The Evolving State of SEO
SEO is in a constant state of flux. It is an ever changing, ever evolving marketing tool. A perfect example of this can be found just by taking a look at the way Google is always changing and tweaking their ranking algorithms. Remember Panda and Penguin?
The important thing to bear in mind here is that staying up to date with these frequent changes isn’t just the smart thing to do, it’s crucial. If you fall down on the job and don’t adapt, you won’t just hinder your search marketing efforts – you’ll hurt them. Bad. Here’s a major tip that will help you avoid that.
Use Known Google Standards to Make Improvement to Your Website
You’d think Google would come right out and tell you “Do this” and “Don’t do that.” In a perfect world, perhaps. But there’s a good reason Google keeps the details of its algorithms a secret – it’s done to ensure that honest business owners struggling to get their websites discovered won’t be cheated out of a high search engine ranking by less-than-honest online marketers who play the system to shortcut themselves to the top of the heap.
But in the absence of a rulebook telling you exactly what to do, how can you make that happen? Simple. By performing a self-assessment of your website. Here are a few questions to ask yourself about your website that will help you align it with some of Google’s publicly known standards for high ranking.
- Is your site trustworthy? We’re not just talking about being SFW (“safe for work”) but being an actual resource that contains accurate information for those interested in your goods or services. If you blog about a specific topic, make sure the information you provide is accurate. If you find that the majority of your blog content can’t be backed up with citations or well established fact, consider focusing on this aspect in your content reorganization.
- How original is the information that you are providing on your website? The term “original” has, in recent times, been altered slightly – especially by those who employ the practice of content curation. Nonetheless, it is something that Google looks closely at when determining your ranking. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. But copying and pasting articles or blogs that appear on other websites isn’t cool, and will only make you look bad in the eyes of the algorithm.
- Are there any errors on your website that could cause someone to think it was poor quality? This can extend to everything, from grammatical or spelling errors in content to web design errors that prevent your site from loading fully or performing properly. Quality is one of the key standards that Google has established to set apart “legit” websites from those created simply to drive false traffic. Going through your website with a fine-toothed comb is important to ranking high on the quality scale.
If you’re not sure about how to do any of the above mentioned things, hire an expert. It’s not hard to find a web developer or fulltime interactive designer willing to help you improve your website and your rankings. You just have to know where to look. If you visit artisantalent.com, you’ll be given access to hundreds of experienced professionals who can be hired on a per-project basis. If you own a business and need someone to help make your website fly, or if you want to do design and marketing work for nationally known brands, check out Artisan. contact us today to learn more.
Thank you for reading our post about tracking the evolving state of SEO.
Vince F is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
