Search engine optimization is still an important factor in getting lots of traffic to your site and with Google’s ever changing algorithms it is important to know what SEO for 2013 fundamentals will help you the most.
Even though there are a lot of different opinions on exactly what Google’s animal updates (Penguin, Panda, etc.) were targeting, it has become glaringly obvious that to even have a chance at getting good search engine rankings you must do well in the area’s of
1.) Great content
2.) Credible links
3.) Social signals
With that in mind lets take a little closer look at each of these areas.
SEO For 2013 – Great Content
High quality content should always be viewed as the corner stone of your search engine optimization strategy. Creating the best content possible starts by doing the proper research to identify the problems, needs or concerns of your potential customers. Doing keyword research for your particular market or niche will allow you to identify what keyword (s) your target audience is using to find out about the product or service that you are offering.
Google’s Keyword Tool is a free option that was designed to help advertisers create effective adwords campaigns and maximize their marketing return on investment (ROI). However, it is also widely used by web owners to find the best keywords to target for increasing their sites ranking as well. The key to finding the best keywords to target is to look for long-tail keywords (keyword phrases between 2 5 words in length) that have a relatively low amount of competition.
Once you have identified a list of keywords for your market, you can then create content based on those keyword phrases. Many of the other related keywords can also be included in your content as latent semantic Index (LSI ) keywords. To optimize your content it should be focused on a specific keyword phrase and that specific keyword phrase should be used several times throughout your content. For example, if the specific keyword phrase that you are targeting is ìmake money online from homeî and you are creating a 500 word article, it should contain your main keyword phrase at least 3 – 5 times. You should also include a few of the other related LSI keywords within the article as well.
SEO For 2013 – Credible Links
Backlinks (hyper-text links coming from one site to another) have always been important in determining a sites ranking within the search engine result pages (SERP’s). Whereas in the past it was more about the number of links that you got pointing back to your site, now it is more about the number of high quality, relevant sites that are linking to your content. For example a backlink from a well established site like Entreprenuer.com would have more significance in the make money online niche than a lesser know site in a completely different market would.
Now you may be wondering how would you be able to get a backlink from a high quality site in your market? One of the best ways to do this may be to do a Google search and email or contact the top 10 – 100 blogs and see if you could submit a guest post with a backlink to your site, for publication on their site. The key to being successful with this method is to only submit high quality, unique content that will benefit the readers of the guest blog.
Another method for getting high quality backlinks is by using press releases. This can be effectively done by creating a newsworthy story and using a good press release distribution service like PRWeb.
SEO For 2013 – Social Signals
Social signals are an indication of how much others value your content. For example if your content gets a lot of Facebook likes or retweets on Twitter those are strong social signals that search engines use in evaluating how to rank your content. Some people have speculated that social media may some day replace the use of backlinks in determining a sites ranking. This remains to be seen, however it can not be denied that social signals are steadily growing in significance for content ranking.
Not only can social signals impact your sites rankings, social media is a very powerful way of getting targeted traffic to your site and increasing your ìBrand Awarenessî in the market place. The best practices to follow include, developing a presence on social media sites that are important to your prospects, engaging in a conversational way and sharing relevant content from others. In addition it is also important to make your content shareable by adding share buttons, this can be done using widgets or plugins from sites like ShareThis.com and by asking your visitors to share with their friends.
Conclusion
Even though the ever changing world of SEO can be very complex and challenging by understanding and applying the SEO For 2013 fundamentals of great content, credible links and social signals you will significantly increase you odds of getting high rankings for your content. Even while Google continues to make changes and increase its focus on rewarding the best sites with the highest rankings.
