The Evolution of SEO
How the SEO world has evolved in the last couple of years has been a major topic of discussion on several well known SEO blogs and forums.
When you work in the web business, you feel like you’re living in an ever evolving world. This is especially apparent as far as SEO goes. Of course there are the mainstays of SEO, such as:
- quality content
- proper use of HTML
- general on page efforts
- relevant backlinks
- good navigation and site architecture
I could go on, but you get the point. I think the things about SEO that have changed are the more dynamic aspects. For instance, link building. This area of SEO has undergone major shifts. Back in the day, (and when I say that, I mean 3 or 4 years ago) it was common practice to submit your website to directories on a regular basis. Even as recently as two years ago, this was a pretty accepted way of getting links to your site, as long as you were using legitimate directories, and categorizing your submissions well. Today there are only a handful of directories left that have any real value, and these tend to be niche directories (other than DMOZ which is not quite as sought after a submission as it used to be. Submit , and if you get lucky, great. If not, oh well.)
Link building is done in a variety of ways, and not the least of which is the utilization of different social media techniques for indirect linking. Social media is going to be the trend for now, and it is an interesting one that allows users to learn more about a company or product in a variety of ways that were unavailable until recently. Trust between different users, as well as different sites will continue to play a large part in link building, especially when it comes to social media. People are not going to Digg a story for a company they don’t trust, unless it is to highlight a problem or complaint. There are several ways one can use social media to build trust in their brand. Blogging on a particular company or product, comments being left on consumer sites, and even Digging a story related to a company or product are all ways that consumers are using the web to make sure they get the best deal. When they find something they like, they will often link back to it from their own site, or leave a comment for someone else who might be interested, thus many links back to the origin are built.
Another aspect of SEO that is changing is the use of video, another sector of social media. Corey Hammond has actually blogged here on viral videos and Emily Croskey has shown how the use of video can increase your online visibility.
What it comes down to is that while SEO has changed dramatically over the years, the core remains the same. Build a great site, with attention to accessibility, navigation and site architecture. Ensure that you have done your research and are using keyphrases that work for you, create quality content, and make sure your on page efforts are top notch. Even in the ever changing world of SEO, these tried and true strategies will continue to benefit you, and the new stuff is icing on the cake!
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