Google is constantly making updates and amends to its SEO algorithms. Neil Erlam, CEO of Netbiz, offers some advice on staying up-to-date
Since Google burst onto our computer screens back in 1998 it has increased its market share and now boasts nearly 90 per cent of all search engine traffic in the UK. Its main priority is to make the average user experience simple, straight forward and provide each user with the best possible results, and this is achieved by using complex algorithms to filter the good sites from the bad.
Several of the most famous algorithms, for example Panda and Penguin, were created with the aim of targeting certain areas of manipulation performed by less reputable SEO people. While Panda targets poor quality content, Penguin targets links that are spam.
While it is easy to feel like the ground is shifting under your feet, there are a few things to keep in mind in order to stay a step ahead in the world of SEO.
1. Stay up to date
The first thing that you need to be aware of is that the goalposts for SEO can change in an instant, so anything you may have learned in the past about SEO may be obsolete within 12 months, and could already be causing your website problems. It is a good idea to stay up to date with the latest developments and learn how a search engine works and to follow its recommended guidelines.
It can be worth creating a dummy website that you can use to test out new SEO techniques, which will provide you with a place to gain valuable practice and experience, while preventing major problems on your main business website.
2. Use social
The rise in social media has many advantages for businesses; it is a way to connect with customers on a personal level while providing an opportunity to showcase a company in its best light. Use social media to optimise your SEO by following Google engineers, who regularly take to their Twitter accounts to provide important insights on how they think, and you might even find that they provide you with updates on changes that have been made. You might also want to reach out and connect with influential SEOs, who will not only provide you with valuable knowledge but also have the potential to help you, should you face a problem you cannot solve.
3. Have a back-up plan
It is wise to thoroughly research different SEO techniques and to avoid relying on one website strategy, as it may become out of date before you have had a chance to pick up another. In short, if one strategy fails you need to have others to fall back on. It’s not something to panic about however; simply making yourself aware of different factors that affect your rankings can make a massive difference.
4. Local and international SEO
Know the differences between local and international SEO, and what it means for your business. Local search engine optimisation is generally the better option for the typical small business that has one location or if the business wants to concentrate on a particular city or region.
Ensure that your website is listed on high quality review sites, relevant local directories and a high number of citations; Google Places is perfect for this. Google is also very good at picking up citations and reviews from local people responding and showing the company is proactive, and can display these on the knowledge graph.
International SEO is simply when one tries to appeal to a worldwide target audience, this works best if you have a physical presence in your target country, in which case local SEO techniques can work just as well. A word of warning – make sure you understand the local language and culture. Simple mistakes can cause an unnecessary dip in rankings.
5. Be interesting
Informative and interesting content is much preferred to overloading website with keywords for the sake of it, so when building or promoting your website, your users should come first. Well written content and a simple-to-use website are what people and search engines want. If your site does this, a lot more people will be willing to share or talk about your website which should, in turn, generate traffic.
6. Be honest
Attempt to manipulate search engines for higher rankings using auto generated content, hidden text or pages crammed with key words all make a bad user experience. People will lose trust in your website and are unlikely to want to visit again. There are also search engine algorithms that have been designed to find these types of sites and remove them from their indexes.
But it is possible to create the perfect website for your company. It is an art, a delicate process that requires careful attention to the right content and the right levels of search engine optimisation that is the key to building a website that is easily found and easily used.
