The search engine optimization (SEO) industry has never been a stagnant one, and this year will be no exception. In order to keep up with changes in search engine algorithms, search engine players, and user behavior, SEO professionals will need to make important resolutions to change their strategies in 2010.
Resolve to Stop Buying Links
Of course, Google and Microsoft will always recommend that you avoid buying links. It can potentially damage the relevancy of results and it hurts their credibility when they provide inauthentic listings. In 2010, however, buying links isn’t just bad for the search engines; it’s also bad for you (and not just when you get caught).
Over the course of 2009, algorithms shifted heavily to favor quality and relevancy in links. While search engines’ past emphasis on the number of inbound links made link buying an efficient strategy, buying a high number of low-quality links just doesn’t yield results like it once did. In fact, late in the year, Google and others cleaned out a large number of sites and links from their indexes – presumably placing a renewed emphasis on links from higher quality sites by completely ignoring lower tier sites and links.
Not only are bought links typically from lower-quality sites, and therefore less effective, Google and Microsoft have also become increasingly proficient at spotting link brokers and nullifying the value of links from their sites, in some cases even penalizing those who purchase the links. This means that even links from high PageRank sites can still result in absolutely no benefit or can even harm your site’s rankings. In the end, spending hundreds of dollars per year on bought links is a waste of money.
Resolve to Create Compelling Content
The search engines aren’t content to simply focus on links either. The algorithms that judge a site’s ranking are constantly in flux and they consider over 200 different factors. The long-term trend that has arisen from these changing algorithms is that search engines are getting better and better at understanding what their users actually want. In order for SEO professionals to be successful in 2010 and the decade beyond, they will need to resolve to create content that pleases the users, not just the crawlers.
In the past, keyword stuffing, whether placed openly throughout the content or discreetly through cloaking techniques, was a legitimate strategy. However, just as they have increased their ability to recognize bought links, search engines have made significant progress towards recognizing keyword optimization. Tactics such as keyword stuffing are no longer viable. Even a legitimate but slightly overbearing emphasis on a particular phrase throughout the content can give you away for trying to manipulate the search engines, and they don’t like being manipulated.
Instead of loading up your content with keywords, create content that entices your readers to spend more time on your site, visit more often, and link back with pleasure. Ultimately, your users’ enjoyment will result in more beneficial results than mentioning “Atlanta restaurant coupons” five times per paragraph.
Resolve to Incorporate Social Media
2009 was social media’s year. Twitter grew exponentially and came out profitable. Active Facebook users grew more numerous than American citizens, and YouTube continued plotting its dominance of the video scene. So, what does the growth of social media mean for SEO?
For the SEO industry, it means a change in user behavior. While sites like Facebook and MySpace have been around for some time, increased population penetration and usability have seen social media activity reach an all-time high. This means that links don’t just come from static web pages anymore – an overwhelming number of them come from discussions on message boards, blogs, micro-blogs, and social networks. If you want to tap into the largest group of link builders online, you need to be involved in social media.
Furthermore, social media involvement also heightens brand awareness. Recent studies show that social media involvement consistently drives an increase in brand searches, therefore benefiting your SEO and PPC campaigns focused on brand keywords.
Incorporating social media is the most difficult resolution for SEOs to take up. It means more than making profiles and promoting your business. It means being authentic, vulnerable, and exciting. It’s risky. In fact, there is no guarantee that you will get as many links as you want, but that risk comes appropriately with the chance for being rewarded. As the search engines seek to increase the relevancy of their results, they look for more human characteristics than simple technical stunts. If you aren’t involved in the social media scene around your industry, it’s likely that your success in 2010 hinges on how quickly you get started.
Resolve to Define KPIs and Measure Success
Key performance indicators (KPIs) are fundamental to your SEO strategy. Like any marketing campaign, it’s important not just to have metrics, but to have the right metrics. SEO campaigns frequently judge success by rankings, traffic, or links, but in order for SEOs to be successful in 2010 they will need to take a closer look at what they are delivering to their clients.
As the search engines continue to place other content (e.g. maps, videos, shops, and reviews) ahead of site listings, SEOs will be under tighter pressure to get results. Not only are traffic and rankings not always the best KPIs to measure, you’re also likely to get in a mess if you promise them too hastily.
Instead of defining your success by some of the metrics listed above, focus on the direct impact that your SEO efforts are having on the business. That means tracking conversions.
As your SEO campaign progresses, you’ll need to focus on driving traffic that converts, not just driving traffic. Analytics software, such as Google Analytics or Omniture, will be vital to the success of your efforts. Just like all marketing efforts must measure their return on investment, SEOs must ultimately be held accountable for driving conversions. Without web analytics in place, this accountability is not possible.
Resolve to Optimize for Conversions
Once you’ve established an SEO campaign based on the right goal – conversions – your ongoing success in 2010 requires a relentless approach to conversion optimization. Never stop testing.
With Google Analytics and Website Optimizer available for free, there really is no excuse to not be involved in improving your conversion rate. Using data gathered from these tools, make changes to your site that you suspect will make a difference. By undertaking A/B and multivariate testing, as well as establishing goal funnels, you should be able to effectively make conversion rate improvements.
Conclusion
2010 is a big year for the search industry. Major changes took place in the landscape in 2009, and 2010 requires SEO professionals to refine their skills and think differently than before. Applying these resolutions to create a more authentic, compelling, social, and accountable SEO campaign will play a major role in your SEO success in 2010.