How CNN Stays on Top of SEO (4:03)

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What’s the biggest SEO challenge for a large media company such as CNN? According to Topher Kohan, the SEO Manager at CNN, keeping up with breaking news is the most demanding part of the process.

On the positive front, because CNN has a TV station, they are able to essentially tell people what to search for. However, on the website, they have to determine what people are searching for on their own. In an interview with WebProNews, Kohan said keywords need to be included in the headline, title, and meta description.

As for the future of video SEO for news sites, Kohan told us that he sees microformats as a key ingredient to getting content seen. Google further indicated this when it announced its support of Yahoo’s SearchMonkey RDFa and Facebook Share in September.

Kohan believes these partnerships will allow SEOs to give the search engines more information, which will be better for everyone. Since he expects to see a set of standardized tags within the next 18 months, Kohan advises SEOs to get on board with the coming changes in order to start preparing now.

Posted in: Media, News, Online Video, SEO, SES Chicago 2009, Topher Kohan, Video Search
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17 Responses to How CNN Stays on Top of SEO

  1. CNN should stay on top of images too as they use an old 2007 Android prototype phone for the latest GooglePhone rumors it pulls from CNet which actually does have the current images – http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/biztech/12/15/cnet.google.android/

    ,Michael Martin

  2. Nice interview, though, Topher is certainly a FAST talker. I notice that about smart people. Regardless, he’s right that microformats are going to bridge the gap until speech->text processing gets faster and better. Once that happens, uFormats are going out the window.

    Good interview,
    Josh

  3. I’m sure it doesn’t hurt that they’re an authority site which is cited thousands of times a day either. But since they get crawled every 10 minutes and are often the first source for news, I bet Google recognizes them as the original author on topics which adds to their authority.

  4. Rank On Top says:

    Topher, basiclly gave the world the next clue on what to expect.
    Great intervid, looking for upcoming thought from top seo managers!

  5. There is a different between the searchers looking for news and those looking for the stuff that are not bound by time. If I’m searching for the latest news about something, the news feeders should produce the most updated stories for me – tough job! But, what about the other stuff like the best quality of A4 papers? Do they all have to produce new content everyday to convince me they’re the best? I don’t think so.

    So, the point is the latest isn’t necessarily the best. Google Shouldn’t consider the latest as the most wanted search results.

  6. G Burton says:

    Great interview abby, would love to hear Tophers thoughts about SEO on content that isn’t nesecarily ‘breaking news’.

  7. socialspid says:

    Great interview, I like what he said that it’s not about being indexed by search engine now but being found by people after the search engine indexed you. Great job!

  8. Painter says:

    As long as they are considered an oficial sourse of information on the Internet, Google will update the information very often. Their arricoles are cited thousand time every day, so they shoud not be worried about changing the strategy from search engines.

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  12. Pingback: Video Interview with WebPro News titled: How CNN Stays on Top of SEO

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  14. topforex says:

    This is great information about how to achieve top positions in search engines. The rule is still the standard, namely how to place keywords in the headlina, title, and meta description. Also it may take 18 months. Thank you for your information.

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  16. Kristin says:

    Topher makes some excellent points. There’s little sense in creating stellar content if people can’t find it. It’s smart to keep up with thoughts, tips, and ideas of industry leaders like Mr. Kohan. Some of SEO’s other powerplayers are highlighted at http://www.verticalmeasures.com/search-optimization/seo-celebrity-look-alikes/ – fun, but also a great list of excellent resources.

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