YC
SEO Advice from SurveyMonkey Director of SEO and Growth, Eli Schwartz
@ Y Combinator
09/27/18
Takeaways
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Eli Schwartz
09/27/18
@ Y Combinator
SEO absolutely matters in 2018, and it will matter even more in the future because companies are finding other channels like paid media and PR to be significantly more expensive and less effective for driving acquisition.
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Eli Schwartz
09/27/18
@ Y Combinator
Companies often overlook SEO as an untapped channel that can drive business for free, and by investing in it, they can generate significant returns.
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Eli Schwartz
09/27/18
@ Y Combinator
E-commerce companies should focus on having a well-structured site architecture for SEO, ensuring it can scale properly as they add products.
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Eli Schwartz
09/27/18
@ Y Combinator
Media companies excel at cross-linking their content, which helps them maximize the value of their articles and pages for SEO.
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Eli Schwartz
09/27/18
@ Y Combinator
Amazon effectively structures its site to ensure every product page is crawlable by search engines, allowing for better discoverability and ranking.
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Eli Schwartz
09/27/18
@ Y Combinator
When building SEO content, it's crucial to include raw text on pages, as Google struggles to rank pages that rely heavily on images or JavaScript without sufficient text.
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Eli Schwartz
09/27/18
@ Y Combinator
For generating content that drives traffic, companies should start with topics closely related to their services and expand into broader areas that establish them as experts.
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Eli Schwartz
09/27/18
@ Y Combinator
Using Google Search Console is essential for understanding what content is performing well and what keywords people are searching for, allowing companies to create relevant content.
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Eli Schwartz
09/27/18
@ Y Combinator
Tracking performance through Google Analytics is vital, as it allows companies to see which URLs are generating traffic and conversions, even if they can't see the specific keywords used. To optimize your website, start by analyzing your best-performing content in Google Search Console to identify keywords that are generating impressions but not clicks, as well as those that are clicked but not converting.
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Eli Schwartz
09/27/18
@ Y Combinator
It's crucial to have raw text on your page because it's the easiest for Google to parse, and while images enhance user experience, they also play a role in SEO by being indexed in Google Images, which is a significant search engine.
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Eli Schwartz
09/27/18
@ Y Combinator
When using images on your website, ensure they are properly titled with relevant keywords and include alt tags, as this helps Google understand the content of the images, which can improve your ranking.
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Eli Schwartz
09/27/18
@ Y Combinator
For new websites, you should start your organic SEO strategy as soon as the site is live, while also generating paid traffic to gain visibility and allow organic traffic to grow over time.
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Eli Schwartz
09/27/18
@ Y Combinator
Links are still important for SEO, but focus on acquiring quality and relevant links rather than just increasing the quantity. A few high-quality links can be more beneficial than many low-quality ones.
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Eli Schwartz
09/27/18
@ Y Combinator
Creating interesting content that people want to talk about can lead to natural link building. If your content resonates, it will likely be shared and linked to by others, enhancing your SEO efforts.
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Eli Schwartz
09/27/18
@ Y Combinator
Mobile optimization is essential, but do not neglect desktop users. Many purchases, especially high-value items, are still made on desktop devices, so ensure your site is optimized for both platforms.
ES
Eli Schwartz
09/27/18
@ Y Combinator
To rank well in search results, it's not enough to just be on the first page; aim for the top three results, as mobile devices display fewer results, making it more competitive.
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Eli Schwartz
09/27/18
@ Y Combinator
International SEO presents untapped opportunities, but ensure your products or services are relevant to a global audience. Consider localizing content and enabling international shipping to reach new markets.
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Eli Schwartz
09/27/18
@ Y Combinator
Instead of creating separate websites for different countries, it's now more effective to add translated content to your existing site, as this can improve SEO and user experience for international visitors. Users trust local content more, especially in the UK, as they often prefer results that are relevant to their location.
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Eli Schwartz
09/27/18
@ Y Combinator
When creating a new website for a different language, it's better to open a new directory rather than a new website, following the two or three letter naming conventions for clarity.
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Eli Schwartz
09/27/18
@ Y Combinator
If you're translating content, ensure the translation is high quality. If the content is crucial for user understanding, consider hiring local translators instead of relying solely on machine translation.
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Eli Schwartz
09/27/18
@ Y Combinator
To effectively localize content for different languages, create a subdirectory for each language rather than a subdomain, and include a language selector on your site to avoid confusing users.
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Eli Schwartz
09/27/18
@ Y Combinator
For SEO in China, you need to host your site locally to comply with regulations and avoid penalties from Baidu, the primary search engine there.
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Eli Schwartz
09/27/18
@ Y Combinator
GDPR has significantly impacted SEO by requiring clear privacy policies on websites, which can enhance cross-linking opportunities across pages.
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Eli Schwartz
09/27/18
@ Y Combinator
With the rise of GDPR, companies are shifting budgets from paid advertising to organic SEO efforts, as tracking users has become more challenging.
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Eli Schwartz
09/27/18
@ Y Combinator
The best SEO professionals are creative, curious, and analytical, capable of developing hypotheses based on best practices and past performance.
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Eli Schwartz
09/27/18
@ Y Combinator
When hiring for SEO, focus on candidates who demonstrate creativity and analytical skills, and assess their problem-solving abilities through interview questions.
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Eli Schwartz
09/27/18
@ Y Combinator
If your organic traffic disappears, start by analyzing your rankings and traffic sources to identify potential penalties or issues, and then take corrective actions to recover.
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Eli Schwartz
09/27/18
@ Y Combinator
To get started in SEO, create content around topics you're passionate about, analyze the traffic it generates, and learn from the results to refine your approach.
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Eli Schwartz
09/27/18
@ Y Combinator
Connect with me on LinkedIn for more insights and discussions about SEO and growth strategies.