Elements of Modern SEO You Could Be Missing Out
A comprehensive guide to content marketers who are stuck with Old-School SEO techniques.
A Brief Introduction to SEO
Imagine for a minute that you are a librarian, but not a normal one; you are a librarian for every book in the world. Everyday people depend upon you to find the exact book they need, so how do you do it? You need a system; you need to know what’s inside every book and how the contents inside them relate to each other. Your system needs to take in a lot of information and spit out the best results for your visitors. It’s not an easy job!!!
Similarly, search engines like Google and Bing are the librarians of the internet. Their system collects information about every page on the web. So, they can help us find exactly what we are looking for. And, search engines have a recipe called an algorithm to turn all that information into useful search results.
If you have a website search results matter! When your pages have higher ranking it helps more people to find your business. The key to higher ranking is to ensure you have the right ingredients search engines need for their recipe. In short, this is called SEO.
Technically, SEO is an amalgamation of different techniques that assists you to rank higher in organic search results. SEO helps to take your brand, services, and products in front of your audiences via various search engines like Yahoo, Google, and Bing.
Evolving Nature of SEO
SEO is not constant, it changes. To keep up with its pace, we have to analyze its shifting algorithm frequently. Recently, the ingredient for search ranking has expanded to incorporate elements like social media, page load time, and content management. Most businesses are aware of these facts but still they fail. Why? This is a big question which even rattles the head of most experienced marketers.
Here is the quick answer! Most people still prefer old-school SEO tactics.
Traditional SEO
Not so long ago, SEO was divided into two different categories:
- On-page SEO
- Off-page SEO
On-page SEO was majorly concerned with keywords and off-page SEO was concerned with links.
A majority of brands used to include maximum amount of keywords and links to rank higher than their competitors. It used to be easy, there were no technical hassles, all you had to do was sit in front of that glowing screen and include many links and keywords as possible.
Problems with Old SEO
- SEO was nothing more than a game.
- Quantity was the Holy Grail of old SEO as quality was overlooked by many search engines.
- SEO was designed for search engines, not searchers.
- SEO was too “cookie cutter.”
Lesson Learned
Today, ranking is affected by numerous factors. Keywords and link building are two initial components but they cannot determine the overall ranking of your page. Before you optimize your page for search engines make sure that it can cater your customers need and do justice to your purpose.
There are multiple variations of keywords for a specific topic. So, you should focus on your page and topic instead of particular keywords.
Your pages should provide your customers what they are looking for with insight and depth to keep them into your site, and inspire them to convert. By doing so, you can turn your visitors into big raving fans who would never miss a single opportunity to connect with you. And, in the long run, they will recommend their friends and families about your awesome services and products.
Small Changes Matter in Modern SEO
Small things can make a big impact. And, it’s not just me, Google also thinks the same. According to Google “When viewed individually, these changes might seem like incremental improvements, but when combined with other optimizations, they could have a noticeable impact on your site’s user experience and performance in organic search results … [where] your ultimate consumers are your users, not search engines.”
Hence, understanding the web is not enough for SEO. It’s equally essential to figure out what your visitors want and get from your website.
Key To Modern SEO: Compelling Contents
Once upon a time, stolen articles were enough to take your ranking to the top but those days are long gone. To stand out in the current digital market, you must feature compelling texts coupled with interesting images and other graphical contents. When combined, these two elements must have the “wow” factor, otherwise, it will be hard for your brand to get noticed which will ultimately pull your ranking down.
Meaningful, high-quality, relevant and compelling contents is a key element that lures customers towards your pages. Your contents must resonate with your target audiences and offer them a personalized feel which will later inspire them to convert. The modern SEO is all about creating a unique user experience and personalize those experiences as much as possible.
Essential SEO Elements You Could Be Missing Out
Most marketers want their website to stand out and offer a unique user experience. Unfortunately, most websites are unable to serve this purpose and somehow end up doing just the opposite.
