SEO is for Suckers
There is nothing easy about getting to the top of Google. With the constant changing algorithm and new competitors entering the market place seemingly every day, understand and getting to the top can be very challenging. While many SEO companies will tell you that they have the magic juice, the truth is they don’t. Building back links and submitting your website to directories isn’t as effective as it once ways. In today’s marketplace, it’s more about producing great content. Wasting money on traditional Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tactics is for suckers.
It all started back in 2007, when Google and other search engines like Ask.com starting including more sources such as images, maps, books, video and news to search results. In an essence, it started starting importance of content marketing. Fast forward to 2012, and you will see that search results have evolved to a point that where, depending where you are searching from, what you have searched in the past, to whom you are socially connected, and who has “liked” or (Google) “Plus”ed you, you will get different results. At any given time, there are 50-200 different versions of Google’s core algorithm, so the notion of “optimizing for Google” is really for suckers.
Instead, you should be optimizing for your readers. That means creating great content that will inspire your readers to take action. The incorporation of social media sites like Twitter and Facebook into Google, Bing, and Yahoo as link sources has greatly changed what it means to build links to your site. Now it is no longer about how many different websites that link to your content, but rather, how many people ” liked” or shared your content. These social signals are the new way search engines look to see what they should be promoting. The old ways of link acquisition simply don’t have the same effect anymore.
As long as there are search engines, there will be search engine optimization. However, as the process has evolved, it’s no longer about link building or keyword stuffing. What companies need to do is stop focusing on the search engines but rather focus on the user who is using the search engine. Google has always focused on delivering the most significant content for the reader. Not the publisher, or the company who wants the readers business, but the reader. With incorporating social media sharing, search engines have been able to get a better understanding of what readers want on a person-by-person basis.
For many companies, it can be hard to switch from SEO strategy to a content strategy. However, when done correctly, the rewards can be immense. Content creators do not have the opportunity to rank much higher on search results pages, but they also help position their company as thought leaders. When done effectively and mapped to how your customers buy, this can become your greatest lead source for most B2B companies. But remember, it’s not about creating content for the GoogleBots, but rather it’s about creating content that will help educate your prospects and/or customers and move them along in their buying processes.
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