressively exploit 'black hat' methods to dominate SERPs, often leading to algorithm updates designed to penalize the latter?

<p>SEO arms race</p> Signup and view all the answers

Briefly describe what 'keyword stuffing' involves.

<p>Overloading a webpage with keywords</p> Signup and view all the answers

Using white text on a white background to hide keywords is an example of ______ tactics.

<p>hidden text</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of SEO?

<p>To improve a website's ranking in search engine results. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

According to the 'Pyramid of Trust', which factor contributes to strong SEO performance?

<p>Transparency (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Off-Site SEO primarily involves optimizing elements within your own website.

<p>False (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of these actions is most likely to result in a penalty from Google?

<p>Leaving excessive links in blog comments (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a backlink in the context of Off-Site SEO?

<p>A link from another website to yours</p> Signup and view all the answers

To maximize relevance, a website should place target search phrases in the most ______ locations of the page.

<p>important</p> Signup and view all the answers

Explain why search engines might penalize a website that engages in Black Hat SEO practices.

<p>To maintain the integrity of search results</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the possible outcome for a web site that search engines determine is using 'Black Hat' SEO techniques?

<p>Temporary lower listing or complete removal from search results (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a key factor in choosing optimal target search phrases?

<p>The website's current domain authority. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

A website selling watches should target the search phrase 'running shoes' to increase traffic.

<p>False (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which scenario would MOST effectively maximize a website's relevance score for the search phrase "organic dog food"?

<p>Featuring the phrase &quot;organic dog food&quot; prominently in the page title, headings, and body text, as well as naturally throughout the product descriptions. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Insanely Difficult: Imagine a new search engine emerges that ranks webpages solely on the inverse ratio of mentions of the target keyword to the number of outbound links. How would a website optimize for the search phrase "quantum entanglement" on this engine?

<p>Minimize mentions of 'quantum entanglement' while maximizing outbound links to relevant authoritative sources.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Search Engine

Software that systematically searches the World Wide Web for information based on a textual query.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

Promoting websites by increasing their ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs).

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Improving website ranking in organic search results.

"Organic" Search Results

Search results derived from an algorithm, not paid placement.

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"Paid" Search Results

Search results from paid placements.

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Search Engine Spider (Web Crawler)

An internet bot that crawls websites and stores information for search engines to index.

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Black Hat SEO

Using unethical or manipulative tactics to improve search engine rankings.

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White Hat SEO

Using ethical SEO techniques to improve search engine rankings.

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SEO Definition

Improving a website for users and search engine spiders to rank higher in search results.

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On-Site SEO

Optimizing elements within your website to improve search engine ranking and visibility.

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Off-Site SEO

Creating and sharing content to build quality backlinks to your website.

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Maximize Relevance

Ensuring a webpage's topic closely matches what users are searching for.

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Keyword Placement

Keywords on the page, especially in headings, increase relevance.

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Optimal Target Search Phrases

Choosing search phrases that are relevant, have traffic, and are not too competitive.

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Relevance (Keywords)

The search phrase should always match the website's purpose.

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Traffic (Keywords)

Keyword relevance is balanced with search demand.

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Keyword Stuffing

Overloading a webpage with keywords to manipulate search rankings.

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Link Farming

A network of websites that link to each other to artificially boost SEO ranking.

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Hidden Texts and Links

Concealing text (like excessive keywords) to manipulate search rankings.

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Blog Comment Spam

Leaving irrelevant or promotional comments on blogs to generate backlinks.

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Relevancy (in SEO)

The relevance of a website and its content to a user's search query.

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Pyramid of Trust (in SEO)

A website's trustworthiness based on transparency, hard work, and public reputation.

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Long tail keywords

Targeting specific, less competitive keyword phrases.

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Google Keyword Planner

Tool to research and discover keywords for SEO and advertising.

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Bounce Rate

The percentage of visitors who leave a website after viewing only one page.

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Backlinks

Links from other websites that point to your website.

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Natural Links

Links earned naturally, without direct action from the website owner.

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Manually Built Links

Links acquired through deliberate activities, contacting customers or influencers.