- Websites should be optimized for mobile. If not, you can leave out thousands of audiences behind. Your website requires additional templates and codes to become mobile friendly. When an audience arrives on a site that is not mobile friendly, they’ll have a stellar experience and conclusively they’ll tell others that your site is totally dumb which might create a negative impression for your brand.
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It doesn’t matter how good your site looks if your contents are rubbish then you won’t be able to deliver the best to your customers.
- More than 70% your customers want to do business with an easy to use and interactive site. Still, there are thousands of marketers who built heavy sites with a slow time and make things hard for their customers. Remember, your customers visit your site for useful information and they don’t care about the fancy bells and whistles that you have included in your site. If you are still confused click on this link.
Many marketers are unaware of recent changes in search engine algorithm. Social media is becoming a major part of modern SEO. Despite this fact, there are tons of CMS that overlook this fact and keep social media out-of-the-box.
What Do You Need?
You need a fully integrated system that functions as a full-fledged website and serves your customer’s digital needs. Your website should have in-built SEO, content system and every little factor that enhances your visibility and takes your brand’s virtual image in front of your audiences. Apart from that, your site needs to be customizable for your team and visitors.
You have to tailor your content creation strategy, people come to your site to find solutions to their problems and if you cannot serve this purpose they will abandon your site which will elevate the bounce rate.
Wouldn’t it be great if your website can offer a personalized feel to every unique visitor? Just like YouTube, whenever you type in the address in your browser the home screen pops-up and the featured contents are relevant to what you are going to search. They’ll compile a list of videos you would love to see. Amazing isn’t it!!!!
What if I tell you it’s possible. At Pebble InfoTech, we design innovative websites able to cater the needs of your customers.
Place for Keywords in Modern SEO
Here is the bitter truth! Keyword optimization is still a mammoth task which demands constant dedication and focus. To figure out relevant keywords you must track your visitors, watch conversions and try to tailor effective keywords. Till date, keywords are considered as the foundation upon which your website is built. And, it is essential to generate effective keywords to build the right framework.
Generating user-focused keywords can greatly enhance your website. Each page of your website will be able to attract new visitors and convert them into long-term customers.
Today Keyword Research Tips for the Modern Marketer
- Understand the difference between informational and transactional keywords.
- Use tools like www.similarsites.com to figure out what keywords are being used by your competitors.
- You can also use Google’s Keywords Planner to generate effective keywords.
- Frequently analyze your Webmaster tool’s data.
What you Need To Focus On?
With the recent algorithm changes, Google has kept marketers in mystery by introducing the SSL encryption. Marketers are having a hard time to find keywords that can bring success into their business. However, if you waste your time hovering around a thing which you cannot be predicted anymore, your SEO will stand still. Instead, you should concentrate on real-time elements like visitor’s data and page analytics to figure out how your customers are engaging with your brand. This will not only take your ranking higher in SERP but also help you to accumulate long-term customers and prospects.
Today, there are tons of data available for modern marketers to understand their target customers. Besides, it is easier to determine their behaviors and align your website to impress their searches.
8 Handy SEO Tips for Modern Marketers
- Develop compelling contents to keep your visitors coming back.
- Focus on quality, not quantity.
- Forget search engines; instead, try to analyze your buyer persona.
- Don’t feature unnecessary contents just to make your website look bigger.
- Figure out the real meaning of “link-building”.
- Test your pages in different browsers before publishing.
- Create an engaging social media presence.
- Make sure that your site is optimized for multiple web browsing devices including smartphones and tablets.
Your Site Should Be Built For Humans, Not Search Engines
Google is getting smarter, and so is every other search engine. Search engines are anticipating what humans search and are changing their ingredients accordingly for SEO.
Don’t get tangled in the traditional SEO practices. Instead, modify your site according to recent changes. Gone are the days when gathering more links and keywords used to do the trick, today, they are nothing more than hanging fruits that will keep you from climbing the ladder of success.
