Ever since the inception of the internet, search engine optimization, otherwise known as SEO, has been bandied about as if it were the holy
grail of online success. But what is SEO really? Is it simply optimizing your
website? Or, has it grown to include posts to all your web properties? My
answer to these questions may surprise you. SEO is no longer just one thing. It
has grown to mean so much more. In this article I will discuss how search
engine optimization has evolved in order to become Search Engine Marketing (aka
S.E.M.). I will discuss how what was once a single faceted injection has
evolved into a multifaceted process. In this article you will find
information that will show you how you can improve your search ranking. This includes specific methods to
follow that will insure a strong ranking position. Best of all, you can
accomplish all this without resorting to tricks, gimmicks or deception that attempts to bypass the search engine ranking system.
Stop Acting Like it's 1999
Before the turn of the century, achieving search ranking was relatively simple. You selected
a keyword
 |
| What really is Search Engine Optimization? (Photo credit: Go Local Search) |
relevant to your business, created a website, and added the desired keywords to your content. Then you made
sure you included Meta and Alt tags and you posted your web pages to
the top 100 search engines and directories. Voila. If you chose your keywords
carefully, you soon showed up on page one of Yahoo, AltaVista, Net Taxi and
other search engines.
Today it isn't so simple. The major search engines, such as Google, Yahoo and Bing are mostly concerned with quality content,
delivered on a regular and timely basis. This content needs to be diversified (web pages, blogs, social media, videos etc…) and it needs to be highly
relevant to the keyword or phrase that is being searched. Today if you meet
these criteria you will do well in organic search, (assuming your competition
is not better at it than you). If you ignore these items then your chances of showing up on page one are slim at best.
Is On-Site Optimization Dead?
I am often asked is web page optimization still important?
My answer is yes. Google and all other search engines care about properly
formatted Meta and alt tags. Although this only accounts
for a small portion of the overall score, it is still very important. If
this on-page information is incorrect, missing, or doesn’t match the content,
search engines will either ignore or misinterpret your content and rank you low or not at all. Either way it means bad news for your website. Make sure
your on-page Meta and Alt tags are formatted to match the content and keywords. Otherwise your quest to be on page one will end before it begins.
Is SEM Different than SEO?
Search Engine Marketing is a much comprehensive than Search Engine Optimization. It includes all your websites plus your blog posts, social network posts, any PR posts,
all pod casts and video posts. In
essence, S.E.M. encompasses all web postings of any kind. Yet it also means
more than this. S.E.M. is also a methodology designed to meet the search
content requirements that provide high ranking. In other words, your
methodology is predicated on doing what the search engines want, not trying to
trick them into giving you better ranking. Today it means giving Google what it
wants since Google comprises about 81% of all search activity.
What Does Google Want?
Google loves mixed media, which includes video, photos, podcasts, and more. The reason they do this is
 |
| Image via CrunchBase |
due to the fact that Google is looking to
determine who is serving the public the best content for any specific search.
The googlebots evaluate your content for relevancy, usefulness, quality, consistency,
timeliness, connectedness, positive feedback and diversity of format (web
pages, blogs, social media, videos etc…).
These are very busy bots.
Game the System at Your Own Peril
Gone are the days when you could easily trick the search
engines in order to get a high ranking. Google has employed a multi-tier
approach to detect most trickery. Their new algorithms penalize such practices as keyword stuffing, duplicate sites, backlink farms and many other patently deceptive practices. On top of that they have hired a hoard of website evaluators
that actually check out your pages, posts and back links. If Google catches
you cheating they will downgrade your ranking or remove you from
search altogether . Cheating Google no long means just a slap on
the wrist. It can mean banishment!
How Can Content Marketing Help You Gain the High Ground?
A
decade ago posting a properly optimized website was all it took to achieve ranking. Today's internet audience
is far more savvy and sophisticated. Today's websurfers prefer video and photos to text, provided they can find it. If you
have a video on page one above the fold, it is the most likely to be clicked
on. We know that statistically, videos will receive 80% of all clicks if they
are highly visible. However, videos are not the be all end all. Blog posts can also garner strong position
in Google rankings. The same is true for social media posts that that have a
high sharing factor (gone viral). Google also loves web pages that receive lots of positive ratings (especially Google Local or Map pages with
Google +1 ratings and four or more stars)
The bottom line is that while SEO is not dead, it has changed so radically in the past few years that the rules of the game have changed. If you want to win, you need to adjust your approach and start creating compelling content that both the search engine bots and the public want to view.
Carl Weiss is president of W Squared Media Group, a Jacksonville, Florida firm that specializes in helping clients achieve online results. You can hear Carl every Tuesday at 4 pm when he co-hosts Working the Web to Win on Blog Talk Radio.
No comments:
Post a Comment