Interview
SEO Advice from SurveyMonkey Director of SEO and Growth, Eli Schwartz
- SEO is projected to become a critical acquisition channel in 2018 as costs for paid channels like Google AdWords and Facebook increase, making it an untapped avenue for significant returns.
- E-commerce entities must prioritize proper site structuring before scaling distributors or products, ensuring full crawlability without orphan pages to allow bot discovery, while media companies may benefit from cross-linking past articles to current events.
- URL randomization strategies are suggested for media sites to facilitate cross-linking but are likely unsuitable for e-commerce due to user experience constraints.
- Black hat tactics such as purchasing links, hiding text, or relying on meta keywords are discouraged, as search engines can detect these practices, whereas using hidden text for Apple iOS app stores or keywords for YouTube video content remains effective.
- Image optimization requires keyword-titled filenames and alt tags, as search engines still require raw text for parsing rather than relying solely on images, video, or JavaScript.
- Product descriptions utilizing varied, relevant wording and local businesses targeting specific service-area terms are expected to capture more search traffic, while user-generated reviews offer uncertain ranking benefits compared to curated content.
- Link building strategies should focus on quality and relevance from authoritative sources rather than quantity, utilizing creative content like surveys, infographics, and guest posts for non-spammy audiences.
- Content strategy planning should utilize tools like Google Keyword Planner and Ahrefs for volume ideas, with A/B testing to validate traffic and conversion potential, supported by Google Search Console and Analytics for identifying optimization gaps.
- Mobile optimization is essential for capturing top-3 rankings, though desktop performance must not be neglected, and targeting specific user intent keywords is preferred over broad terms.
- International expansion presents opportunities despite challenges, with recommended practices including using subdirectories with 2-3 letter naming conventions, hiring local translators for key content, and implementing language selectors via HTML links.
- Regional search engine dominance varies, requiring specific compliance and hosting in China for Baidu and acknowledging Naver's algorithm in Korea.
- The implementation of GDPR is anticipated to shift paid advertising budgets toward organic efforts by limiting tracking, potentially enabling full-funnel conversion attribution for SEO.
- Recovery from search engine penalties is expected to occur faster, potentially within weeks, due to increased automation, whereas historical recoveries took months.
- SEO hiring criteria should prioritize creativity, curiosity, and analytical skills, with performance metrics measured by traffic and revenue growth targets of 10% to 20% for established companies and 100% to 200% for startups over a 90-day strategic period.
- SEO success should never be measured by page rankings, which are volatile, but rather by traffic and financial outcomes, with new practitioners advised to gain experience through content creation around high-value or personal topics.