Google’s new Penguin updates hit many content marketers hard. But future updates shouldn’t be a worry if you stop focusing about old-style SEO.
The bottom line in search engine optimization is this: Improve your search ranking by focusing on quality. Keywords and metadata are important, sure. But trying to manipulate the system will cause you to lose rank rather than improve it.
Since Google wants to reward good sites with top ranking, quality should be your highest priority as a content marketer.
And to achieve that, focus on these four issues:
1. Know your audience. What are their needs and desires? What information are they looking for? What are they searching for?
2. Create content that addresses their needs. Go ahead and create a web page around a keyword, but don’t worry too much about how often you use the keyword or where you place it in the copy. Focus on writing a great web page that’s easy to read and leads visitors deeper into your website.
3. Don’t let your website go static. One sign that your content is up to date is the frequency of your updates. So add to your website regularly. I recommend at least two new pages or blog posts per month.
4. Add social elements. The more you engage your visitors, the more you’ll impress Google. But don’t try to manipulate the system. Just reach out to your readers by updating them on your content through social media channels. Got a new blog post? Talk about it in Google Plus, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. As an added benefit, you’ll know immediately when a topic resonates with people because you’ll get lots of feedback.
Online marketing and SEO have changed. Google has made sure of that.
But if you ask me, it’s all for the best. They design every algorithm change to help ethical marketers turn up in the first few pages of a Google search.
So stop trying to manipulate the system. Use SEO to help Google know what your pages are about. But focus on creating great content for your readers. After all, that’s what your website it for. Right?
Need help creating an editorial calendar or writing content? A skilled copywriter is your best source for copy that connects with people and appeases the Google gods.
