What Is SEO?
SEO the good the bad the ugly…
SEO these days is a much different beast than it was years ago. Currently, SEO can be interpreted as a blanket statement as it intertwines and is inter-connected with most digital marketing channels along with SEO and SEM.
On-site search engine optimization (original SEO tactics), on site and offsite content marketing, link building, social media marketing, geo and local SEO, even paid ads these days all seem to have an impact on increasing targeted keyword and corresponding web page SERP rankings.
Personally, I have witnessed a substantial amount of SEO industry changes over the years. Observing changes and industry trends, testing new tactics and strategies, new technologies, new methodologies; all in a futile attempt to make heads and tails of Google’s supposed webmaster guidelines.
The funniest thing I have witnessed is the vast amount of misinformation spread around the web by paid for spokespeople, industry authorities, crack pots, newbies, seasoned veterans, and business owners in regards to what works and what does not work with organic SEO and organic search engine marketing.
Yes, many of “battles” fought with many of clients over what will work and what will not.
SEO should be considered as a long term, gradual investment in your business, brand, website, persona, etc. SEO these days is multi faceted, full spectrum, and all encompassing in terms of a successfully implemented digital marketing and multi channel marketing strategy.
Onsite SEO basics-
- META Info- Title tags, web page descriptions, Keywords…Yup you still need the keywords contrary to popular belief. Why? They have been there since the beginning, also if you run any type of paid ad campaigns the keywords come in handy in many ways in many different ad networks.
- Web Page Content Structure and Keyword Densities- Target keyword of web page, related keywords, and latent semantic keywords per each web page.
- OpenGraph and Other Social Integrations
- SCHEMA mark up
- Image title tags and image alt tags.
- Link Canonicalization/Link Structure/ Link and Website Architecture
- Mobile/responsive website design and compliant coding.
- Page speed- How fast your web pages load. Simply put, if your site takes to long to load, visitors bounce off the page. Utilizing web friendly images(the smaller the file the better),compressing images, prioritizing sequential javascript actions, consolidating and optimizing CSS and HTML minification actions, utilizing browser caching systems, and increasing your server response times are just a few things you can leverage to increase your website(s) page speed.
- Advanced- .htaccess, robots.txt, blocking ip’s and bots, security, hosting and servers, IP neighborhood of a website…
- Blogging- Content is King helps with establishing authority via attracting search engines to your site, crawling content and internal links, feeds social channels and mediums, increases internal linking structure of website,…
White hat SEO, Grey hat SEO, Black hat SEO- Gaming of algorithmic systems
What is the difference between white hat SEO, grey hat SEO, and black hat SEO?
White hat SEO can best be described as executing diversified onsite/offsite SEO campaigns according to major search engine guidelines.
Grey Hat SEO is a mix of proper white hat SEO tactics and some borderline SEO practices that could ultimately be detrimental to your sites rankings and placements.
Black hat SEO is basically doing anything and everything possible to “trick” the search engine algorithms into better keyword placements in the SERPS. There are numerous methods of attempting to game the “system”
These days, there is still blatant SEO spamming. I have witnessed some companies that do very little with organic SEO but spend a good amount with Google Ads and receive prominent placement…I have seen sites and businesses that abuse SCHEMA ratings(This one comes and goes with algorithm, updates), websites that have keyword crammed garbled content that rank well, pure affiliate driven sites that manage to lock down the top search engine spots in some fairly competitive industries and keywords, sites that have loads of low quality links place in higher positions than that of sites that have a healthy back link profile,…In short, no guarantees in anything you do in regards to organic search engine marketing.
Diversify your traffic streams both online and offline is always in a business owners best interests.
Example-
Optimize your site to those dreaded guidelines, keep in mind responsive and mobile design, leverage up and coming industry changes with voice searches(mobile, Alexa, Google Assistant…), publish frequent content on site and offsite writing for both users first and search engines second, push these posts to social media and boost them with ad spend for more traffic and exposure, utilize PPC and strategic paid ad placements(where your targeted audiences are), run remarketing paid ad campaigns for repetitive messaging, implement email marketing and retargeting campaigns, acquire high quality back links while saving site research and ad ops n the process for future use in strategic placement campaigns and/or outreach content marketing, implement high impact imaging and video marketing campaigns, cultivate relationships with influencers, leverage PR services and media outlets, utilize lead generation and affiliate networks, increase brand exposure and reach via mainstream publications and event marketing, etc.
