Optimizing your website for search engines is one of the most important parts of an effective online marketing strategy. If search engines don’t rank your website well, potential customers will not find your business online through search – and to those prospects, you won’t exist!
With 93% of B2B buyers (according to Marketo) and 61% of B2C buyers (according to eConsultancy) using search to help them during the buying process, you can’t afford to be invisible. These searchers represent potential inbound, qualified leads.
Unfortunately, search engine optimization (SEO) is not easy, especially because Google is always changing the rules! It can be difficult to stay on top of all the algorithm changes, and what they mean for your site specifically.
We’re here to help. These are the SEO trends for 2014 you need to concentrate on if you want to have a fighting chance to move up the search rankings.
1. Invest in Content Marketing
The days of having an SEO strategy that does not include a comprehensive content marketing strategy are gone. You can no longer sprinkle your targeted keywords through your website and expect to rank well (although you still must pay attention to your on-page SEO components, such as page titles and headings).
Instead, search engines are looking for websites that are consistently posting high quality, relevant, and valuable content. Most often, that means regular blogging. An excellent content marketing initiative not only helps you rank higher for a wider variety of search terms, but it enhances your lead-nurturing process, builds credibility, and creates brand awareness.
Furthermore, good quality content increases the likelihood that others will link to your articles – giving you the coveted “inbound links” which we will discuss below.
2. Use Google Authorship
Google increasingly takes signals for search from its social platform, Google+. Google Authorship is a way of linking your personal Google+ profile (the “author”) to the blog posts you create. As we’ve mentioned above, you must consistently create high quality content to do well on search.
Linking your Google+ profile to your posts shows Google that you are authoritative and credible, and makes searchers more likely to click because your photo shows up next to the search result on Google. As you build your reputation as an author, the content on your website will benefit.
We’ve discussed the necessity of Google Authorship previously, and provided instructions for properly setting it up for your content. Click here for Google Authorship instructions.
3. Social Media is a Must-Do
Social media is no longer a “nice-to-have”. Social media allows you to disseminate your blogs, promote your offers, and – most importantly – forge real connections with your target markets. Social media is crucial for referring traffic to your website.
Social media is a great way to get your content in front of people while you are making efforts to climb up the search engine rankings.
Furthermore, there is evidence that Google will take signals from social media engagement to help rank your content – it’s already happening with Google+.
Click here to learn “4 Benefits of Successful Social Media Marketing”.
4. Get Quality Inbound Links
The simplified explanation of inbound links is: inbound links tell search engines that other people find your content valuable. This leads search engines to rank the content higher, assuming that others may find it valuable as well.
Inbound links contribute to your website’s “domain authority”, which is Google’s way of deciding which websites are the most credible and useful for their searchers.
As mentioned above, one way to secure links is to create content worth linking to.
Another strategy is guest blogging. While there has been internet chattering that “guest blogging is dead”, that is far from the truth! Spammy guest blogging may be dead, but true guest blogging is alive and thriving.
High quality guest blogs are:
- Completely original
- Well written
- Relevant to the audience
- Exclusive
It is hard work to get another blogger to accept you as a guest poster, but it’s well worth it for the increased exposure and inbound link. With dedication, hard work, a friendly and human approach, and a backlog of your own content to show off, you should pursue quality guest blogging opportunities.
Important Note: Avoid “black hat” linking tricks, such as having a spammy directory or untrustworthy website giving you links. Google is heavily penalizing these behaviours and they should not be used under any circumstances.
Click here to learn more about link building on our blog.
5. Competition is Fierce
SEO services (and we mean the whole package, not keyword stuffing or spammy link-buliding!) are becoming more valued as more businesses realize just how important online marketing is.
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to rise in search engine rankings as the competition steps it up, and that is precisely why you must know SEO best practices. You must ensure your website is not being penalized for doing the wrong things, and be committed to doing the right things to see real improvements.
You can bet your competitors are giving it their best shot.
>> Core Online Marketing offers comprehensive online marketing services, from SEO analytics to content creation. Sign up for our free online marketing seminar or contact us today!
Check out our blog about the 5 big changes in online marketing as 2013 came to a close – these are still relevant trends to stay on top of.
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