The Continued Importance of SEO Today

2856173673_98ab05e317_zAs Google continues to improve their search algorithms the quality of the results presented to users also continues to improve. More than ever the importance of factors external to the website in question are essential to SEO success. These external factors range from an effective and well conducted social media presence to the number of positive reviews the site has received on other websites. There is of course several things business owners can do to influence these things and to therefore improve the standing of their website on the search engines. As this concept of all-round quality has grown, some have questioned the role of an SEO expert within an organisation. It has become apparent that through high quality content, exceptional customer service and a strong social media presence, a business can see its website flourish in the search results with little regards to SEO as a separate entity. However, there are still several things that an SEO expert can contribute to the overall success of any website.

First of all, the importance of link building continues to thrive and an SEO expert is always going to understand this more than most. As best practices have changed over the years, so has the way that Google determines the value of in-bound links to a site. However, that doesn’t mean that website owners should stop trying to gain high-quality, relevant links to their site. Also, with the assistance of an SEO expert, you’ll be able to understand which of these links are working for you and which you should perhaps look to have removed in order to stay ahead of the game.

If your company website doesn’t have a blog then you’re going to miss out on a great deal of potential traffic. It is always advisable to write the content for this blog with best SEO practices in mind. For example, optimising content for specific key words can go a long way to helping you get noticed. Keyword optimisation has changed over the past few years and is now more about natural content rather than manipulating your article. However, understanding this and how Google reads your blog will help you to make the most of this concept.

Gaining exposure for events that your company is holding is also a practice that SEO expertise can be beneficial for. Gaining a large amount of traffic to the relevant website and social media channels is an amazing way to get your event noticed. Increasing organic traffic is one of the main jobs of an SEO professional and by trusting their opinions on how to do so, you won’t miss out on potential attendees.

Ensuring that your company retains a positive brand image is something that is practically impossible to do on your own. Only through proper threat management and reputation monitoring can you truly be aware of what the world at large thinks about your business. SEO and reputation management are two very interlinked concepts and with a strong knowledge of the search engine algorithm, an expert of this kind will be able to help promote your brand image in the best possible way.

It’s easy to see from just these few examples that the presence of an SEO professional, be it in house or through an agency, is still essential for any business. It is all down to your intentions, your budget and your aims as to how much resources you allocate to this concept but ignoring it altogether will soon leave you trailing behind!

By Alix Jones