Is Search Engine Optimization Dead?

December 18, 2012 by Frank Goley, Business Consultant

With the latest Google search algorithm updates over the past year or so, the efficacy of search engine optimization and SEO services as a strategy has been rightfully called into question. Many companies’ websites have gone through a significant adjustment in the Google search engine rankings due to these Google algo changes, losing significant revenue and traffic streams.

So the question begs…Is SEO Dead? Short answer: absolutely not. In fact, now SEO is back to its purest form. Let me explain.

Good SEO is About Relevant Content

You will see in my many posts about Internet Strategies when I discuss search engine optimization, I typically bring up quality and relevant content as the key SEO driver. These latest Google changes have the goal to realign SEO back to its intended purpose: providing web searchers quality search results that have relevant content to their particular search. Side Note: Now, whether Google is actually achieving this (quality search results), is another thing (and another separate conversation). Hopefully over time search relevancy will improve as Google dictates that pure white hat SEO is the only way to go.

SEO Companies Got Lazy

Unfortunately over the past several years, the emphasis for SEO companies has been less about quality content and more about back linking because Google’s search algo rewarded backlinks as a significant factor in ranking, particularly in competitive spaces. So SEO service companies gave a lot more emphasis to developing back links than to the core of SEO, which is content. Now clients of those SEO firms are stuck with poorly ranking websites and having to pay loads of money to try to recover their rankings.

Proper Search Engine Optimization

Onsite SEO Management

Google is now putting lots of weight toward on-page SEO factors. Those who have been adding quality content to their website steadily over time and not back linking the heck out of them (off site back linking) are the ones winning the ranking battle now. Also sites that have a solid interlinking structure and good navigation tied with quality and relevant content are particularly strong in the search results. This is the cornerstone of what proper search engine optimization is about. Spending time working on on-page SEO factors tied with quality content is well rewarded. Need to be cautious of over optimization. Do not overdo it.

Offsite SEO Strategies

So what can you do off-page / offsite wise to increase your rankings? Well, don’t waste your time back linking. Some limited back linking from some quality websites, directories and social sites are ok, but if you have all of that already, don’t do anymore. You will just get driven into the black hole of non-ranking websites even more by trying to back link your rankings back.

Good offsite SEO is just like good onsite SEO. That is, create websites that have quality content that rank on their own merits, solely based on their content value, their relevancy to search, their site structure, and on-page SEO factors. Then have a NO FOLLOW link that directs the web visitor to your main website, landing page, blog, etc.

We have been extremely successful with our SEO service that creates quality content websites which have excellent structure and on page SEO, along with good GEO targeting. Google loves combining keyword search with geo targets, as that makes for better quality search results. Then doing things like linking these separate websites together in a one way fashion to create more authority among them certainly helps to rank for those super competitive keyword phrases.

Also, widen your keyword research and include longer tail keywords along with your “money”, shorter type keywords (more exact match type keywords). Include related type keywords as well and also include branding of your company name and website URL. Google is looking for well-rounded SEO, not SEO that is going aggressively after all exact match keywords. Put some variance into your keywords and go for keywords that don’t get as many searches but return better conversions.

For instance, with our SEO services we research hundreds of keyword terms so that our clients can monetize not just the competitive terms (which actually can bring in less conversions, lower CTR and less profits), but also the keyword terms that are related and lengthy. The longer a keyword term, the more targeted, the hotter and more relevant the prospect, the better closing ratios, the better profitability on a per click basis. Go after the low hanging fruit…

Be Careful when Considering an SEO Services Firm

When you are considering hiring an SEO company, please take the time to learn how they perform their SEO both on your website and offsite. If the SEO company won’t share their SEO philosophy and techniques with you, then beware. Look for transparent SEO companies and analyze exactly what they propose doing for you. If quality SEO practices of on-page SEO and quality content are not being employed, walk away.

Look for SEO firms that aren’t lazy; that will take the time to really do the research and deploy a lengthy, consistent, transparent, accountable SEO strategy for you. Good SEO takes hours and hours of technical work. For that reason we perform all our SEO services on a 12 month basis because that is what it takes for SEO to be really successful, and most importantly, sustainable. Anyone can get quick results but will the rankings hold and improve over time? It is nothing for us to work hundreds of hours on any particular SEO project. Find an SEO firm that takes the time to do right.

Look for results…When considering SEO consultants look at their client testimonials of tangible SEO results. Also look for SEO videos describing their SEO programs and the results derived from those SEO strategies. Transparency is the key to a good, effective SEO company.

SEO Provides Quality Prospects

So, now the question begs: Is SEO worth the investment of time and money? Answer: Absolutely!

You will find that web visitors who find you via the general (organic) search results are much better customers than those clicking on Pay Per Click ads. Why? Because the serious prospects look to the general search results because they are the most relevant and credible. The organic search results are the most trusted, hence, quality prospects come from that search more often than the sponsored results.

The more visibility and rankings you can obtain in the top 10 of Google, the better your results. So look for ways to appear multiple times in the search results, whether that be via websites, videos, images, social networks, etc. The more visibility, the more clicks. Look to combine your PPC campaigns with your SEO strategies. This will significantly lower your PPC costs, increase the profitability of your PPC campaigns, and improve cross platform branding. Imagine having 6 positions in the top 10 of Google general results, plus a PPC ad that is very cheap to show, all in one search? Powerful! And Profitable!

Posted in Business Internet Strategies and tagged content based seo, google algo changes, google seo, on page and off page seo, search engine optimization, seo, seo companies, seo consultants, seo firms, seo services, seo strategies, white hat seo.

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