Central Perk: SEO Secrets, Tips & Tricks – Why it’s Not Worth Your Your Time Graywolf's SEO Blog

miercuri, 21 martie 2012

SEO Secrets, Tips & Tricks – Why it’s Not Worth Your Your Time Graywolf's SEO Blog

SEO Secrets, Tips & Tricks – Why it’s Not Worth Your Your Time

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 10:30 AM PDT

Whenever I go to conference, or at least a dozen times a week by email, I get asked what are some “SEO secrets” or hey what keywords do you rank for, and can you show me some of your websites. Until you have earned my trust I’m really not going to show you anything, I made that mistake and 3 months later saw a “clone” site from that person. It’s not that I’m a stuck up jerk and am not interested in helping people or paying it forward, because really I believe it’s a part of my role in the community. But there’s a difference between someone showing up at my door asking for free food, and someon saying hey can I go fishing with you, so I can learn how to fish for myself.

While I’m not a first generation SEO like Greg, Rae, or Todd, I have been been around a while, asked a lot of (sometimes stupid) questions, experimented and made a lot of small and awesomely catastrophic mistakes along the way, dabbled in the black arts, tried stuff and failed, and that’s how I learned. So much of what goes on today in the SEO comunity isn’t about asking questions, learning and teaching, its about attention whoring, popularity contests and SEO drama. So many people are focussed on finding the secrets for quick and easy ways to set up ATM machines on their front lawn, so they can parade around like peacocks on display having people tell them how fabulously fame rockstars they are, instead of putting in the effort to learn how it works, and what keeps it running, and what do when when something breaks or your whole network gets torched. So when something goes off the rails they are right back where they started, with no knowledge looking for the next “handout” or SEO Secret.

Learning SEO is a lot like hunting. Without learning how stalk your prey, how to hunt ir down, and how to “make that kill” that will feed you and your family, you won’t survive. Instead everyone wants an ATM funded by SEO secrets, but when Google announces they are changing the algorithm specifically targeting SEO sites, your website built on tricks without knowing what you where doing, and why you were doing it, is likely to be direct target or caught in the crossfire. However if your website has strong technical platform, with good information architecture practices, good or better quality content that exists for the users benefit and not a wrapper for Adsense, combined with a solid social media and real world marketing plan and strategy, you are lot more resistant to these fluctuations. Content my be king, but if your tech foundation is so bad search engines can’t understand it (looks squarely at you ajax and flash developers), and your information architecture is so crazy and convoluted search engines cant make heads or tails of it, and you don’t market on the proper channels where your customers are to get it in front of people (not just the new hot social media channel of the techno weenies are talking about like your Pinterest page for whole life insurance), the best content lies trapped under lock and key where no one but you can see it. It’s the combination of all the pieces working together, content, information architecture and good marketing & promotion that’s where success is, not in the elusive secret you are looking for to avoid one or more of those the steps.

Instead of focusing on ferreting out SEO secrets concentrate on learning the fundamentals, like choosing the right url structure. Learn how to silo your website, create evergreen content, and seasonal content. Learn when you need to pay for premium content. Learn how to market with social media, how to automate it to get more ROI for your time. Learn how to develop and and when to email to your list. Learn how to build trust through links. Learn how to audit your content regularly, learn to keep your website lean, mean and up to date. Learn to trim the fat that useless parts of your website that don’t help you or your customers, and you’ll find you don’t need to spend so much time looking for shortcuts, secrets, and tips … and less time worrying about algorithm changes. SEO drama my be a fun distraction, give you your 15 minutes of fame, but unless it’s adding to your bottom line, it’s not helping you, it’s a distraction.

photo credit: Shutterstock/Willyam Bradberry

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This post originally came from Michael Gray who is an SEO Consultant. Be sure not to miss the Thesis Wordpress Theme review.

SEO Secrets, Tips & Tricks – Why it’s Not Worth Your Your Time