I’ve been working in the SEO business for over 15 years and a lot has happened in that time:
- Meta Keyword Tags are long gone as a ranking factor. Even though many will tell you that they’re crucial. If an ‘SEO Expert’ says they are, that’s your cue to end the conversation and run. Far and fast.
- Link Strategies like 3-Way-Linking (I link to you, you link to the 3rd guy and the 3rd guy links to me), Mass Directory Submissions and putting your Link in Blog Comments are not only worthless now, they can even penalize you.
- Keyword Percentages on a Page used to be a thing, meaning if you used your targeted keyphrase a certain number of times, or percentage of the time, on a webpage, you’d rank for it.
Instead now you have to see you website as a whole. How does it look and operate in a mobile device? Is it easy for visitors to get to the important pages and content? Is your content well written, relevant to both your industry and your prospect’s needs and is it laid out for easier consumption?
While keywords are still important, the focus has broadened considerably to everything from the above to how fast the page(s) load.
Plus, your site is now ranked based on its mobile version. Your desktop version of the site is still very important, but with most visitors using mobile devices to browse, the priority has changed.
Yet I still see all kinds of businesses who clearly haven’t even created a mobile friendly website. It’s just their desktop version shrunk down and you have to keep stretching and pinching it to get anywhere. Incredible.
SEO Resources You Can Count On
So, how do I keep up with this ever-shifting, ever-evolving target? Here’s some sources I use and have found to be a lot of help in keeping current on Google’s algorithm and SEO:
- Search Engine Journal – I signed up for the daily email of their news updates and it’s always good. You should do the same.
- Moz – They are a Paid Service company, but also have some good Free SEO tools as well as learning resources and a regularly updated blog on the SEO world. Very well known authority.
- Search Engine Land – Always up on what’s happening as well as how-to articles and primers that are very good. Sign up for the email updates to stay on top of things.
- Search Engine Watch – Great resources, like white papers & case studies, along with deep articles that cover it all. Plus up to date looks at new ranking factors and changes.
There you have it. Not an exhaustive list, but that’s the point. You can only have a few real Go-To’s with the limits on your time and attention.
You just have to be sure they’re on top of things and that you can trust them. These 4 fit the bill.
Enjoy!