By Jim Clanin
Last week I blogged about some of the lessons I learned about SEO in 2014, which included Google’s many changes, how link building is constantly evolving, the necessity for SEO and Social Media to work together, the importance or marketing good content, and the continued need to educate clients and non-SEO’s about what SEO really is. That’s not all I learned about SEO this year. Here’s some more lessons that many of my readers can relate to.
Mobile, Mobile, Mobile
It seems the theme this year, and in years past is that the future of SEO, Web Design and E-commerce mobile. Well, we’re not talking about it in the future tense anymore. Mobile arrived in 2014, and you guessed it, it’s going to continue to grow. Mobile search is here, and it has been all year. We are searching on our mobile devices more than we are our non-mobile devices. That being said, going forward SEO’s must be talking with their clients about mobile SEO, in addition to non-mobile SEO.
Facebook Wants You to Pay
Do you remember the days when there were organic and promotional posts and headlines on Facebook? Those days have been replaced with regular updates from Facebook reducing nearly all of the free marketing tools a small business could use, pushing marketers towards paying for promotion and ad space. Behind the guise of saying that Facebook is trying to cater to its users, I must disagree with this logic as my Facebook feed is filled with more advertising than ever. I also see less of the content and posts that I would like to see from the pages of companies I like and follow.
That being said; we know now that we have to work extra hard and be even more creative to engage an audience or we simply have to pay to play. This is unfortunate for the small businesses with limited resources that once used Facebook as their primary, inexpensive or free marketing platform.
SEOs Have the Best Resources
From time to time, I hear that SEO’s are secretive with their industry knowledge, and it’s hard to learn from them because they keep their strategies close and aren’t sharing like they used to. I laugh when I hear this because unlike many industries; we wear our knowledge on our sleeves, in our blogs, in chat rooms, in content we author regularly, and everywhere we can publish it. I have yet to found it difficult to find someone who has written about something I want to know about.
Because SEO’s are so focused on sharing client content and marketing themselves, to be an expert in our field we must share our knowledge! Just check out my blog, for example, I blog about SEO tips and advice every month! But my blog isn’t the only one to learn from, there are more than a dozen that I read regularly, including Marketing Land / Search Engine Land / SEO Theory to name a few.
SEO Team Members are Hard to Find
It turns out; a good SEO is as popular and wanted as a Kardashian these days! We are a hot commodity right now. Everyone wants an SEO that can fit their company culture, work well with their clientele, and have the same or similar goals and needs as the rest of the team.
Finding qualified SEO team members that fit well with your team is difficult, because apparently all company’s looking for SEO’s want the same thing! We’ve been fortunate that we’ve been able to build a great team, but it takes work to find the right individuals that will complement the company, culture, and other team members.
While these are not the only SEO lessons I learned in 2014, they are near the top for me. Some lessons were easy to learn, and some were frustrating. However, the constant change in the industry, regular updates I need to be aware of, and the exciting changes that keep coming are what makes my profession exciting. If you want to chat about your lessons learned in SEO this year give me a ring at DoubleDome, or send me an email. I really do like this stuff!
