How to make the most of SEO when it is constantly changing

Over the years, Google has consistently released updates which have rendered some areas of digital marketing ineffective. Where it was once possible to create a large volume of links to your site, or cram in keywords that weren’t all that relevant to your content, now these techniques will result in your website being penalised by Google and moved down in search engine results. Google’s algorithm updates mean the search engines now favour websites with high quality content and white-hat methods of making themselves more visible.

Is SEO still relevant?

With Google constantly making changes to how websites are able to rank in organic search results, it leads us to the question, “Is SEO still relevant?” The answer is – yes! SEO itself is perhaps even more effective than it once was, but only when employing the right techniques and practices. The difference is not trying to trick Google into moving your site up in search results, but by “following the rules” of SEO. Google are simply trying to help their users find the most relevant information to their search, so essentially to rank higher, you need to give them what they’re looking for.

Create targeted content

SEO is largely driven by content. However, it’s not mass content that Google favours, but the relevance of it. The basics of this mean including keywords and phrases that are relevant to your audience, that they’re likely to be searching for. The more specific you can be, the more targeted your visitors will be – and you’re more likely to experience a higher conversion rate. It’s more important to write clear, concise content with keywords included naturally, rather than cramming your site full of words that disrupt the flow. As a rough guide, 3-5% of your written content on each page should be made up of targeted keywords.

Link building has become more social

Initially, many companies tried to trick Google by creating a huge volume of back links to their site, which came from spam sites or irrelevant places. Now, things have changed, and social media has become SEO’s best friend in terms of link building. Google favours genuine links from high-quality sites that are related to your own business and industry. Social media is an extremely effective way to share content with a captivated audience of followers, as well as creating the social backlinks to your site – whether it’s directing them to specific blog pages, product or services pages. These links are valued highly in Google and contribute to improving your SEO.

Bespoke SEO solutions

SEO is different for every company depending on their target audience and competition within the industry and what platforms they are able to use. Our team of SEO specialists can create a bespoke SEO strategy to meet your requirements and get you to the top of Google.

Find out more by giving my team a call today on 020 7100 0726.