Search engine optimisation is a key component of any digital marketing strategy. However, Google’s crackdown on questionable links and online content through algorithm updates, such as Penguin and Panda, are forcing brands to re-think their tactics to protect their rankings.
Google is the UK’s most popular search engine and facilitates around 90 per cent of all searches made in this country. To stay ahead of future algorithm updates and reduce the need to work reactively, it is important for brands to keep an eye on what this market leader is saying.
Previous updates have created difficulties for sites with SEO strategies built on so-called ‘black hat’ tactics, designed to boost search engine rankings by fooling the technology. These practices, such as keyword stuffing or trying to build links through low quality sites, were short-term solutions designed to create quick returns.
Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts or quick fixes to help brands establish sustainable rankings. The focus continues to be on developing original, high-quality online content that creates value for your target audience.
The impact of the recent Hummingbird update on websites should be seen as a positive opportunity, as Google has spent a lot of time and effort developing ‘semantic search’ technologies which look more closely at the actual meaning of content. This includes judging how appropriately the information on brand web pages relates to the search queries typed in by users, instead of just focusing on keywords or length.
As the leading search engine in the market, Google is well aware of how its technology is being used and the growing tendency for people to type full questions – instead of a few related keywords – to quickly locate the information they need. Rather than just listing a load of results that users have to sift through, digital marketers have to get better at providing real answers to real questions, and be competitive about the quality of information they provide. This strategy will continue to be prioritised by Google and other search technology in the future, even as other widely used SEO practices fall by the wayside.
Matt Cutts, head of Google’s Webspam team, has already stated publicly that guest blogging – a popular and previously permitted tactic for leveraging successful sites to improve rankings – is being abused and are slated for the chopping block. The search engine has been pretty forthcoming online about the changes they plan to make, and while guest blogging can still be a great way to build brand awareness, it will have less and less value as a link building tool for SEO purposes.
Now is the time for brands – especially smaller, more agile ones – to future-proof their SEO strategies by reviewing their online content and ensuring that it actually answers the most common questions asked by their target audience. One of the quickest ways to make this judgement is to check whether there are any FAQs on your website related to your products, services or industry. If you don’t have this, you’re missing an easy win.
You should always have an idea of what’s coming next and how your brand can adapt. This will ensure that your company is prepared for changes that might affect your search engine ranking and SEO strategy by the time they launch, rather than scrambling to do so afterwards when the damage can be more difficult to repair.
As Google’s algorithms become increasingly sophisticated, it will ultimately be the brands that take the time to get to know their target audiences that will avoid penalisation and see their rankings improve. By proactively identifying needs and anticipating the questions that users will ask, digital marketers will be able to develop strategies focused on high-quality content – making them more relevant and adding value.
By Daniel Nolan, managing director of theEword.
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