Working on the internet has taken many forms throughout the over two decades of life in cyberspace. No other niche industry has gotten as much attention in that time as search engine optimization, more commonly referred to as SEO. It could also be said that no other process has been misunderstood quite like SEO.
Read: How To Start SEO For Your Site
Let’s get this out of the way first: there are good ways to go about SEO and there are bad ways to go about it. Because the industry is still relatively new in comparison to other types of marketing, it’s under constant scrutiny. But if all you know about SEO is the horror tales of link farms and spam, it’s time to come into the present.
The industry has changed tremendously since the early 2000s and it can be argued that search engine optimization on its own doesn’t even exist anymore.
Raising your Profile
In order to have a website that is compliant with SEO best practices these days, you need to do things that are beneficial to your site anyway, beyond the scope of SEO. Let’s say you’re a small business owner looking to raise your profile and get more leads/make more sales. You know that getting on page one of Google’s search results is essential because most people go straight to their smartphone or laptop when looking for a local business to suit their needs.
It’s also common knowledge that people barely go beyond the first page of results. So, you seek out a firm that offers SEO services.
Read: How to get to top of Google Search Engine Results?
Beyond SEO
You might be surprised to see that what falls under the umbrella of “SEO services” is actually good web design and marketing practices with attention paid to certain SEO specific details. For example, having uncluttered, properly organized code isn’t just important for having a fast and functional website.
It’s also part of the equation Google uses in its algorithm to rank sites. The faster Google can “crawl” your site thanks to proper coding and organization, the better your site will perform on the search results. At the same time, taking these steps will provide visitors a better experience as well thanks to fast load times and a clean layout.
Read: SEO Trends for 2013
Read: Basic SEO Tips For Beginners
Modern day SEO is for the benefit of both readers and robots. What does Google like to see in a site’s content? The same thing readers like to see: Good, useful writing!
Search engine optimization has changed drastically in recent years. You’ll find that smart website design actually is SEO and vice versa.
About the Author
Eric Regan is a writer with a keen interest in travel, cars and technology. He has written for blogs covering all of these topics and much more
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