One of the things about SEO is that you are constantly at the mercy of Google and Bing algorithm and SERP changes as they do it often according to their business model and algorithm changes.
As an SEO consultant, I find it necessary to keep up to date with modern SEO practices and techniques and below are some of the modern SEO practices and techniques that I have found useful.
Local SEO
If you look at Google’s search results (and even Bing’s) you will see they are showing the local businesses on top of their search results.
For example if you type in Los Angeles Bail Bonds, you will notice that all bail bonds locations in Los Angeles are shown first, then the other websites that are ranked organically below them. That shows the importance of local SEO. I wrote a post earlier on how you can rank for local SEO by making a lot of noise and getting a lot of good citations for your business using both online and offline marketing.
Social Media
Twitter, Facebook public pages, and now Google+ are influencing the search results. Google and Bing both have admitted they use social media links and content in their search results.
Content for Users First, then Search Engines
When creating content, make sure it is for the users first. Search engines are now looking for user signals such as bounce rate etc. in order to evaluate content. In other words, how users react to your content determines how good your content is therefore search engines rank it accordingly.
For example if you have a Pizza shop and someone types in Pizza, lands on your website but spends very little time on your website and then clicks on the back button to leave your website, that could be a negative point for your website for key term pizza.
Content Freshness
In addition in writing quality content, Google is sending more organic traffic to sites with fresh quality content. This is where a lot of small businesses miss out because they have static pages with minimal content about their business and their products and services.
A good solution is to have a blog for your website.
Blogs are good for multiple reasons. You can write quality content on them about your products, services, company news, and even allow guests posts, helping you become popular in your market.
HTML5 and Microformats
Search engines rely on crawlers and robots to understand the content of your website. And while they are getting really good at it, you can help them understand the content of your website better by implementing microformats.
Google and Bing have worked together to develop Schema.org which is a website that contains a set of microformat standards that help search engines understand your content better.
Google Webmaster Tools (And Analytic)
Pay close attention to all the messages and data you get on Google Webmaster Tools. Google is attempting to communicate to you how they view your website, how many errors they see, what keywords they find relevant to your website, how many links coming to your website etc. Familiar yourself with Google webmaster tools and how you can use it effectively.
In addition to Google Webmaster tools, you should also be looking at your Google Analytics data (or any other analytic software you use). The difference between Google webmaster tools and Google analytics is that Google webmaster tools is how Google sees your website and Google Analytic shows you public data about your website.
Both are essential to your SEO success.
Be Creative
Be creative and do something unique. The more creative and unique you are, the more chance people will talk about you and link to you, hence you improve your ranking. A Google example is San Diego Storage directory. After creating a self storage directory, they decided to add all self storage in San Diego for free, giving them premium listing long enough for them to get noticed. That helped them get a lot attention from the webmasters of these websites and quite a few of them ended up linking back to the site hence it helped them with SEO.
Article by Al Sefati
I am search and internet marketing expert and an entrepreneur. I like to share what I have learned and learn from others by writing and blogging.
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: zammax
January 15, 2012 at 11:11 pm
That’s why a big site usually get higher ranking than a thin site. The first always gets update everyday and even with some new posts daily.
Twitter: indblog
January 13, 2012 at 5:46 am
I can not begin to tell you how much I agree with the “content for users first, then search engines” point of your article. I have been preaching about this for the past few years and I don’t intend to change in the hope that I might get a couple of extra visits by linking higher in Google.
.
Dean Saliba recently posted..Yes, I Quit My Job to Earn Passive Income While Sitting on the Beach All Day!
Twitter: irene_enriquez
January 12, 2012 at 5:00 am
I like the idea of being unique and creative. I think most people play safe. Can you please provide other examples of other creative and unique approach. Thanks!
Irene Enriquez recently posted..Daily Tip: Avoid making decisions early in the morning.
Twitter: deucegroup
January 10, 2012 at 11:14 am
Fresh and valuable content is more important than ever, for SEO and for Visitors and Customers, not for nothing companies are investing more and more in content, YouTube and Netflix are spending 100s of millions of dollars on it.
Twitter: bloggersethics
January 10, 2012 at 1:48 am
I believe in writing for people, the users and not for search engines. It is important that your primary target is people because if you are looking for long term success from your blog, it is necessary you do not forget your readers
Tushar recently posted..Why Big Bloggers Need to Write Own Posts?
it shouldn’t be your homepage that has a page rank it’ll be better if you articles and or inner pages has it too..
Twitter: RyanBiddulph
January 9, 2012 at 12:11 am
Hi Al,
Creativity. Use it.
Your tips are spot on. Get down the nuts and bolts of SEO. Then, add a dash of creativity. Thinking from a different perspective causes people to take notice. This generates more interest in your site, lowers your bounce rate and boosts SEO as more quality sites link to you.
Keep the content rolling in. Fresh, relevant useful content helps boost your rank. I’ve seen this again and again. When I keep adding value I become more valuable in the eyes of search engines.
Thanks for sharing your insight
RB
Ryan Biddulph recently posted..Jump Into Action
Twitter: asefati
January 8, 2012 at 10:27 pm
thanks for feedback. I agree consistency and creative are very important when it comes to both social media and blogging. And as for content, I hate to see those “search engine friendly” content that lack editorial for value.
Sefati recently posted..Life as an SEO Consultant
Twitter: doug_eike
January 8, 2012 at 4:11 pm
I agree that the content should be for the users first, and second. I’ve never understood why a blogger, copywriter, or website administrator would be willing to manipulate content to increase visits at the expense of the users. That strategy seems to me to be a long-term loser. Thanks for the insights!
doug_eike recently posted..Ten Wonderful Things To Give Away
Twitter: wasimalrayes
January 8, 2012 at 4:07 pm
Al Sefati some nice points, You mentioned Socail Media and Blogging, i would like to add to this, that if your business is embracing this, it shouldn’t be just a one day wonder. You have to be consistent on it. If you’re going to have a blog on your site, you just don’t want to put a GOOD article every so often, you want to be consistent and keep pushing out quality stuff, and same applies to your social media accounts. By doing so, your building your brand, showing your expertises and of course reaching out to a wider audience.
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