Original subtitles

Right then, who wants to talk more SEO?

Said no one, ever.

It's time to address some more advanced options

in the wonderful world of SEO.

First up, speed.

Not the drug or the film, it was

a great film though right?

God I love Keanu.

I mean doesn't love Keanu.

Anyway, I digress.

Speed performance.

In short, slow sites rank badly.

Not only because Google can monitor page speed

performance, but also because people don't have the

time to wait for websites to load.

So if your site isn't there in all

its glory within a split second, users click

that dreaded back button, which results in a

high bounce rate.

And a high bounce rate tells Google you're

not relevant.

Sad times.

And sites can load slowly for lots of

different reasons.

But the most common are image size, poor

coding and design, page size, or just the

volume of images on a single page.

So if we know these are problem areas,

what can you do to minimize that risk?

First up, optimizing images for web.

You should not be using full high-res

images for your website.

They need scaling down to the correct size.

And this can vary for every website depending

on its design.

But for example, if your blog width images

are displaying at 900 pixels on the long

edge, you should save and upload 900 pixel

wide images.

Or if you're wanting them to be retina

friendly, which you do because it's not 1997

anymore, then you double that.

So 1800 pixels on the long edge.

You should also be using an image optimizer

such as JPEG mini, which reduces the image

size of your files without loss of quality.

You can either put your images through the

application before upload to the web, or export

using their Lightroom plugin.

If you're after a free solution, you can

also check out Image Optim.

There's also Shortpixel, which is a WordPress plugin.

And it cleverly auto resizes the image you've

uploaded and creates multiple sizes for your website

to use depending on the display size needed.

That was a mouthful.

This is a slightly more advanced option.

But if you're on WordPress, it's totally worth

implementing.

The second issue often related to images is

the volume photographers upload.

I've already talked about curating your work in

previous episodes from a visual and aesthetic point

of view, and the need to avoid the

dreaded never ending scroll that comes with blogging

150 plus images.

To recap that point quickly, users get bored,

and you'll get much higher engagement if the

images are weighted towards quality rather than quantity.

But the extra reason I try and keep

blog posts to range from 30 to 50

images is really because of this topic right

here, page speed.

Trying to load 30 optimized and correctly resized

images will load far quicker than 100 images

that haven't been reduced to the correct size.

And if the page loads slowly, users don't

wait.

You know that, and more importantly, Google knows

that.

Next point with regards page speed, performance testing.

There's a great site called GTmetrix that will

give you some pretty in-depth results, and

some will be obvious easy fixes.

Some may need developer status.

The one thing I would say is don't

get obsessed about this.

Use it as a guide to fix the

obvious problems.

It's often image sizes, but if you're using

plugins, for example, that are designed to help

your site in a certain way, that may

impact your results.

There will always be some trade-offs.

Up next, SSL, which stands for Secure Sockets

Layer.

This is the part of your domain that

shows users you have an encrypted and secure

connection, i.e. their personal data is secure.

And you can see when a site has

an SSL certificate because the URL will show

HTTPS, the S signaling the encryption.

If you don't have this, you'll be getting

penalized for it in Google search.

So reach out to your host or domain

provider who will guide you through the process.

Now we've covered the bulk of basics and

a few advanced options for SEO, but just

as important as those are the things to

avoid.

It's very easy in this industry to be

lured into thinking you have a quick fix

that will help you climb to the top

of the search ladder and guarantee a constant

stream of enquiries.

Don't be fooled.

The cold calls from Google play on that

idea, but it's never Google calling.

Remember we're playing the long game here and

if it feels like a trick or a

gimmick, I generally try and avoid it.

I say generally, I do.

You may find that you need to outsource

your SEO work to an agency.

If you don't feel you're able to handle

the process, then that's an option.

But if you do, or even if you

don't, I want you to be aware of

these black hat techniques and to make sure

you avoid them at all costs.

Get me?

1.

Keyword stacking and stuffing.

We addressed this when it came to writing

for the user and not Google, but it's

making sure you don't over-repeat a keyword.

Using a keyword 15 times on a home

page doesn't make Google notice you over others.

But it does notice you, but for the

wrong reasons.

It knows you're keyword stuffing that page.

2.

Cloaking.

This is the practice of tricking a search

engine into thinking you have certain content, but

actually showing something entirely different.

Make sure your pages and content are relevant

to the keyword.

3.

Hidden text.

Very, very, very, very naughty.

This is using white text on a white

background to push more keywords into the page.

It's very naughty.

Do not do this.

4.

Backlink farms.

Now I'm going to have to fess up.

This is the only naughty technique I've ever

used.

And I did it in the very early

years of my business when it was actually

common SEO practice.

We've talked about how backlinks can boost a

website's domain authority.

So up until 2012, 2013, companies would go

out and buy backlinks in order to trick

Google into thinking it had more authority, which

in turn ranked them better.

But Google isn't stupid.

I've told you this a few times now

and they clamped down pretty hard on that

one.

I fortunately managed to remove the links I

had paid for, but it took some heavy

work and lots of sites were severely damaged

in Google search for a couple of years

after.

Last but not least, reciprocal links.

This is the exchange of links between two

sites.

So I link to you if you link

to me.

And much like backlink farms, it was a

common technique back in the early 2000s.

But again, it was usually to boost SEO.

Now this isn't as serious as any of

the other previous techniques as it's a natural

byproduct of owning a site.

People link away from their own.

So there's always a chance you may get

a link to each other, but it's a

risk.

So if you do get featured on a

blog, for example, don't feel obliged to link

back.

And also on that reciprocal topic, it just

goes against the basic principle of what your

website is there to do.

Just think about it and say someone does

read your copy.

What are you doing by offering them a

link away from your site?

It's like being in a shop and a

sales assistant coming up to you and saying,

Oh, hello, we have what you need here.

But if you go and look over there,

they might have something for you as well.

So off you go to the other shop,

totally forgetting about the one you just left.

Makes no sense.

And I actually feel the same about these

Instagram plugins.

Every photographer seems to have on their sides

at the moment.

What's the point?

It's an unnecessary plugin, which will slow down

your site and also tells people to check

out Instagram.

But what happens when anyone goes on Instagram?

That's right.

We totally lose our train of thought and

end up watching videos of people jumping into

clothes, pictures of cats and finding out what

your uncle Steve had for his tea.

Sorry, what were we talking about?

Fuck, now it's gone.