As a practice and industry, SEO is frequently evolving. Sites are apparently at the mercy of the search engines, who usually can’t be bothered to give the site owners a heads up before they update their algorithm. Every few weeks it seems like someone is heralding the death of SEO, but evolution does not equal demise. Over time, tactics and methods change to work inside the guidelines of the search engines and to meet the needs of the online user, but the core fundamentals of SEO have remained the same.
1. Understand User-Intent
Keyword investigate is the cornerstone of any SEO campaign. Understanding user-intent when conducting and selecting your keywords is critical to getting your SEO off on the right foot and helping the right audience find your site. For instance, are “gym shoes,” “sneakers” and “tennis shoes,” the same thing? For some consumers those three words are completely exchangeable.
2. Don’t Rush Your Link Building
It is critical for the search engines to see a diversified approach to link building that gradually grows over time. A blended approach demonstrates your commitment to white hat link building and building your online presence naturally. The search engines are very conscious that they are playing a game with spammers and black hat SEO users, and they don’t plan on losing.
3. Content is King
Content is anything that is public and shareable. This includes blog web page content, blog posts, articles, podcasts, videos, whitepapers and more. It is also the most important factor of a website’s long term SEO success. Content should always be written for the end user, not for the search engines. You have to remember that the search engines are not going to be the ones purchasing your products or services, people are. Optimize your content so the search engines can find it, but don’t forget that it has to be human friendly first.
4. Be Strategic, Not Spammy
This is particularly most important in regards to social media marketing and social SEO. If you really wanted to, you could create a hundred different Twitter profiles to sponsor your content through. But what kind of real value are you getting from those profiles other than a link? You don’t have to tackle every aspect of SEO at once.
5. SEO is Long Term
This is probably the hardest thing for those new to SEO to wrap their heads around. SEO is not a quick fix to your online marketing. No, you won’t be ranking on the first page of Google for all your keywords by tomorrow, next week, or even next month. This is especially true if you recently launched your site. It takes a long time to build up your trust factor with the search engines.
6. Follow Search Engine Guidelines
Google, Bing and Yahoo want you to do well with your SEO because it helps clean up their search results. A better SERP makes for a happier search engine user. Search engines are in the business of pleasing the customer, just like everyone else. If your site can’t help them do that, you won’t ever rank well. That’s why every site owner and marketer has to read the Google and Bing Webmaster Guidelines. Consider those guidelines your SEO line in the sand.
7. Integrate Everything
Just about all your online marketing efforts can be leveraged for SEO. One of the biggest mistakes you could make is keeping your actions in separate silos. SEO works best when it is incorporated into the mix, becoming an essential component of your online marketing. If your company has a large marketing department, don’t separate the SEO guy back to the IT department. Bring him aboard the marketing team and you’ll achieve greater online success.



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