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Self-Created Links

Links created by practices such as adding a backlink in online directories or blog comments.

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Short Load Times

Websites should have fast loading speeds to improve user experience.

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Study Notes

  • Topic 2 is about search engine optimization.

Search Engine

  • A search engine is a software system designed to perform web searches.
  • It systematically searches the World Wide Web for specific textual information.
  • Many search engines exist like Google, Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo etc.
  • Google has the most popular search engine with a 92.26% market share compared to 2.83% of Bing

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

  • SEM involves promoting websites by improving their ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs).
  • It aims to increase consideration and website traffic.
  • Types of SEM include SEO and paid search advertising (Pay-Per-Click, or PPC).
  • Search engines are used because "search is a statement of intent" (Susan Athey, Economist).
  • Two types of search results: Organic/Algorithmic and Paid/Sponsored.
  • Organic results derive from an algorithm, while paid results come from paid placement.
  • Organic search is responsible for 54% of all site traffic, while paid search accounts for 15%.
  • 6% of users will visit he second search engine results page.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

  • SEO aims to improve a website's position in the "organic" section of search results.
  • Search engine spiders (web crawlers) crawl websites, storing data for search engines to index.
  • The process of enhancing a website to appeal to both consumers and search engine spiders, aiming for high rankings.

On-Site SEO

  • Practice optimizes website elements to improve search engine ranking and visibility.
  • Three important practices maximize relevance, choose optimal target search phrases, and create high-quality webpages.

Maximize Relevance

  • Search engines assess a page's relevance to a topic.
  • Includes the same keywords as the search query and should be placed in the most important locations of the page.

Choosing Optimal Target Search Phrases

  • Relevance: ensures a website's content aligns with the search phrase.
  • Traffic: balances keyword relevance with search demand.
  • Competition: favors targeting long tail keywords phrases with lower competition.

Long Tail Keywords

  • "Specific" rather than generic, less competitive, and allow for targeting niche demographics, leading to a high conversion rate.

Creating High-Quality Webpages

  • Includes short load times, low bounce rate.
  • Bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who leave the site immediately.
  • Original content avoids duplicate content from other websites or multiple URLs, which search engines penalize.
  • Fresh content provides regular updates to signal an active, reputable company.
  • Quantity should include a substantial number of pages and content within each page.

Off-Site SEO

  • Build quality backlinks to the site (a link on any other website that links back to your website)
  • Links from external sites pointing back to the website: "online currency" and a "silent" vote of confidence.
  • The most important factor to determine ranking/relevance.
  • Consider the number and quality of backlink sites, and the share of links on those sites
  • Natural: created without action from the page owner.
  • Manually Built: acquired through deliberate link-building activities.
  • Self-Created: generated through practices like adding backlinks in directories or blog comments and using a signature.

White Hat / Black Hat SEO

  • White Hat SEO includes legitimate approaches like research/analysis, rewriting meta tags, and content improvement.
  • Black Hat SEO includes techniques such as keyword stuffing, link farming, hidden text, and blog comment spam.

Keyword Stuffing

  • Practice of loading a webpage with keywords in an attempt to manipulate a site's ranking in search results
  • A group of websites that all hyperlink to other sites in the group for the purpose of increasing SEO ranking
  • Text (such as excessive keywords) can be hidden in several ways, e.g. using white text on a white background

Blog Comment Spam

  • Leaving a good blog comment with a link to one's content that contributes to the discussion may end up being very valuable etc

SEO Considerations

  • Transparency, hard work, ease of use, usefulness to others, and public reputation promote good SEO.
  • Trickiness/fraud and misrepresentation do not work.
  • Google catches and punishes manipulative practices, leading to temporary listing removals that are expensive to remedy.
  • The goal of SEO is transparency to consumers and search engines, not to "trick" the search engine.

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Related Documents

SEO Guide: Search Engine Optimization Best Practices PDF

Description

Test your knowledge of SEO, backlinks, search engine marketing (SEM), and web crawlers. Learn about the importance of keywords, link quality, and avoiding duplicate content. Sharpen your understanding of how search engines work.

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