There was a time when quantity reigned supreme in search engine optimization. Experts would try to get as many backlinks as possible, cram keywords into pages when it made no sense, and generate hundreds of variations on web pages, each catered to different search terms. As Google has become smarter, these tactics are irrelevant and harmful.
Topical Authority
Simply put, search engines want to lead users to websites that provide the most value or insight to the query. Does your website thoroughly and accurately answer questions your prospects are asking? Does your website structure and internal linking indicate your areas of expertise?
You need more than just a brief statement of the products or services you offer to rank well. You need to cover the topics surrounding these in depth. Think of the various perspectives, discussions, research and opinions that flood your industry’s channels. What are your customers’ pain points?
Invest the time and resources to do the topical research, cover key topics well, and then build links to your content.
Be Human
Google is more human than ever before. As search engines crawl the web and evaluate content, they are not simply counting the number of times a keyword appears on your site. Search engines interpret websites very similarly to the way we, as humans, do. Trying to “trick” the SEO machine somehow isn’t a thing anymore.
So, what do humans like to see on websites?
- Mobile-friendliness – if the site doesn’t load quickly and look nice on our phones, we’re out!
- Easy wayfinding – straightforward navigation, breadcrumbs, search, internal links
- Logical taxonomies – categories that make sense to us and help us find related content
- Well-written copy – we’re not counting words; we want to read content naturally and understand its purpose and meaning
- Clear calls to action – if the website wants me to take the next step, what is it?
- Relevant videos, images, audio – with meta tags that describe them rather than keyword nonsense
- Related articles – if we like what we’re reading, we may want to see more
Authentic Backlinks
Boosting your domain authority by getting thousands of backlinks to your website does not work anymore (a relief for many of us!). The quantity of backlinks has minimal effect on your search rankings.
Backlinks are not entirely irrelevant, but we need to be strategic in building them.
Backlinks should reinforce a website’s topical authority. Getting a mention in an industry blog is a huge win. Getting listed in relevant, trusted directories will also boost your rankings. If a backlink-providing site feels spammy, trust your instinct – it’s probably not a good idea to list your business there.
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