Search Engine Optimization is kind of like education, it’s a life long process. That may sound a bit overwhelming, but it’s really only logical. Nothing ever stands still, especially the internet. Does it make sense that you can do some one-time SEO work that gets you good rankings and expect those rankings to hold up for two, three, or more years? The more active your website, or “brand”, is on the internet, the easier it is to maintain good rankings.
Another way to think of SEO is to compare it to getting in shape. Let’s say you start with a target of getting down to 185 pounds. You develop an exercise regiment, a diet, and a schedule in order to accomplish this goal. Week by week you follow your plan until you accomplish your goal. We all know that if you stop your fitness program, your goal will be short lived. SEO is no different. A website with low traffic must “get in shape” and “stay in shape” to enjoy the benefits of good search engine rankings.
So what equipment at the SEO gym will help get you in shape. Content is King, this will never change. Those websites with the most content will get the best ranking. ***Caveat alert*** The most content will get the best ranking IFF(if and only if) that content is properly formatted. This is where 3 year old content can create a problem. As Google changes its algorithms, so too does it change its recommendations. What worked for you 3 years ago, may now work against you.
Let’s say you are a hotel in Myrtle Beach. On your home page you have some content that links to another page on your site about Myrtle Beach Hotels. The sentence reads, “Ocean Breeze is one of the favorite Myrtle Beach hotels on the beach.” Myrtle Beach hotels is the link and that was what Google used to require. Now Google wants “is one of the favorite Myrtle Beach hotels”, to be the link. You will get penalized if your SEO fitness level isn’t maintained.
Many people turn to a personal fitness trainer to help them accomplish their weight goal. Turning to an SEO consultant to help with your SEO fitness is no different, and many times even more important. If no one has ever gone over your website with a keen SEO eye, it is a good first step. Proper site maps, HTML tags, proper 301 redirects, and on and on are some of the basics that are necessary to establish a good SEO foundation. Links; internal, external, inbound, and outband; and Social Media are more important now than ever before.
The internet changes every second. Many people say that Google changes it search engine algorithm about twice a day. Last year Google had 17 major changes to the way it ranks websites. So here’s the question: Do YOU have time to keep up with what the rules are today, next week, and 6 months from now? Even if you did, would you know how to best implement these “best practices”. Choosing a qualified web designer can be challenging. Take the time to ask them about SEO and its roll in your website design.