Good question in today's ever-changing online environment. With all of these radical changes in
search engines and their algorithm updates its not surprising to ponder - why do I need SEO anymore if it's all just a crapshoot? This blog will answer that question. It will also hopefully shift your paradigm about SEO.
In my opinion SEO has baggage. SEO has a rub-off like a used-car dealer on the car lot. First off there's been lots of unscrupulous dealers in this digital world of "Get Rankings Quick" fixes. There have been several SEO tactics that worked magically to help websites get links, get ranked and even help to get traffic. However, most of these SEO efforts and tactics were short lived. Some companies thrived, some got caught (JC Penny for example) and some are still trying to play the SEO game.
It has been a game of trying to short-cut what search engines are looking for. Simply, search engines are simply looking for good indicators of what honest people searching the web are looking for. Search engines like Google are desperately trying to provide a viable customer experience. Here's the rub - the focus for SEO companies was all WRONG - because the focus was on the search engine itself and not on the customer. So, goodbye SEO tactics like Link Exchanges, Paid Links, and low-quality Directories.
The short-cut efforts by SEO companies and SEO experts have mostly been thwarted by algorithm changes and updates. You've heard about Google Pengin update. It was big. What Google is trying to do is force people to be "natural" in their efforts to improve their site's presence in search results.
Are Traditional Link Building Strategies Dead? If so - why do I need SEO anymore? hmmmm.
Link building is not dead. It's merely part of an organic, or "natural" strategy to provide valuable or compelling content. Think of this as a shift away from SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to CEO - where the focus is Customer Experience Optimization. The old way of gaming the system was all about shortcuts to gaining authority with Search Engines. Lost in this was the customer. This is why Google has ramped up its efforts to thwart those attempting to game the system.
Content is still the kingdom where it all works. The farmers till the soil, the workers sow the seeds and do the work to produce ripe juicy content. This organic natural tasty stuff that quenches the thirst of voracious internet searchers is rewarded by search engines. There is a new era of SEO, says Jayson DeMers in a recent Huffington post article, that content strategy is the new SEO.
This is where links will come from naturally: good content. All along one thing has remained true. Valuable content in the form of blogs, videos, pod-casts, graphics and how-to guides have been and will be a staple of sought after solutions online. Put out good content consistently and searchers and other websites will find it and link to it naturally.
It used to be fairly easy to manipulate organic search results with spammy tactics. Not anymore. SEO is no longer about specific short-term tactics, but rather an overall content strategy for the long haul. Attracting links and readership naturally boosts organic traffic. This is the type of investment in the customer experience (CEO) that your business will profit from long-term.
This natural process of producing content strategically protects you from new algorithms and search engine updates. A content strategy naturally propels you to the top rungs of search engine results pages.
Where do I find a good content strategy?
One place is inside your head. You have answers to lots of customer questions. Consider making a blog post for each commonly asked question in your industry or specialty. Provide the question and a helpful answer without lots of sales mumbo jumbo.
Another source for content is to find a writer who knows your business. Give this writer lots of direction and provide specific keywords to concentrate on which will generate organic searches for dynamic web content.
Or, outsource content writing from a professional inbound marketing agency that specializes in producing consistent content that attracts organic traffic. Here's a tip: the more content you produce for your website or your blog, the more chances you have of attracting site visitors and customers.
Content strategy is the "new" SEO because Google loves natural. I'm on an organic kick these days. Are you ready to start a strategy or entertain short cuts?
