If you want to understand search engine optimization, you really have to stop listening to those in the industry looking to profit from it and simply boil it down to Google’s advice. Here’s a great paragraph from their Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide:
Even though this guide’s title contains the words “search engine”, we’d like to say that you should base your optimization decisions first and foremost on what’s best for the visitors of your site. They’re the main consumers of your content and are using search engines to find your work. Focusing too hard on specific tweaks to gain ranking in the organic results of search engines may not deliver the desired results. Search engine optimization is about putting your site’s best foot forward when it comes to visibility in search engines, but your ultimate consumers are your users, not search engines.
Google has solid advice in hiring your next SEO consultant, too. My advice to clients is fairly simple… utilize a platform with the tools that Google has enabled, and then build, share and promote that content through a great marketing strategy. This infographic from SEO Sherpa illustrates the strategy well.
One note on this, the infographic does warn against duplicate content. Duplicate content could be an issue if you aren’t utilizing canonical links to push authority to the original article, but it’s not penalized by Google.
Thanks for sharing the infographics Douglas! It simply summarizes just what I need about the basics of Organic SEO.
Douglas, I really like the point about not manipulating the search engines. Creating good content as your infograhpics point out is about doing the work to create valuable content that makes Google happy but more importantly that makes your readers happy. Ultimately it is about the readers. They like it and get value from it , they come back and refer their friends. Too many marketers today teaching fast strategies which has no staying power. Good info.Thanks for sharing.
Right on @disqus_3MEg2e280Z:disqus! Ranking in search is a long term play and the by product of content marketing. There are few (if any) fast tactics that generate lasting SEO results on the semantic web.
Thank you for sharing this with your readers Douglas. I hope they get value out of it 🙂 James ~ SEO Sherpa
wonderful post..really, only organic SEO should be followed as Manufactured SEO would bring you short term success but it wont last long. Organic SEO brings you good prolonged results.
A website build without keyboard stuffing and thin content – this is organic SEO? This is new to us and it is such good information! All along, many have been going into manufactured SEO and this is an awakening, especially that organic should actually be the one to use.