I was searching YouTube for a video the other day and up popped a video ad from a sales & marketing “guru” who claimed that Search Engine Optimization (SEO) was dead and that I should listen to him instead of investing anymore effort in my website optimization.
Of course he had an axe to grind (he wanted to sell his internet marketing DVD course which was based on running Ad Words campaigns) and was clearly also trying to get attention with a very eye-catching & controversial premise & headline. But, he did have a point – TO AN EXTENT.
Because they want to be considered a reliable and accurate source of information and relevantly respond to search queries, Google and all the search engine providers have closed most of the ‘loopholes’ and stopped many of the old ‘tricks’ and short cuts that it was possible to use to artificially raise the position for a website on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP).
That does not mean that you can’t set up your site to help the search engines understand your focus (keywords/phrases) and help your SERP position. But the most important thing to understand is that Google et al are using algorithms and techniques to recognise websites that respond well to the searcher’s query and offer good content and then favour them with a higher SERP position.
If you want to provide good content, then you need to understand your site’s visitor and have in the forefront of your mind what they want. Give them the very best value you possibly can and don’t be afraid to give away quite a lot. Be a “thought leader” in your field and make sure that this is reflected in your content. Doing this will really build your website’s authority and with it lift your SERP position.
So SEO is NOT dead. It’s free (unlike Ad Words) and because it now requires excellent content that best serves the visitor to your website, it is a more “honest” way to be found on the internet. BUT, it does mean more thought and effort. It also means working with the search engines and not against them (by duping them).