Search engine optimization is a never-ending game that takes time, persistence, and dedication. Even worse, Google tweaks its search algorithm every few months with new releases of Google Panda. This means that just when you think you might know all the best SEO strategies and practices, Google will change them. EVEN worse, Google never tells you the exact changes it makes, they only hint at the changes and leave it to SEO experts to interpret these hints.
What does this all mean? It means that if you really want your site to consistently come up on the first page of a search engine, you have to work on your SEO constantly. There are no breaks, time outs, or half times in this game. If you’re not doing it, you can bet your competitors are. It will take more time in the beginning because you have to learn SEO strategies; such as those I shared with you in Part 1 and 2 of my SEO series blogs. After that, though, you can’t slow up too much. You still have to constantly create content, work on optimizing your pages both meta-wise and design-wise, and stay up to date with Google’s updates.
Besides knowing all the latest “tricks” that will help you outrank your competitors, probably the best thing you can do is just focus on your site in a genuine way. By that I mean maybe not worrying so much about SEO, and instead focusing on your customers and making your site the best it can be. I think that if you truly care about your business, optimization will come naturally. You’ll have people talking about your products or services, sharing your content, referring their friends to your site, and so on. These are all great for search engine rankings, and come from just being an extraordinary business.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s very important to have a basic understanding of link building, and you can spend months learning every trick in the SEO book, but if you don’t have a great company/brand, it’s not going to do much. Just like no matter how many inbound links you have, if you have a crappy website it’s not going to do much good.
Some things to keep in mind. Always have SEO in the back of your head for everything you do to your website. Constantly be making your website better, whether it’s improving your keywords and meta, or the design, look, feel, and functionality of your site. Constantly produce great content. For example, maybe master blogging for a few months, then move onto making content for YouTube. Try and become an expert in these different Web 2.0 fields. When you start have enough revenue, become an expert in Google Adwords or Facebook advertising. Make sure your site is optimized for smartphones. Trust me, there’s always something you can be doing to improve your SEO.
Some sites that can help you keep up with the SEO landscape: Google’s Webmaster Central Blog, Matt Cutt’s Blog, and Search Engine Round Table. There are many more on the internet, spend some time to get to know the ones that you feel are most relevant to your website. Other then that, make sure to dedicate time each week to SEO, and good luck!
Feel free to post any questions or comments below!
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