Now of course this title is completely false, but for people who read the articles on SEO, the question of “Is the end of SEO near?” is something that a lot of people wonder about. Google tends to change their algorithm quite frequently, but they only do so to weed out those people who are cheating their way to the top. This change is nothing new in the world of SEO, nor will it stop anytime soon. The endless cycle is what will keep SEOs in business.
Almost since the beginning of search engine optimization in the mid-90s, people have been saying that SEO is on its way to the grave. While major Internet personalities have gained a lot of attention for making those proclamations over the years, in reality, SEO isn't going anywhere. As long as people are using search engines to look for information, there's going to be a demand for optimization services. While SEO has gone through plenty of evolutions, this doesn't make it any less relevant.
What’s becoming more apparent is that Google's ability to torch people who take shortcuts or downright cheat is more sophisticated than ever. As a result, it's not worth risking your business's search engine presence by attempting to cut corners. Google is a firm believer that cheaters never win, and they are determined to put the people who do the work at the top of the search query.
The best way to benefit from search engine optimization instead of getting bit by it is to take a long-term sustainable approach. Although the cost for SEO from reputable providers is obviously going to be higher than what unscrupulous companies charge, it's an investment that's worth making. Whether a business is interested in hiring a company or wants to start by doing the work alone, here are several important things to keep in mind:
Social Has Its Place
There's a lot of hype surrounding social media. On any technology blogs, the impression that is given off is that social sites are going to replace search engines, or the sharing activity on social sites is going to become the dominant metric search engines use for their rankings. While social is important, it's just one aspect of online marketing. It’s worth the time to experiment with platforms like Google+, but just make sure it doesn't become the only focus!
Always Go for Quality
Whether it's links or the content produced, quality definitely trumps quantity. Even though there may be times when it doesn't seem that way, a commitment to quality is the best way for a business to build a strong search engine presence that’s never at risk of getting nuked out of the results. When Penguin, Google’s attempt to fight black-hat SEO techniques, first came out, many sites saw a decrease in their search ranking. This is because the quality was not there and they did not put the effort in to make a long-lasting, properly ranked site.
Not All Traffic is Equal
Many businesses get so caught up in their optimization efforts that they forget that simply increasing traffic shouldn't be their end goal. Instead, their real goal is to increase the number of leads or customers their site generates. In order to achieve that goal, focus on the quality of traffic instead of just raw numbers. Taking this approach will ensure the best ROI possible.
With these tips in mind, a business will be able to succeed at SEO. Penguin 2.0 is due out this summer, and when it hits, business that have not done a good job at promoting their site will see the repercussions. Don’t be one of those businesses, and take the necessary steps to ensure the ranking of the business!