In the online marketing and web development worlds, there really are no shortcuts to SEO success nowadays.
In the early days of the web, all you had to do was pay Yahoo for high rankings and you were set. Once Google hit the scene, however, the game changed completely and the entire science and art of web promotion changed overnight.
Search Engine Optimisation isn’t a radical new marketing technique in the 24/7, highly wired world we all inhabit. It is the marketing regime under which we all live and operate.
As a search professional (geek) I’m constantly having to pull myself back from the brink of falling into an abyss of algorithm chasing and trying to work out what’s going to happen next. In reality there are a few easy, “no-brainer” techniques that anyone can employ for accelerated SEO success in the here and now.
Don’t Take Shortcuts, Strengthen Your Content
While we won’t make your eyes roll by trotting out the most overused phrase in SEO, the truth is that content is and always will be royalty.
There’s a fine line between content that’s too sparse, and content that’s overloaded to the gills with too much media and activity. You’ll know conflated content that’s jam-packed with too much information when you see it.
Keep your content rich but not too “busy” when it comes to slapping elements on the page. Focus on the information, the knowledge and the understanding when you craft any post. A video or infographic will do wonders if it’s not overdone to any great extent.
Rich Snippets Across the Board
The hot new ticket in the world of SEO is the Rich Snippet, which is a form of microdata that allows people to learn more about your content. Leveraging things like author markup data, reviews and social information, rich snippets can boost your SERPs rankings by as much as 20%.
The basic gist of Rich Snippets is that they’re an intelligent, efficient way to let search engines and the general public know more about what you’re promoting. Knowing the ins and outs of Rich Snippets is a must in today’s competitive SEO climate.
Rethink Your Linking Strategy
In the wake of Google’s Panda and Penguin updates over the past year and a half, linking in an organic manner is more important than ever.
Nowadays, the majors like Google and Bing place a far greater emphasis on link quality over link quantity. So if you have a million links pointing to your domain, it won’t do you any good if they’re coming from poor sources.
Guest blogging is pretty much the best way to circumvent this barrier. MyBlogGuest and Blogger LinkUp allow you to hook up with other bloggers for a some quality link juice.
Think Outside the Box
To make a solid and lasting impression, you’ll have to employ the approach that everyone else isn’t using. Viral marketing is the subtle art of doing what everyone else won’t when it comes to making an impression.
Memorable examples of creative link-baiting and promotion abound on YouTube.The inventive and forward-thinking promotional clip created by DollarShaveClub should serve as a study guide for those interested in making viral marketing a part of their toolkit.
As Kogan’s IE7 tax demonstrates, eschewing the traditional business paradigm can pay off handsomely in the long run.
Use the Right Tools
People often make the mistake of confusing motion and action with accomplishment. However, running around like a chicken with its head cut off doesn’t necessarily mean you’re being productive.
SEO management software tools like SEOMoz, Raven and Ontolo are the thinking person’s secret weapon when it comes to managing time and effort. Alternatively, LinkDex is another powerful way to manage your SEO efforts without breaking a sweat.
As the SEO game gets more complicated and cutthroat, it becomes far more necessary to lean on marketing AI and capable digital tools to get the job done.
The Wrap-Up
There’s a fine line between “aggressive” promotion and downright blogspam. Hopefully, you already know the difference. However, the tips pointed out in the preceding paragraphs should get a few more eyeballs on your pages if you employ them judiciously.
Considering the pace at which SEO continues to evolve and mature, it’s worth your time and money to stay abreast of the many changes that come hard and fast each month in the world of online promotion.
Whatever else happens in the next few years, the bedrock principles of SEO will still apply. When the latest fads and tricks fail to deliver, you’ll always have the basics to fall back on.
Great debut post, Matt! Pretty radical concept… good SEO = work…. that’s likely to go right over some peeps’ heads! 😆
Hahah, thanks Doc!
Being a lazy git actually having to put work in doesn’t sit that well with me either, but we are where we are, and there’s always oDesk 😉
This is a great post Matt. I knew that rich snippets were important to users but, I had no idea that they can boost your SERPS ranking up to 20%.