Things have changed and the superheroes of old now lack the ‘power’ to save. A hero to the rescue saving the girl from the burning building no longer excites or impresses. Today it’s all about the stealth technology, team work and super powers our parents never dreamed of.
Superman – The One Trick Pony
Journalist by day, superhero by night (or during the day if there was a phone booth close by…). This type of SEO superhero is a one trick pony. It’s been a few years now since the dark rooms of SEO were exposed. It’s called ‘link building’ and yes, it’s sneaky and unfair. For example, a search for lighting stores in Phoenix pulls up only national chains and a Las Vegas hotel or two?! Relevant search results were lacking because companies would buy hundreds, or sometimes thousands, of domains and forward them all to their website. BOOM – top search result, website traffic and enough eyes to turn a profit in some cases. Well done superman, well done. But flying through the air in a costume doesn’t work for long – backlinks like these are no longer welcome and your site can be penalized greatly for them.
Batman – A Better Version of Bad
We find Batman one step ahead of Superman. He has special tools and a secure location but what really sets him apart? A TEAM! He has a butler and a sidekick. Several years ago, a good SEO team could get a website to the top of Google with just ‘keywords.’ Even if a business had good or poor rankings, bad content or lack of appeal to the user – the site remained at the top because of the good SEO team. This began to pose a problem for search engines. For example, a coffee shop optimizes their site with keywords like Denver, Coffee Shops, and Coffee etc. but there are ten other coffee shops in Denver doing the same thing with the same keywords. So now you’re got the cool gadgets and a team with you, but you’ll get the same results. Keywords are important and should not be moved away from or forgotten, but the picture is bigger now! The website needs original content and a user friendly presentation if you want to even think about getting that top spot.
Spiderman – Out with the Old
Spiderman back in the day was AMAZING! Who could have thought a spider bite would cause a man to spin webs from his wrists? He saved the good guys from the bad guys and the babies from burning buildings. But honestly, if he showed up to save the day with our other current superheroes, he would be eliminated fast without some power upgrades to get with the times. For SEO, website design used to be less important. SEO optimization was all about things we mentioned above, not focused on design at all. Just bring to mind some of the terrible websites you’ve seen and experienced. It was disappointing to click the top search result and land on an unappealing and unsatisfying website, right?! A web spinning, save the day kind of guy was spectacular back then… but today, design is a massive part of your SEO. Move with the times and upgrade your design ‘powers’ or you’ll be overtaken. Out with the old and in with the new!
The Avengers – The New Guys in Town
We applaud the efforts and successes of the old, but today we need an upgrade and it’s not a one man show. Search engines have caught on and penalize sites who employ these old techniques. It’s time to focus on creating a well-designed website with approved backlinks and fresh content where keywords fit and flow. SEO is a team game with new upgraded weapons and an openness to work with others – creating an online rhythm that will work for you. That’s how the Avengers win – TOGETHER, ON TREND and in the know!
SEO Company Edmonton
Below are the NEW ways to be a SEO superhero today!
- Website Design – search engines now evaluate design for users. Here are things to watch for that may be negatively affect your ranking:
- Your website isn’t mobile friendly
- You have too many ads on your homepage
- A user can’t easily navigate back to the home page
- Your site lacks relevant original content
- Backlinks – only healthy and approved backlinks will do so here’s what to focus on:
- Unpaid backlinks – paid backlinks may have a negative impact on ranking and SEO, unpaid backlinks are beneficial.
- Relevant content – the backlink must connect with content matching your website’s main area of expertise. For example, your business is selling car tires and your friend has a muffin sales company. This friend wants to help you promote your business and agrees to place a link to your business on her site. Unfortunately, this is not a relevant link and will not assist you in ranking since your businesses are in different industries and don’t relate to each other. You might instead connect with a friend who runs an oil changing business – this would be a helpful and relevant backlink!
- A good backlink should send quality traffic to your website. A link without clicks won’t be beneficial, but finding the right link location and audience will prove the backlink is trusted and end up promoting and validating your website.
- Original Content – it’s no longer helpful to simply upload a website and leave it be. Search engines are looking for fresh content both relevant for searches and continually confirming your website as a valid choice in the rankings. One of the easiest ways to do this is with a blog. Content creation can come from business reviews, testimonials, product review and industry expertise you’re able to share (see Content Creation or how Content Creates Value for further guidance). Don’t underestimate this important aspect of SEO!
In conclusion, SEO has been a dark game in the past, favouring those who were technically and financially able. Search engines now are on trend with quality, not quantity. Original content, valid backlinks and basic keyword optimization can now get you to the top and overtaking those old and outdated SEO superheroes. Join the new SEO superhero team, promote your business and get SEO results!
Contact Metron at 403-257-2853 to tell your story today!
