5 SEO Strategies that Stand the Test of Time

I love SEO, don’t get me wrong. When compared to other mediums, SEO consistently brings the most cost efficient website traffic time and time again. However, too many SEO people tend to view SEO as the business and/or brand strategy, not a medium or marketing campaign that supports the business. They think the tail wags the dog so to speak.

It’s easy to view SEO campaigns through the lens of links, link value, keyword density, etc. Someone says something like, “We need an infographic!” And when you ask, “To communicate what message or thought?” they tend to say, “I don’t know, but infographics are really a good way to get links.” Really?! Great content gets links. Great content creates buzz. Great content gets shared. Bad content, which proliferates on the web, doesn’t; regardless of its form. It’s the equivalent of spam. It’s pointless, and can hurt a brand more than help it.

Regardless of your SEO strategy, and the tactics that stem from it, it’s important to craft your approach to stand the test of time. Below we explore 5 strategies that should serve as your philosophical foundation for SEO.

Be a Marketer First

SEO is simply a tactic. Period. Too many SEO firms and businesses have looked past this simple fact. The goal isn’t SEO, it’s marketing. SEO is just one of the tools in the toolbox (albeit an effective one).

To stand the test of time, all SEO efforts should be viewed through the lens of good marketing. That means understanding your brand and your customers. Analyze your competitors, and what they are doing with SEO. Articulate the overall message you’d like to communicate with a specific target market or markets. Consider what your target market cares about. What are their behavioral motivations? And ultimately, determine what actions you would like your target audience to take once they find you.

Don’t skip over strategic thinking and jump right into SEO. Tactics that work today may not work tomorrow, but good marketing endures. Don’t chase the proverbial winds of the Google algorithm, but rather keep in mind Google’s ultimate goal – relevance. If your SEO efforts are well thought out and designed to support your content and brand, your campaign will generate reliable results. If not, your rankings will fluctuate and you will ultimately pay the price.

Focus on Crawlability

If the search engines can’t crawl your site, then you won’t rank. You may have good content, a perfectly implemented long-tail strategy, and super social media integration. That’s great, but all are irrelevant if your site can’t be effectively crawled.

To maximize crawlability, you should constantly and consistently manage every aspect of your web presence. A well developed content strategy plus search engine savoir-faire combined with some good, old-fashioned common sense equals the perfect equation for crawlability.

  • Pay close attention to your site navigation strategy.
  • Create a SEO-friendly site map that does not overwhelm the user.
  • Create an internal and external linking and crosslinking strategy.
  • Build on a solid information architecture.
  • Optimize your content distribution.
  • Perform quality keyword research and implementation.
  • Utilize analytics to assess and make improvements.

Solutions are available to help you manage all of the above. Our favorites are SEOmoz and Google’s Webmaster Tools.

Optimize Your Entire Digital Footprint

It’s easy to focus so much on your keyword footprint that you fail to heed your more important digital footprint. Many activities can be overlooked if you’re only focused on playing with analytics every day. That means paying attention to your presence on social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc.), engaging in conversations with other bloggers and content producers, and optimizing all news, press releases, video, social media, and images.

Achieving the goal of expanding and optimizing your digital footprint requires building your online presence off-page. Look for social signals that go beyond link building. Examine the quality of social mentions, relationship building (blog comments, gradual increase in Twitter followers, Facebook fans, etc.), and real human interactions with people on sites where their recommendations (via a link, reference, or publication of your content) will truly elevate you in the eyes of Google and those searching for you online. Think big picture.

Create Great Content

Don’t use the word viral – ever. I’m personally against the death penalty, but I’m fairly sure I’d euthanize the next person who says they want to create viral content. However, you can create compelling, useful content for your audience that may have a tendency to be read and shared.

Creating great content is even more important after Google’s Panda update earlier this year. Before this update, you could get away with low-quantity content that was friendly to search engine queries. No more.

As long as you can answer these three questions, you’re on the road to creating great content that search engines will love.

  • Who is your audience? If your content doesn’t connect with your audience, it’s worthless.
  • What content does your audience desire? By understanding your audience, you will also understand what content best serves their needs.
  • What mediums will you utilize to present your content? Don’t shoot out content like buckshot. Make sure to position your articles, blog posts, and other content in the best context.

Engage and Add Value

Years ago, the idea of engaging your market and adding value seemed rather touchy-feely and something that was nice-to-have. Not anymore. Marketing is a two-way conversation, not a one-way broadcast. Engagement creates visibility and helps spreads your brand online.

If you’re still relying on traditional marketing practices without thinking about engagement, you’re missing a critical opportunity to reach your target market. If you want to get nowhere with your SEO efforts, rely on brochure-like websites without interactivity, press releases without social media optimization, or cold calling and pitching online publications without a personal or social media relationship. In the meantime, your competition will be winning new business and prospects by engaging their prospects online with interactive websites, distributing press releases and other content that get many comments and “likes,” and having online conversations with peers, media, and industry thought leaders. Be a human first and foremost, provide value by becoming a resource to others, and always think long-term.

Conclusion

Conversions aren’t everything. Sure, SEO strengthens digital presence, which attracts users and builds brand, generates sales, and ultimately makes you money. But, if you want to be more than mediocre, you can’t think in terms of short-term success. Never rely on one quickie tactic (Twitter could be obsolete in five years) – but if you remember to always be a marketer first, think long-term, add value, create good content and be on-top of digital strategies, you will be an unstoppable force.