Should I be doing SEO?
Speculators have been, well, speculating about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) since the beginning of the internet. We're midway through 2014 and SEO is even more important than it ever was; especially for small and medium businesses as they jostle for position in an increasingly competitive online marketplace. [endclip]
What is the future of SEO?
Recent updates to Google's search algorithm follow the same principles that have underpinned their hitorical updates over the past five years, and that support a 'white hat' method for optimisation. Google does this by helping websites display the right content to users of their search engine by attributing trust, relevancy and credibility. The way Google is doing this is by constantly tweaking its algorithm to ensure that spammy and questionable practices of years gone by, where ‘black hat’ techniques such as keyword cramming, excessive link building, and guest blogging are penalized and redundant. Better rankings are given to brands that use white hat techniques to SEO that require greater levels of technical competency and an approach that seeks to combine content marketing, relevancy and trust, and security.
Content is king
In light of algorithmic changes that favour good content, everyone is looking to create content that generates trends across the internet and shoots their website to number one in Google. This is the right strategy, but you also need to ensure that your website is fully optimised from a technical SEO perspective, otherwise your content will not achieve its full potential.
Social ranking signals
Social media is increasingly influencing ranking on search engines, but back when SEO was still in its infancy, social media didn’t exist and so there remains an historic disconnect between traditionalist SEO experts that are disinclined to integrate social media within their SEO work.
This is mistake, especially for small and medium sized businesses that want an effective SEO strategy. Social activity is vital for raising awareness and driving relevant traffic to your website. We're consistently seeing social channels in the top 5 referrers for optimised websites. This is because they are effective avenues for sharing content with existing customers, and their friends (who could convert into prospects) to discover and share it. There are signs that the major search engines are gearing up to ensure that social signals are a major part of the search landscape for years to come.
A few years ago Google put through a patent for a new search algorithm called ‘Agentrank’, which focused on ranking content based on the authority of the creator. More recently we've seen the rise and fall of Google Authorship which works in the same vein by allowing content marketers to associate their social authority with a brand's website.
Will Google go live with a new social algorithm in the fall of 2014? Will this have major implications for your websites SEO?
If you're unsure about your SEO strategy you can talk to our SEO experts today. You can email me at harry@barkweb.co.uk or call me on 01323 735800.