6 Absolute Truths About SEO
6 Absolute Truths About SEO Revealed Here
If you’ve spent any length of time in the world of SEO, you know there’s no shortage of contradictory information to be found. That’s to be expected; however, at some point you may find yourself working side-by-side with someone who has fallen prey to bad SEO info. What’s the problem? When you are partnering with a designer, copywriter or project manager and that partner is the victim of a bad SEO education, this is likely to result in clashing viewpoints, wounded egos and an end product that reflects the disharmony of its creators.
With that in mind, consider these generally timeless truths about SEO:
1. SEO comes now, not later.
The time to implement an SEO plan is before you’ve launched or redesigned a website, not after. Experts concur that business owners should stop thinking of SEO as a “condiment” they put off until the end of the site building process. Doing this can help prevent unnecessary mistakes from being made.
2. SEO is an investment in long-term website health.
While it may not promise the “instant” results of other marketing tactics, SEO is an investment into the long-term health of a website site. It’s like taking vitamins; you may not always know when they’re working, but when you skip them for a few days you certainly notice the difference. SEO is not an overnight quick fix, but over time it ensures a site has a presence with your target audience.
3. SEO is not for sissies.
In other words, it is more complicated than the naysayers would have you believe. There’s a science and a process involved that goes far beyond clever keywords, reworking Meta tags and backlinking. Like brain surgery, the concepts of SEO must be properly applied to get the desired outcome. Otherwise, the patient dies – or in this case, the website doesn’t work.
4. SEO blogs are not always the arbiters of truth.
Your mother told you not to believe everything you read. She meant it in the context of supermarket tabloids, but today this holds true for the Internet. Sometimes, bloggers just want page views, so they craft shocking headlines designed to get you to click. The article may be something hastily written, chalk full of untested theory off the top of the writer’s head. You never know until you put it into practice yourself – and doing so may not always be a good idea.
5. Keywords always matter.
No, keywords aren’t the only SEO factor – but they are still among the most important. Some are necessary for a site to be found by users, while others aren’t even worth going after because of irrelevance to the audience. SEO clients don’t need to know everything about keyword research, but their input should always be taken into account. SEO professionals should pose questions regarding target audience, audience location and the products/services users may be searching for.
6. It’s not just about search engine rankings.
How well a website ranks in search engines is obviously important – otherwise, there would be no SEO industry at all. However, search engine rankings don’t tell the entire story. Other metrics – specifically, conversion rate – matter too. Also, factors like brand authority can be enhanced with a solid SEO campaign. All things considered, SEO is more than just a search engine strategy.
The truth about SEO is that some things may change, but the basics should stay the same. The six listed here are designed to help the conversation move forward. If you have any thoughts or truths to add, please sound off in the comments below.
