SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION IN 2014
Search Engine Optimization or (
SEO), we all need it so you should take this opportunity to learn it. Search engine optimization techniques are used to rank your website higher on Google and other major search engines. We use SEO techniques to bring in more organic traffic and to rank for keywords. Web development has to include SEO, right? In 2013, Google handed down algorithm updates that changed the landscape of SEO forever. The biggest adjustments were focused on links, which is one of the biggest ranking factors. In the same year, thin content was weeded out making the demand for high quality content even more important. Knowing what we know now, how do we plan to use search engine optimization in 2014?
Writing Quality Lengthy Content
Content has always been important in terms of SEO and ranking. There hasn't always been a need to write lengthy content. A high quality article with a few hundred words and a good link could rank high in early 2013. Now, content needs to have both quality and length. I ran my own personal experiment in late 2013 with content over 1,000 words and content below 1,000 words. I never published any articles below 700 words. Keep in mind, all of the content was associated, within the same subject. I equally used keywords in all 10 articles. I gave each article 6 months to perform, this gave them plenty of time in searches. I used the same valued links on all 10 articles.
Every article with lengthy high quality content performed better. This including higher rankings and high traffic. Without a doubt, my content with 1,000 words or more performed better then my articles below 1,000. All 5 articles below 1,000 were aimed around 800 words. You wouldn't think 200 words would make a difference but it did. The 5 articles above 1,000 words ranged from 1,050-1,350 words. There's no possible way to run a test like this and get 100% validation due to outside forces I have no control over, but I believe I reached 80% to say the least.
Writing quality content is and will remain one of the most important aspects of search engine optimization. Don't get lazy on your content, on yourself. Don't publish content to keep your blog updated. Don't throw in filler content to get to 1,000 words. You don't need every article to be 1,000 words, this is impossible. However, you do want to write as many words as you can without making your article boring. You still need to apply your keywords to each article, including your title, headings, descriptions and Metadata. Be unique with your content and make it useful to others. If you're just starting out with a website or blog, content is going to help you rank and develop your website. If I had to say a cut-off, you should strive for 500-600 words to be safe, but never below 400.
Link Building Techniques
Link building has been a longtime search engine optimization technique and it's a very important one to say the least. As for SEO, link building techniques have seen some big changes over the years, none more then 2013. If you were a link builder in 2013, you either saw a bonus or you were fired. Google came down hard on links in 2013 and these algorithms have changed the landscape of link building forever. Very few webmasters saw their ranks stay steady. Many crumbled under the new linking laws, never to be heard of again. Others were more fortunate while some even saw increased rankings. It was a busy year for SEOs and link builders in 2013 and their importance in 2014 will only increase.
Most SEOs know that Google wants natural link building. Does this mean that I have to quit finding link partners? Absolutely not. Getting a high valued link is one of the quickest SEO techniques to increase your rankings. In fact, your encouraged to find linking partners. However, there's a few rules you need to follow. We'll say you have a blog about baking. You've been writing on your blog for a year and Google has rewarded you with a PR2. Even with the valued PR, you're still not ranking your keywords on page one. You decide that a little more link juice will put you over the top. You find a website that has a PR6 and you're in luck, their selling links! You check your bank account and you have enough money to buy one! Problem solved, right? In a few weeks, you're sure to get first page rankings.
After a few weeks past, you see your rankings drop. Why? Come to find out, that PR6 website is a link building website that has no association to baking. Get the point? If you're going to build links, what ever technique you may use, you have to keep them associated. If you have a SEO website, you don't want to be linking to websites that are not associated to search engine optimization. This no longer works. 2013 changed link building techniques forever. Link building is still very important. You also have to keep an eye on who is linking to you now. Don't go on in 2014 without checking your links.
Over the years, I've found that writing quality online content is the easiest way to build links. Make your content useful to others. Again, don't write about anything and everything. If you write high quality articles or post, others will link to it naturally. Everyone is an expert at something. It doesn't matter if you're writing about the weather or art, make sure your content is useful. When the time comes to build links, make sure their website and content is associated to yours. This also gives you the opportunity to meet new people, perhaps generating new business depending on what you do.
Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing? What are you talking about? Social media marketing or SMM is becoming an important search engine optimization technique. We saw this in 2013 as SMM is now a ranking factor in the search engine equation. I've been saying I for years, SEO and SMM play hand in hand. Why would SMM play more of a role in search engine optimization? SMM ranks trends, what's hot and what's not. Everyone uses some type of social platform. It could be Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube or LinkedIn. The point, social media channels are still growing. All the major social media platforms have search engines. With more and more authority figures moving toward social media, it's likely to see an increased value in 2014 and beyond.
Your social network will be an important search engine optimization technique. You need to make sure your social channels are active, useful and updated. Will we see this change in 2014? It's very likely. It may take longer but I'm quite sure that SMM will play a much larger role in the near future. Remember, all of these social platforms are relatively young. They've only been around for a few years and they just recently became part of the search engine equation. As they become more needing and valued, you're going to want to make sure you're are adding to your social authority and value.
Just like it always does, most search engine optimization techniques will stay the same or similar. Something is likely to come along and change during the new year, but SEO is alive and well. If you haven't took the time to learn SEO or your wet behind the ears, learn as much as you can. Every successful website and online business has to have SEO. As more and more content is published, everyday that passes, it gets tougher to rank your keywords. There's plenty of trusted content and videos on SEO and search engine optimization techniques. Read, watch and learn.
Richard Hale is CEO and founder of Hale Associations, providing freelance web development services such as SEO, SEM, SMM, SMO, and PPC.
