SEO Lessons Learned in 2014 (Part 1)

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Some would say they enjoy Internet marketing, specifically SEO because it’s creative and challenging. I enjoy SEO for those reasons, but especially because it is constantly evolving and changing. Every year I learn new things, and SEO requires constant continued education. There’s never a dull moment. As 2014 nears an end, these are a few things I learned this year about search engine optimization and the Internet marketing industry.

Google Changes and Changes, and Changes

When I said previously that I like that SEO is always changing, making the industry exciting and challenging, Google is a large reason for that. Because it’s the largest search engine, we must comply by all the chSEO Lessons Learned in 2014anges it makes, even if Google changes its mind later. Google Authorship, for example, remember when we as professionals touted that Google authorship is important, only for Google to announce later that they have discontinued it. With Google, we must be nimble and be able to eat crow from time to time.

Link Building is Evolving and Not Going Away

Link building has changed and scared people during the past couple of years with ‘don’t’ instructions from Google, and their Penguin updates. Link building isn’t going away. Instead, it is evolving and becoming more about quality links than the number of links you have. Getting the best links that drive traffic, which are relevant, and that help support the website, and the company’s brand seems like a no-brainer when thinking about authentic and honest practices. Quality links that are relevant to the website and the industry are still valuable. Guest posts, partner links, and niche directories still work, but should be used to reach the user and target market, and not to just increase search rankings and placement.

Social Media and SEO Must Work Together

Social media and social listening goes hand in hand with SEO. Social marketing professionals must understand what keywords they need to monitor and respond to. They also need to know what content performs the best in their industry and marketplace, and how their audience responds to it. They need to share the intelligence they gain from the social channels with their content and SEO teams to make sure goals are aligned.

You Must Market Your Content

As in past years, I’ve continued to hear the phrase “content is king”, almost to the point where it’s cliché. This year was different, with a resounding theme that content must have a marketing strategy and plan, beyond the creation of it. Content, no matter how well it is written, must be marketed. Creating good content takes resources, time and money so it behooves us to leverage it as much as we can.

Education Needs to Continue

Even though I’ve been in the SEO world for more than 14 years, I continue to find myself educating clients about the concept and importance of SEO. I have found that business owners and marketers are just starting to learn what it is and the importance of it in their business and marketing plans. I regularly find myself educating people that SEO is about more than link building, creating content and having a marketer dabble on the company’s website. It’s our job as SEO’s to continually educate clients and others in the industry about the elements that make successful SEO programs.

These are just some of the lessons I’ve learned about SEO this year. Watch for another blog post later this month about additional lessons in SEO I’ve learned this year (Part 2). If you find yourself with questions about new SEO methods, or would like your website reviewed, call DoubleDome Digital Marketing for a free analysis and some tips!

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Chris co-founded DoubleDome Digital Marketing, merging his business degree and technical consulting experience with his fondness for all things Internet. Focused on sales & marketing, Chris has led DoubleDome to 20 straight years of profitability. He leads the marketing and sales groups.
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