The Bruce Clay SEO Education Experience

October 6, 2011
 

Today’s show examines the importance of SEO awareness in business. Starting the show, Bruce explains the value of the SEO site audit or assessment. The first step in improving a site is identifying issues to figure out what’s right and what’s wrong. Along with Jessica Lee and Virginia Nussey, Bruce looks at when it makes sense to assess a site yourself and when it’s best to have an agency or consultant evaluate the site. Assessments are frequently provided to large brands that ask for an annual upkeep review, as well as those seeking an independent third-party opinion. Assessments also make sense for small businesses requiring SEO knowledge to make intelligent decisions about ways to improve the site.

Bruce presented SEO training in India in August, meeting a great demand for SEO education there. Siddharth Lal, managing director of Bruce Clay India, has practiced SEO in Australia and India and talks to Virginia about SEO best practices there. He’s found that spam tactics common in India are likely the result of lacking training and awareness. At the SEO training course, teams from AOL and Ibibo and more came to learn about practices not favored by search engines. He shares a rundown of the country’s popular social networks and search engines and looks at the effect of the Panda Update among companies in India.

Then Virginia talks to SEOToolSet training attendees at September’s course in Simi Valley, CA. She talks to Stirling Flynn, director of technology at Living on the Edge; Chase Anderson, marketing analyst at Belcaro Group Inc.; and Allison Kulage and Rebecca Huber, president and director of client services at Bare Knuckle Marketing. From an SEO beginner’s perspective, Stirling explains he’s learned stuff he can use right away. At his organization they’re finding that rebuilding a site is a great opportunity to have SEO involved at the outset. As an experienced SEO, Chase comes to maintain the dialogue around SEO at his organization, which recognizes the importance of buy-in at all levels addressing the many agendas at play. And Allison and Rebecca use SEO education to inform their clients about how to indicate a site’s authority.