With Google constantly refining its search algorithms, the best practices for SEO (search engine optimization) are constantly changing. Strategies that got you to the top of Google searches in 2010 will now cause your site ranking to be downgraded. So, to effectively market yourself or other businesses online, you need to stay on top of changes in SEO strategy.
This field attracts a number of fly-by-night people promising to make your site rank number 1 by adjusting your keyword usage. If it were only that easy. You should view anyone who promises a number 1 rank with extreme caution. If you want to design your own SEO strategy, you would be well advised to follow the advice of professionals such as Main Street ROI or Phil Frost.
One of the key recent changes in what affects Google ranking is the Google search algorithm called Mobilegeddon. While not quite as drastic as that name suggests, it does indicate the importance of having a mobile friendly website.
Content is still king, but it needs to be well written and ideally rigorously sourced. Most importantly, it must be written for the reader. The days of writing pages full of keywords that don’t really say anything are long gone.
As social media grows ever more complex, its importance to SEO rankings is growing in leaps and bounds. Professional firms such as LuckyFishMedia strongly suggest starting with FaceBook given its prominence and ease of use. FaceBook sites are particularly helpful for local businesses. However, marketing with FaceBook can be a delicate dance, since you don’t want to be too overtly promotional and need to provide good content on a regular basis.
Having a number of links on your site can still help increase your ranking, but now you need to be careful about who you link to. Bad quality links such as sites with a lot of spam or little traffic can actually downgrade your ranking.
You can definitely use SEO to improve your site’s ranking, but you need to stay on top of the changes in this area or you may hurt rather than help yourself online.