Like the David Bowie song, search engine optimization (SEO) is going through some ch-ch-ch-changes.
SEO is a process we use to increase where your business listing appears on Google, Bing, Yahoo! or other search engine. If a user types in a word associated with your business, the goal is for you to appear high up on the list of non-paid sites showing up in search results. The one constant in the age of digital streaming is the fact that our business marketing strategies need to be agile enough to keep up. The days of keyword stuffing and data manipulation are so 1990 – the algorithms search engines use to track your website are much more sophisticated.
While we could list ten or fifteen ways that SEO is changing, let’s run with our top two – and these are simple enough to be adopted by any business owner, no matter how much of a ‘net novice you might be.
Less is more when it comes to content these days. We’ve seen the phrase “content fatigue” cropping up more and more in marketing articles. A website that is maxed out on text can overwhelm the reader. Creating quality content that tells your story and provides useful information to the reader is certainly important, but too much of a good thing is always a bad thing, in our opinion.
Don’t take our word for it: In 2015, Google offered a Quality Rating Guide that puts the kibosh on crappy content. Sites that have a “high level of expertise, authoritativeness or trustworthiness” are going to list higher on the search. Period.
Say you’re a real estate agent. In the early years of SEO, you could fill your site with keywords like “buy real estate” “sell my home” and other words and phrases that would give you more search engine brownie points to help you rank higher on Google. Not only is that no longer kosher, it can actually work against you. Google will penalize your site for blatant keyword stuffing. This is the same as writing your special skills in an all white font at the bottom of your resume to trick HR software. It doesn't work, we know you're doing it.
Keyword stuffing tries to beat the search engine algorithm instead of creating a great website and a positive customer experience. You may rank a little higher on Google, but imagine your potential customer’s reaction when they hit your site; they will not stay and they probably won’t buy whatever you’re selling.
We were just getting warmed up. The team at Artisan Talent knows tons of experts in SEO; and we can link you with the top talent that can help promote your business across the web – and in every other venue you can imagine. Reach out for more helpful tips so you can stay on top of what’s hot – and what’s not for 2016 and beyond.