Analyze all traffic stats, KPI’s, goals, and conversions throughout each channel and/or campaign(s)- test, track, optimize, and allocate resources to what is working for your specific business model.
In House SEO Vs. Hiring SEO Companies, SEO Agencies, SEO Firms
In house or outsource?
Taking it way back to 2005, digital or internet/web marketing was often perceived in most people’s eyes as something scammers use to get over on people.
You mention it and people thought scammer(Oh Sh**) and ran the other way. As years progressed, SEO services and internet marketing services grew in popularity out of necessity, with numerous SEO freelancers, SEO consultants, and SEO companies sprouting up everywhere across the globe. Fast forward a few years later, and here we are with countless mainstream colleges and universities offering hundreds of related degree programs. Question is, are these courses battle tested or are they simply created based off of the guidelines set forth by respective mainstream business networks that are constantly changing usually to their own benefit? At the end of the day, these business networks are for profit businesses and will do just about anything to stay in business.
The above statements should be taken into consideration when deciding if an in-house SEO specialist(s) is a better decision than hiring a SEO company, digital marketing agency, or a full spectrum multi-channel marketing firm. Hiring an in-house SEO specialist is always a gamble and more frequently than not, a detriment to a business owner. Why? Human nature is the path of least resistance. Meaning most people whom work at a job typically do the least amount of work possible to get results or to simply maintain their job. When hiring a SEO service provider, they have to be results driven or they no longer have a client. Moreover, a SEO company is usually much more informed on what actually gets results in the real world versus that of a supposed SEO specialist that digests ALL of the supposed “guidelines” the mainstream business networks, respective spokespeople, SEO guru’s, and marketers push out to the masses.
At the end of the day the harsh reality is this- You can do everything to the “T” in terms of network guidelines and get no where in regards to results. This is a FACT!
Organic SEM and SEO are a form of investment in business. You need to maintain the mainstream networks while diversifying traffic streams as to mitigate the risk of having all of your marketing “eggs” in one basket. Why? Many of businesses have been built and lost over SEO algorithm changes overnight. Scary thought???
Organic SEO vs. PPC and Paid Ads
Paid Ad Traffic and SEO results- pay to play
Most people that have worked in the industry understand that organic search engine traffic generated from SEO and organic search engine marketing, generally speaking, converts at a substantially higher rate than that of paid traffic. Not always the case, but it is the understood general consensus. Obviously every business is different. What works for one business may not perform as well or at all for another related business. There are to many variables to this equation, just understand that there are no guarantees in anything you do with organic search engine marketing.
This is why diversifying and testing new traffic strategies and sources should always be on the top of every marketers to do list. At the end of the day, marketing and advertising is nothing more than calculated gambling in a sense. From the costs associated with hiring a SEO specialist or SEO firm, to the strategies that are utilized, to the costs of paid advertising- there are no guaranteed results within the ever changing networks we have absolutely no control over.
All businesses should diversify and invest in business growth by utilizing as many channels, mediums, and networks as possible. Track the data and results, and optimize accordingly to the recent data.
Paid ads, PPC advertising networks, real time bidding platforms and networks, social advertising, display ads and strategic placements, email list acquisitions, affiliate network marketing, lead generation networks and strategic deals, publication placements, media and press networks, etc.
Using a multi channel marketing services strategy that incorporates as many channels as possible to drive traffic is the best way to ensure the success of your business. Stick to the fundamentals and “general digital marketing maintenance” best practices, while leveraging trends and new networks, keeping in mind and anticipating the evolution of the industry and technologies that drive and optimize the entire digital marketing environment.
To close-
If you are serious about long term success, stick to white hat SEO and diversify your traffic streams. If you are willing to take the risk in grey and black hat tactics, the short and/or long term benefits could also very well end up in your favor, but in most instances this will not hold true…
Fundamentals typically do not change. Furthermore, there are only so many channels that a person can leverage for SEO and organic search engine marketing. Strategizing from a top down and bottom up perspective is one of the best approaches when creating a multi channel marketing strategy and/or business plan.
Click here for more information on our multi channel marketing services and/or organic SEO services.
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