5 Concepts for a Google-Friendly New Year
Business owners who have had websites for long enough have usually heard of SEO. Chances are, they’ve hired people to optimize their website for Google, etc., and this may or may not have worked.
Search Engine Optimization is a fluid practice, constantly changing (sometimes majorly, sometimes slightly). So, if you think the keyword meta tag still matters, chances are: you’re not exactly up-to-date on advancements in search engine technology. However, if you recognize the importance of social media and its relation to search engines, you’re probably a bit more up-to-date.
So, without meaning to extend this intro or over explain off-topic ideas, here are 5 things you and your web team/ firm can do to make nice with Google, Bing, etc.
Nuance – Nuance – Nuance
While this is the hardest part of any content creation (just ask the sequel and spin-off obsessed Hollywood writers), it’s a concept we all should familiarize ourselves with. If you can offer a new or interesting take on a popular subject, do it.
This is why you will hear a lot about random affinities in the SEO world. This is basically the art of connecting two seemingly unrelated topics. By doing so, you offer a new perspective for users, therefore making content more appealing from a search engine robot point-of-view.
“Make it new.” Oxymoronic, I know.
About a century ago, Ezra Pound urged poets and writers to “make it new” because the world of literature was falling into the state that Hollywood is in today. Those three words still matter, so if you, as a business owner or web marketer, can offer something new—do it.
Simplicity Reigns
Chances are, you’ve seen the film Inception. While the film was not necessarily obvious, insofar as theme is concerned, anyone interested in marketing can draw a few concepts from it, one of which being simplicity.
If you have an idea, product or service that you want to present through the Internet, workshop the simplest version of the idea in order to more easily communicate with web users.
“You need the simplest version of the idea…”
Inception’s protagonists had to plant an idea into a person’s mind, with the intention that he would act on this idea. One of the characters points out that the simplest version of the idea is what sticks – same goes for users, search engines, etc.
Current is King
I may have just broken this concept with the 4-year-old film in my last example. I still stick by the example nonetheless.
In any case – connect current events, films, books, music and anything else to your business. This doesn’t mean that you have to neglect any antiquated products, examples, etc. However, it does mean that you want to stay awake on the net. Check trends and know what’s going on in your business, location, demographic, etc. It’s a lot easier to make your product or service seem more interesting if you connect it to subjects that everyone’s talking about.
The User Comes First
This is something that those of you without current SEO concepts in mind will benefit from the most. It used to be that you wanted to tailor your website to search engine robots. To some extent, this is still true. However, robots have become a bit:
“More Human than Human is our motto.”
Google has developed search algorithms that more accurately tailor to the user’s psychology and tendencies. Therefore, a key factor in attaining great search rankings is user experience.
Making content, visuals and navigation easy to use and understand goes farther than almost anything else. Stop thinking like robots and try to imagine a site and content that you would—wait for it—actually like to see.
Trust the Experts
This goes both ways (or every way). We work in a multi-disciplined world, where marketers, architects, florists and accountants all interact. So, we all have to trust each other in the areas that we lack familiarity. This means conceding authority and admitting when you might be wrong. It’s not easy, but it can be very helpful for all parties.
Marketers have to trust business owners with each particular business’s idiosyncrasies, while business owners must trust marketers with various concepts in communication, out of the box thinking, etc. Be willing to take risks and try different things. You’ll see results a lot quicker if you do.
Tags: Buffalo NY SEO, Google, Marketing Advice, Social Media