Achieving good search engine rankings is a major aim for most businesses who are looking to get more traffic, increase leads and grow sales from their website.
SEO has changed a lot over the past 3 years, so this task isn't any easier, but everyone agrees that SEO is now all about having quality content on your website - and yes, content is king.
As a sign of the times, many traditional SEO firms have changed their SEO practices and techniques to concentrate on the content of the website as it relates to on-page SEO (I believe this is 75% of what Google is looking for), as opposed to the old fashioned, under-the-hood, tech SEO they used to do years ago, which no longer works.
When done correctly, on-page SEO and a good quality content marketing strategy can really make a big difference to your SEO rankings. Making content and keywords easier to get found this way will deliver long-lasting SEO results building your website traffic.
Blog Content Is Important
In a recent blog about why blogging is so important for businesses, I emphasized the importance to do regular blogging as part of your content strategy, because without a blog, your website is not going to have enough SEO "ummph" to get the increased website traffic most businesses are looking for.
Because blogs keep on giving, make sure you write your blog regularly and consistently, with on-topic keywords and quality content, and if you keep going at it, you'll soon see the positive effect this has on your rankings, with guaranteed SEO working for you well into the future.
Always Share Your Interesting Content On Social Media
Social media plays a big role with content and SEO these days, so when it comes to getting likes, shares and plus 1’s across Facebook, Twitter and Google+, a well written article, or blog, is the best way to achieve this.
People love to share quality content, especially when it's so easy to do. So when you publish any form of content such as a blog, eBook, an infographic, or a video that solves a problem, your visitors are more likely to share that sort content, rather than your standard website page content.
You Can Publish Off Site On Other Websites
Getting your content published on other peoples websites is a good plan for your content strategy, as long as you're not paying to place that content, and you're not joining a linking farm scheme of any kind. All you need is great content that is well written and on-topic. Your backlink is to your author bio or something similar, which is often the best way of satisfying the Google back link rules.
Think of these blog posts as a good way to get exposure in front of a different audience rather than a place to get a decent link back to your site, because if you write for their audience and it gets shared to a whole new set of people, this can often be worth far more than the extra percentage of link juice.
It Gets You Natural Links
Don’t forget, Google Webmaster Guidelines insists that any link back to your website should be natural, and there is no way that is more natural than someone loving what you write and sharing it, which can quickly turn into a snowball effect, as it can often lead to more readers and followers on your own blog as well.
SEO Is Important - So Get It Right!
It's worth noting that 70% of the search engine links that web users are clicking on are organic. More importantly, 75% of web users never travel beyond the first page of search results and almost 80% of web users do not pay attention to sponsored PPC ads that are part of pay-per-click campaigns. Thus, SEO definitely matters for those organizations who want to get noticed via these all-important platforms.
Where Does SEO Fit In The Inbound Marketing Methodology?
SEO and Inbound Marketing have a symbiotic relationship. When SEO and Inbound Marketing work well together they can help fuel one another, and help each other grow, so companies can gradually gain more online traffic.
Creating timely, relevant and useful quality content is key to both SEO and the process of Inbound Marketing. A good Inbound Marketing strategy can be used to attract new prospects, convert these individuals into paying customers, close deals and keep people happy. This is what your blogs and other content should be striving for.
Why Is Quality Content Key To SEO?
Content remains king although it is taking on new forms such as blog posts, videos, eBooks and infographics, but don't forget content must be written for people and not for search engines.
Search Engine Optimization is no longer just a one-off solution for getting noticed online. It has to be part of a much larger Inbound Marketing strategy that includes high-quality content, reliable links, social media, keywords, email marketing and other tactics that assist consumers in the various stages of the buying process.
About Terry Marketing
Terry Marketing (www.terrymarketing.com) is an Inbound Marketing Agency providing SEO, Website, Social Media and marketing automation conversion services to small and medium sized businesses. We're focused on generating traffic, leads and sales and we're experts in the Inbound Marketing, lead generation process and how to increase website traffic, leads and website conversion rates. Terry Marketing is a Gold level Hubspot Partner, a certified HootSuite Ambassador agency, and a certified Google Badged Agency Partner.
David Terry is CEO of Terry Marketing and Professor of Internet Marketing at Laurentian University. He has a deep knowledge in all aspects of Digital and Inbound Marketing, the Internet and Web technologies - as well as an understanding of the importance of how digital branding, marketing strategy and creative execution can impact business results. You can reach him by calling 416.204.0255 or, email at: david@terrymarketing.com or visit www.terrymarketing.com
