Sources all over the internet either laud the effects of SEO, or claim that it’s dying out. If the SEO optimists are correct, ignoring search engine optimization could hurt your business or brand. But if the SEO pessimists’ theories prevail, you could be wasting a lot of time and money on optimization efforts. So who do you believe, and how can you maintain and improve your digital presence through web searches?
From the very beginning SEO has been somewhat of an imperfect tactic. Digital marketers and internet gurus would figure out what the search engines wanted, and then adapt their content to match that criterion. Things still work similarly today, but early on, many people would simply stuff keywords onto their pages, or create irrelevant, poor-quality content in order to rank higher in searches.Eventually, Google and other search engines got smart and changed their algorithm to weed out people using cheap tactics to rank higher. But there is not remedy for poor content, even if it’s search optimized. Unfortunately, this kind of less engaging content is all over the Web.
On the flipside, SEO has, and still continues to boost traffic to those who employ strategic optimization tactics. Well-practiced SEO is about more than just stuffing keywords into your content. It’s about creating quality content and headings, fixing broken website links, optimizing all images or video, and much more. Since building a new Website for Alexander’s, and practicing search engine optimization, we have increased traffic to our website by more than 300%. Our marketing, technology and design team all deserve credit for creating a visually pleasing and navigable site, but SEO has helped people find us online in a way that wasn’t happening before. And according to our data reports, SEO continues to help our clients secure sales leads and improve their online presence.
So if it seems to be working, why worry about it dying out now? Well Google has been rolling out updates to their search algorithm, which means digital marketers and online content creators need to frequently update their tactics. The people who work with your website, or online channels need to stay informed about search engine updates and SEO tactics. If necessary, seek out professional companies with an established track record. Ask questions to those you partner with to make sure they are competent and capable of increasing your website search rankings. Be sure you get monthly reports from your SEO company. If you aren’t tracking your SEO efforts, then you likely aren’t getting much out of them.
I would also suggest that you don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Expand your digital marketing strategy by including social media strategies. Optimize your web presence by sharing online content, and engaging through social channels. Additionally, make your website more user-friendly. Take a look at your website images and copy writing to see if your content is really doing the job you want it to.
Successful digital marketing implements a mixture of online strategies. In my opinion, SEO is not dead, but relying wholly on search engine optimization can only take you so far. Expand your digital presence with a variety of online tactics.
For a free SEO report click here. If you’d like help with digital marketing or social media strategy, click here. We’d love to help.
