Adapt or Die
Panda, Penguin, Hummingbird; to some, these merely represent a few members of the animal kingdom, but in the world of digital marketing they signify something vastly different. As far as SEO strategies for small business, these Google algorithm changes over the last few years have made it increasingly more difficult to rely solely on keyword rankings when it comes to being successful.
No matter how you slice it, things have changed. As the world of SEO changes, so too do the expectations and requirements set out by search engines that allow you to rank. Prior to the release of Panda in 2011 and Penguin in 2012, keyword stuffing and extensive link-building seemed to be the way of the future. As a result, many small businesses spent money on link-building initiatives that worked for the short term, but often led to more negative long term consequences including the need to pay to have links removed and being blocked for black-hat tactics.
In 2013, Google did yet another algorithm update (Hummingbird), which considers how the words in an entire search query, rather than particular words, can be better served to match relevant pages. The idea was that this interpretation would end up yielding better results, but it does make the job of optimization that much harder.
Furthermore, since 2011, Google no longer reports on keyword data in an effort to protect the privacy of its users. Ultimately this means that you are no longer able to determine the success of a specific keyword.
So how have these changes impacted SEO strategies for small business? In a number of ways – the most important of which being the way in which you conduct yourself online. If you can’t focus on keywords as the sole means to determine success, how can you compete? Here are a few tips to get you started:
- Think local – ranking just to rank means nothing. Showing up in the search results of a relevant audience means everything. Make sure that you have a Google Places page, and that your website is properly optimized and categorized.
- Have engaging and creative content. Make sure that your posts are interesting. Try to change things up every so often, and include images, links to relevant articles, and videos when applicable.
- Post regularly. One update to your company’s blog every six months is probably not going to get you noticed – make sure that you update your blog on a regular basis. That being said, on social sites such as Facebook, posting too regularly can cause people to stop following, so beware – a delicate balance is required.
- Pay attention to metrics. Examine what is performing well, and what isn’t, and ask yourself why. Learn from this and utilize the knowledge for the future.
For more about effective SEO strategies for small business that yield real results please contact Above the Fold Media today by calling 416-477-1862.