So you’ve got your head around the basics of search engine optimisation, but you’d like to take your understanding further. Moz, arguably the most user-friendly blog of a team of SEO experts, explains how modern SEO works.
Modern SEO Requires Technical, Creative, and Strategic Thinking
This episode of Whiteboard Friday will explain search engine optimisation skills required for on point SEO in response to an article by Jason Deymers. Rank Fishkin explains the following points:
- Effective SEO uses a host of skills related to the digital environment that do include technical skills, as well as creative ability and strategic thinking.
- While user experience (UX) is extremely important for effective SEO, it’s not the only factor that contributes to the efficacy of your hard work.
- Your ability of use these technical skills like a knowledge of coding of user behaviour is going to take your ability to diagnose and fix SEO problems quicker and more thoroughly.
- It takes more than effective written content and “happy” visitors to your website to increase your SEO ranking.
What Has Changed in Keyword Research Since 2010
In This episode of Whiteboard Friday Rand will explain search engine optimisation tool changes, which tools are available through Google for keywords research, and how to prioritise keywords according to a number of factors.
- Because Google Adwords tools, like keyword planning and suggestion tools, have been altered to hide information that Google doesn’t deem relevant to your website or research, you have to use a range of creative ways of researching keywords and use the average monthly search values as a means of comparison – instead of a definite impression volume, like we could in 2010.
- Content needs to be grouped according to a search engine user’s intent, not by individual keywords. Link related keywords to a page, post, or bit of content, instead of creating separate content for each keyword.
- Before determining the value and priority of your keywords introduce factors such as: “difficulty” which determines the likelihood of raking with that particular keyword, often based on who your competition for that keyword is; “oppourtunity” which relates to how likely it will be that your content will appear as the first search result after ads, videos, news block, etc.; “business value” which determines how profitable this keyword will be based on its suggested bid, and the overall performance of this keyword; and a “options/content requirements” factor which determines what kind of result is being prioritised by Google for this keyword.
Combat Five of the Most Frustrating SEO Problems
Rand sets out to explain search engine optimisation frustrations and how to challenge yourself and get past them. The challenges include:
- Best practises often don’t do much for rankings on newer, less established websites;
- Bigger websites sometimes seem to get boosts in ranking from spammy link building – which Google should be penalising;
- You’re not sure why your rankings are going up and down without any identifiable cause;
- The unquantifiable nature of many parts of SEO results, ventures, and changes, often end up fuelling a negative reaction to your work; and
- Google seems to be biased towards bigger brands.
Struggling to get a grasp on SEO and need a little advice or help? Pop us a message and we’ll see where we can help!
