Gamelan LLC

Creative Business and Marketing Consulting

Digital Marketing: SEO Tips

Helpful SEO tips from real world experience - all from the Gamma Notes Small Business and Startup Marketing Blog.

Thinking About SEO Services? Read This First.

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In my last post on search engine optimization (SEO), I shared some lessons learned, but I left the question open as to whether or not to seek out SEO services. The answer, as is often the case in marketing, is complicated.

First, SEO Is Part of A Larger Marketing Strategy

Some businesses can get away with signing up for SEO services and get measurable results that are satisfactory (enough). Then, they move on to the next problem.

For the vast majority of organizations, that isn’t the case. In reality, SEO is one factor in a broader marketing strategy that consists of real-world and Internet marketing components. SEO, in fact, could even be considered a sub-component. After all, it is just one factor in your organization’s Internet marketing approach.

The components in any marketing strategy are becoming more and more interrelated. As a result, there is often overlap between brand, on-site experience, and SEO. This can be good and bad. Additionally, there are both advantages and disadvantages to getting your SEO services from the same firm that provides your web design services.

Like a lot of things in business, it’s always good to weigh your options.

Not all SEO services have evolved like this monkey
Not all SEO services have adapted and evolved with the best practices in the industry. Watch out for this.

Secondly, SEO Has Changed

The interrelation between these overlapping components is largely a result of a) technology adoption and b) the fact that Internet searching is a lot smarter than it used to be. My biggest complaint with SEO services for a while has been that so many did not change with the industry and practice itself. With multiple search algorithm changes and updates, good SEO companies must be able to adapt. Many have not. More will follow.

To be an SEO services company now, you must constantly be on your toes. And, the services you offer will increasingly overlap with other areas of a broader marketing strategy as mentioned above.

So, What To Do About SEO Services?

Because of the cost involved – as well as some pitfalls with long term consequences – enter into any SEO services relationship carefully and cautiously.

One good first step is to ask yourself what exactly about your search engine ranking or performance you want to change. Maybe you don’t know exactly, but you might have a specific search-engine related metric in mind. For example, maybe the leads coming in from your web site are repeatedly the wrong fit.

Once you make contact with an SEO services company, keep these five questions in mind:

  1. How do you handle link building as well as disavowal of existing – potentially “bad” – links?
  2. How “locked down” is the content of our site once your SEO services kick in?
  3. What are your recommendations with respect to our existing social media presence and how it affects our SEO strategy?
  4. Do you ever “re-optimize” or do you see optimization as an ongoing process?
  5. How will you report your performance and results to me?

Do you have thoughts on SEO services? Maybe a horror story? I’d love to hear from you. Comment below or reach out @GamelanLLC on Twitter.

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A Search Engine Optimization Tip: Don’t Forget The User

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Organizations pay countless amounts of money and time on search engine optimization. For years, the results justified the investments. As the search engine optimization field changes however, the best search engine optimization tip may become this simple one: Don’t forget the user.

Search Engine Oriented vs User Oriented Content

As previously discussed here regarding search engine optimization and business blogs, the landscape continues to change dramatically for the search engine optimization industry. Recent developments in search algorithms are putting more pressure on the quality, quantity, and timeliness of content. Meanwhile, many search engine optimization strategies produce content that isn’t user oriented but instead search engine oriented.

Search engine optimization tip: Optimize for your search engines and your audience.
The best search engine optimization tip may now be this simple one: Don’t forget the user.

What does that mean? The optimized content results often include repeated use of target phrases carefully calculated in relation to the total word count of the page. Links are often added not in a logical order that would be attractive to an actual user but instead aimed at criteria that the search engines find attractive. Content often isn’t readable, appealing, or actionable.

This isn’t always obvious to web site owners that are happy about their newfound search engine traffic. Sure, search engine attention is great, but what happens when the content isn’t useful?

Leveling the Playing Field

Like Google or not, I do believe that their efforts are well intentioned when it comes to search algorithm updates. Weeding out lesser quality content in searches is a good thing. The intention is to level the playing field for content creators while producing more meaningful search results.

Unfortunately for those invested in the search engine optimization industry, “overly optimized” content is falling into this lower quality category more and more. Therefore, many smaller businesses who have invested in optimizing content find that they are being hit with the cost and hassle of re-optimization in order to keep content fresh and timely. For them, the playing field can’t be leveled enough, soon enough.

Looking at the timing and impact of algorithm updates such as Panda, Penguin, and Hummingbird, the quality of results will continue to improve but are still far from ideal.

Discoverability vs Usability

For many who have used search engine optimization services, they’re left with a web site people can find but that people don’t want to use. That’s a problem.

The key to benefiting from our basic search engine optimization tip here is understanding the differences between discoverability and usability.

As much as I would like to believe it’s all about the content, it isn’t. There are still many search engine optimization tricks that can (and perhaps unfortunately) must be employed. However, content usability and future growth should always be taken into account first. Optimization can be done later.

The user must come first. Otherwise, what’s the point?

Leveraging This Simple Search Engine Optimization Tip

In the interest of supporting our single “don’t forget the user” search engine optimization tip, here are some ideas to keep in mind:

Search Engine Optimization Services Are Fine, But . . .

Be clear upfront and vigilant throughout the process that the quality of your content comes first. Many of these organizations sub-contract work to contractors whose primary language may not be the same as your end user’s.

Establish Logical Site Structure Early

Understand  what logical structures your audience might seek while on your web site. Do you offer products and services, for example? How are those listed separately in different areas of the site? Identifying this early can actually help both discoverability and usability. Layering content on later as an afterthought can produce disastrous results.

Know the “Must Have” Content Your Audience is Seeking

What are the things that your customers and potential customers must get from your site? Keep this in mind throughout any optimization process.

What Actions Do You Want Your Audience To Take After Engaging Content?

Search engine optimization helps get your audience to your site, but then you must engage them. And, ultimately, you want them to do something. What is that? Do your search engine optimization efforts hinder them in any way?

Remember: The user must come first.

Is this a good search engine optimization tip? Disagree? Got a better search engine optimization tip?  

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