As SEO has constantly changed over the years, the smart, big brains in the industry know more than ever, constant research is needed to make sure they’re ahead of the game. Nowadays that means knowing what exactly works regarding SEO, and listening to their advice can mean the difference between success and failure.
Not saying that everything they say is spot-on correct, but they know how to get into the nooks and crannies of the web’s technology and look at the metrics. They’re able to see what is working now and will in the near future. One error and it can cost millions to a corporation.
First of all, things have gone back to square one regarding what’s moving up in the rankings. Quality content, competently designed websites and blogs, using security, linking, and relevant keywords all fall into play here.
No more Black Hat techniques. Google will stomp you into the ground if you even get anywhere close to irresponsible webmastering. Don’t trust SEO marketers who make big promises either. This new wave of procedures are real hardcore brick and mortar type actions that call for planning and professional execution.
Linking is still a major benefit, but ‘how’ you link is more important. Only link to and get links from reputable websites. Those that are specific to your site’s niche. No more ‘ten thousand backlinks’ from everyone and their brother. No, from now on, those links to, and from, had better be niche specific, local SEO specific, name specific. Getting links from Google authority news sites is even better.
You’ve got to know exactly what your audience is looking for and provide that content on your site. If your niche is dog grooming, then everything on your site had better be related directly to dog grooming. You can break that down to specific breeds of dogs, sizes of dogs, geo locations of dogs for even better expansion.
Make that content interactive, engaging. Let’s go back to the niche of dog grooming. You should add your own original content, pics, and videos, but also content that brings the surfer to engage with ‘likes’ and ‘votes’. These will make your site look ‘live’ and useful as a resource, not just some promo spam like page. You want to stand out among the rest and that means getting engaging.
Add some ‘suspense’. Cliffhangers have always been successful for bringing people back to radio shows, televisions shows, movies, and novels. Add some suspense to your content. For example, if your site focuses on golf supplies, have a video or pictorial of someone playing golf but don’t show all the action. Show the person playing 18 holes, but not all of them at once. Put up a video each week or each month and ask the surfers what they think. Should ‘Golfer Bob’ use his 5 iron on the second part of this par 5? Tune in next week to see what happens. Tag the heck out of the video with relevant keywords associated to golf and the products you’re spotlighting. This will really get people to come back for more. Embed links in your vids too. Get as much mileage as you can, wherever you can but don’t get spammy.
There are many variations to the rule, get creative but always stay honest and your SEO goals will show up and be solid.