Here are a few truths about search engine optimization (SEO):
- SEO is important, very important. When someone searches for your organization (or searches for keywords related to your organization), you want your website to show up.
- SEO takes a long time to properly execute. Sure, a few organizations luck out and land in situations where there isn’t a lot of competition for the keywords for their organization’s emphasis, but for most of the people who read this post, getting higher search engine results page (SERP) listings will take a fairly long time and a good bit of concerted effort.
- The primary ranking factors for SEO might not be what you think they are. More on that below.
- Sometimes, Google isn’t sending people to your website anymore. It’s called “zero click SEO” and it’s where Google displays sections your content onto the SERP page instead of encouraging people to click over to your website. It’s a game changer in the way you have to approach SEO and approach calls-to-action.
- SEO works best when combined with paid traffic, especially Google AdWords and Facebook Ads.
What is SEO?
You might be reading this and asking, “What is this SEO you speak of?”
Search Engine Optimization is the process of creating a strategy to improve your listing when someone searches for you on Google (or any other search engine…but Google SEO is the primary place you need to focus).
How to Rank
Historically, ranking higher on Google simply meant adding more relevant keywords to certain sections of the code on your website. However, as people began to game the system by stuffing their website’s code with meaningless keywords, Google got more sophisticated and developed complex algorithms to make sure it delivers the most relevant page as quickly as possible to the search user.
The ranking factors have evolved over time, but as I write this article, as best we can tell the primary search factors are these (in loose order of priority):
• Fresh, Relevant Content
• Links to Your Site from Other Authoritative Websites (aka Backlinks)
• Engagement Factors (How much time people spend on your site, how much they talk about you on social media, etc.)
• Site Security
• Site Mobile Friendliness
• Keywords in your content
• Keywords in your website’s code (meta tags)
• About a billion other things…
Here’s the truth: if you’re trying to game the system, you’re probably not going to succeed at SEO. Google has teams of people and billions of dollars trying to prevent you from “black hat” tactics.
If you aren’t creating engaging, fresh, relevant content and updating your site with it regularly, you’re going to have trouble moving up the results pages.
If you aren’t posting to social media and inviting people to engage with your website, you’re going to have trouble seeing gains with SEO.
If you think you can flip your SEO overnight, you’re going to be disappointed.
In fact, when we first begin working with a client, we don’t recommend they work on SEO right away because it’s easier to make quick gains using other techniques (organic posting, Facebook ads, etc.). Everything we do initially does help with SEO, but it’s not the focus up front. It is part of our F.O.C.A.S. Framework, but there are a number of other marketing pieces to get into place before spending a great deal of time on search engine optimization.
If you’d like to chat about some of the things you need to be doing before you focus on SEO—or, if you’re ready to jump in and start working right away on your optimization—contact us and let’s have an initial chat about your strategy.