SERP and SEVO - #seopodcast 163

Episode23 min2012-10-26

Strong on-page SEO starts with a checklist of 15 controllable elements including title tags, meta descriptions, XML sitemaps, site speed, and custom 404 pages, all reviewed in episode 163.

Cover art for SERP and SEVO - #seopodcast 163
Key takeaways
start your SEO process at the SERP by crafting a great meta description

About this episode

Welcome to the most popular internet marketing podcast on iTunes, hosted by E-Webstyle! Join us this week as we talk aboutShopping Carts, Usability VS EyecandySEO, Picking the Right Domain NameKeyword Rich Recurrent Content

Questions this episode answers

How should title tags be written for better SEO?

The biggest mistake is using only the company name in every title tag. Instead, lead with the main service or keyword for that page, for example 'water heater repair slash Joe Blow plumbing', so the title is descriptive and keyword rich.

Why is a custom 404 page important for SEO?

During a site redesign, pages that ranked well can be dropped or overlooked. A custom 404 keeps visitors on your site and, with the right code, can fire an email alert so you know which lost URLs need to be rebuilt quickly.

How does site speed affect SEO and user experience?

A slow site causes visitors to bounce. A common problem is clients uploading oversized image files, such as a 1.5 megabyte file at 50 by 50 pixels. Resizing images before uploading and using WordPress compression helps keep load times fast.

In their words

if you get a new web project, it's good to glance at the robot text file and make sure that the previous designer has not chosen to exclude the entire website from Google's index

Charles
Terms defined in this episode
SERP
Search engine results page, where your meta description appears and serves as a first chance to pitch your company to potential visitors.
Canonicalization
Server-level configuration that ensures non-www URLs redirect to www versions, and that pages with strong rankings are preserved through redirects during a site relaunch.
XML Sitemap
A file submitted to Google Webmaster Tools so Google can receive site updates and index pages the way you intend.
Robots.txt
A file that signals to the Google bot which pages to index; a misconfigured file can exclude an entire website from Google's index.

Full transcript is being added.

This episode answers

Matthew Bertram, host of The Best SEO Podcast
Matthew Bertram
AI keynote speaker · Owner & CEO, EWR Digital · President, ModalPoint

Matthew Bertram is an AI keynote speaker, creator of DIG™ (Digital Information Governance), and owner and CEO of EWR Digital. He helps energy and industrial leaders win visibility in AI search (GEO and AEO), is President of ModalPoint and CMO of the Oil & Gas Global Network, hosts The Best SEO Podcast, and has authored eight books including LLM Visibility. More about Matthew Bertram.

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