When you type in “SEO” in search engines, the most common search results in 2014 are blog articles pondering the question, “Is SEO dead?” Because Google makes so many adjustments to its search engine algorithm every year, it’s not a surprise that so many people are questioning whether or not SEO has a future. However, it’s not that SEO is dead; it’s more that the rules are constantly changing, and only experts can navigate the current SEO landscape. In an age where Google is the current ruler of the digital world, you need to make sure that your business’s marketing efforts are up-to-date with their rules. Otherwise, you run the risk of being digitally invisible to your customers, which has adverse effects on your real-life business goals. Therefore, in order to see any success in your search engine marketing efforts, you have to incorporate SEO in your strategy.
Pay attention to your appearance
While the term SEO may seem intimidating, think of it as sort of like dating. Now, before you scoff, hear me out. Imagine that you’re at a bar and you’re looking to attract someone, but the bar is packed – how do you get noticed? Well, one of the first things you have to make sure of is that you’re dressed to impress. Same goes for SEO – if your online presence is not up to par, there is no way that search engines will notice your business presence, let alone rank in the top page.
Therefore, one of the first things you have to evaluate is your business’s website. Does it load quickly? Is it designed with the user in mind? And most importantly, does it make a fantastic first impression? Google’s latest algorithm update is focused less on you as a business and more on your customers’ digital experience. Creating a responsive design site and optimizing for mobile are big steps in the right direction, as many more users are on their phones or tablets multiple times a day. However, you also have to optimize your site with your list of keywords connected to your industry – that way, when your site visitors are trying to find information on what your business can do for them, they don’t have to search through several different pages for it. Therefore, you have to think about not just how your site functions but how well it functions for your user.
Write for humans, not for robots
Okay, now imagine that you look great, and you’re catching people’s eyes. Someone comes over to talk to you – how do you keep their attention? Well, the first thing is to remember that you’re not talking to a machine – you’re talking to other humans with the purpose of quickly gaining their interest in a fast-paced, media-oversaturated world. Therefore, keeping your users’ interests in mind is integral to your 2014 SEO strategy.
Think about it like this: whatever your users want to see, Google wants to see as well. Therefore, having a blog on your website is a great way to rank on Google, because creating interesting content leads to more shares, which then leads to more backlinks to your site, which then leads to greater authority in Google’s eyes. Of course, you have to make sure that your content relates to your industry, but in order to get noticed, you have to be creative and unique about the way you package your business. Either way, creating high quality content is integral for your SEO strategy.
Focus on long-term engagement
You’ve gained their interest – awesome. Now what? It’s not enough just to get their attention for a day – you have to get them invested in your brand for the long haul, and a big part of that is not just creating exposure for your business but creating hype about your brand. You want to get people to keep talking about your brand even after you’ve published your content.
The latest Google algorithm update is almost like public relations. There is a greater emphasis on getting your business mentioned in blogs, especially by popular online outlets with a large readership. In addition, Google loves businesses that create its own content, because it adds to the overall authority of your business’s website. Therefore, publishing evergreen content that is constantly fresh, unique, and focused on a specific industry is a great way to continuously engage your fans while also boosting your search engine ranking.
Honing in on your target audience is absolutely key if you want your business to get ranked at the top of Google’s search engine. Therefore, integrating SEO in your overall digital marketing strategy and thinking about your customers every step of the way is what will make your business stand out from the rest.