Often I hear people refer to SEO as a series of stratagem on a website to rank higher on Google. This idea is one that is not false, but is not entirely true. SEO stands for “Search Engine Optimization,” which is why it is difficult for me to answer customers who say they just want what they “need.” The Meta Information is like having a gorgeous body on a car, and the content is the engine.
Google needs the meta information (title tags, meta description, h1 tags, etc.) in order to even look at your site and accurately categorize your site. Once you get Google to your site, you need to prove that you deserve page one rankings by providing original, high-quality, optimized content. It used to be enough to create Anchor-links in the body, as well as bold and italicize text. Now, more than ever, it is necessary to have a blog and update content. One thing people do not think about is that the more you add fresh content to your site, the more often Google will crawl the site. I have helped people get their sites from the top 100 to page 1-3; however, it took longer than they wanted, because they were not adding fresh content and Google was only crawling the site once a month.
Another good way to “optimize” your company’s site for rankings is to create a Google+ and Google Local page, as well as Youtube videos. By creating the Google pages, your site will show up when Google knows the searcher is in your county. This is great for online stores that have a brick and mortar shop. Youtube videos get put on top for some searches before websites, which makes sense since Google owns Youtube.
Onsite optimization and external links are great ways to get ranked higher on Google and drive pre-qualified traffic to your site. Once those strategies are established, then, based on recent Google algorithm changes since March, it would be advantageous to explore the aforementioned strategies in order to provide avenues to fresh, original, and optimized content.
