SEO Simplified for Today's Web
Strangely, SEO (search engine optimization) is becoming more complicated and simpler at the same time. More complicated because Google has been changing the rules at a frantic pace, and simpler because the effect of Google's changes is to eliminate a lot of SEO techniques that used to get good results.
In this SEO environment, there are two ways a small business can go wrong:
- If it isn't up-to-date on current best practices, the business can employ outdated SEO activities that get neutral or negative results.
- If it reads too much into recent changes or follows the wrong advice, the business may choose to drop SEO for the marketing mix and do itself serious damage.
SEO is still important. In this post I'll sketch out the most important things you can do to optimize your search presence over the next year or two. It would be very dangerous to forecast any further out, and even after reading this I would encourage you to review best practices for SEO on a quarterly basis.
Basically, there are a few onsite SEO activities you should zone in on, and one offsite SEO activity. If you get these things right, you should be in great shape.
Onsite SEO
- Update keyword research. Keyword research is not a one-and-done activity. Search language changes; important phrases fall in and out of fashion. Even if your site's content is well optimized, if it's optimized for the wrong phrases, your competitors will get the lion's share of today's best qualified traffic.
- Update meta titles and meta descriptions. Meta titles are still extremely important, because they tell Google what a page of web content is about. Meta descriptions are important because they influence human readers to click on links in Google search or social media shares.
- Make your site Google-friendly. Problems with site architecture can prevent Google from properly reading and ranking your site. While these issues can be fairly complex, Google Webmaster Tools will tell you just about everything that's wrong with your site, making most fixes pretty easy.
Offsite SEO
Here's where things have really changed. Old-time SEO tactics like directory listings, reciprocal linking, paid link acquisition, article and press release submissions are now being largely ignored or devalued by Google. As a result, the main way and best way to obtain inbound links to your site is through content marketing. The idea behind content marketing is simple: create relevant, useful and sharable content and get it published it on popular sites in your niche. Your content will contain links to your site, which boosts your site's authority in the eyes of Google. Types of content your business can create include:
- Guest blog posts
- In-depth articles
- Interviews
- White papers
- Ebooks
- E-newsletters
- Original social media content
- Infographics
- Photographs
- Video
- Slide Presentations
- Cartoons
The challenge of content marketing is the time and skill required to create and distribute content. Small firms with limited human and financial resources must think carefully about how to execute and measure content marketing activities: too little content won't move the SEO dial; too much content may be overkill.
Right Around the Corner: Mobile
In some niches, mobile search optimization is already essential, but for the most part, strategies for and even the definition of mobile search are still being defined and sorted out. B2Cs need to start thinking about mobile now, whereas most B2Bs probably have a little time before a lack of mobile optimization becomes a serious competitive disadvantage.
Because there's more work right around the corner, it's the perfect time to simplify current SEO programs by stripping away outdated activities and putting more energy into the things that are proven to work.
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