SEO is a constantly moving target. Once you think you have a strategy that is guaranteed to work, the search engines change the rules. The past year has been a tumultuous one for internet marketers and SEO experts. Some of the preferred, aggressive SEO tactics have become ineffective—or harmful—in this last round of updates. Site owners and managers are left scratching their heads and wondering, “What still works?”
The same things work that have always worked. Tricks and strategies to gain a brief competitive advantage come and go, but tried and true SEO techniques always pay dividends. That’s not to say you should not look for ways to exploit the algorithm, but whatever you do will be more effective if you have a base of tried and true SEO techniques.
SEO is a Long-Tail Keyword Game
There was a time not too long ago when SEO experts were obsessed with chasing those tough keywords like personal finance, weight loss, and free iPhone. These were the great white sharks of the SEO world, but SEO experts soon realized that the conversion rate for these generic and hard-to-rank-for keywords was not good at all. It was a waste of money and resources to chase after these when long-tail keywords were easier to rank for organically and boasted a better conversion rate.
The same holds true today. Long-tail keywords still have a higher conversion rate than shorter keywords, and head-term searches are down 8-percent in the last year. Searchers are becoming more sophisticated and using more words in their queries.
Long-tail keywords are your target, but how do you hit your target more often than not?
The Importance of Infographics
Infographics are a powerful that many SEO experts have been using for years to boost their sites in the SERPs. Infographics are a visual way to convey data to your readers, and they are often accompanied by an explanatory paragraph that contains the target long-tail keyword. Also, they often contain a host of internal links back to other pages within the site.
Infographics are not new. They are no longer cutting edge or trendy, but they still work. There are a few guidelines you should follow when creating your own infographics.
- Choose a Unique Topic-As mentioned, infographics are not trendy as a medium, but the data they convey can still be cutting edge. Make sure you are picking a topic that is unique and interesting.
- Make Sure Your Topic Benefits Your Readers-Benefits go beyond mere information. Informative infographics are all well and good. They will help you, but the best use of an infographic is as a way to teach your readers a new skill or show them a new way to do an old thing.
- Use Stats and More Stats- Stats are the meat of your infographic. Use as many as you can, but do not let your infographic become too long and the message become diluted. Ideally, five to seven points should be included in every infographic you make.
- Make it Eye Catching- Infographics are not new. Today, they need to be well-designed, appealing, and eye catching to meet your goals. If design is not your specialty, you should consider outsourcing rather than wasting your time on a graphic that no one will look at.
Content Is Still King
Regardless of pretty graphics, an easy-to-use interface, and cutting-edge SEO, the content of your site is what keeps people coming back, linking to, and sharing to your site. In-depth content will be the driving force on your site. Yes, it is necessary to post regularly, but make sure that you supplement those frequent, less-detailed posts with in-depth content. This in-depth content will be the driving force of your site.
It is important that you maintain this quality content by sharing and promoting it using social media. This content is what makes your site stand apart from all the rest. Make sure the world knows about it.
Be a Good Guest
Guest posting on reputable blogs with a high PR has always been a winning strategy, and it still is today. Most of the time, securing a guest posting spot is as simple as asking for one. Once you guest post on one reputable blog, it becomes that much easier to gain ingress to other, even higher rated blogs.
When guest posting, make sure you are being a good guest. Provide you hosts with on-time, high-quality content. They will be more likely to ask you back.
SEO does not have to be complicated. You can drive yourself crazy checking your rankings and searching for an edge. Stop. Turn you focus towards building killer content and guest posting to earn authority links back to your internal pages. Your traffic will go up, and you will begin to rank for those important long-tail keywords that lead to conversions. It’s a guarantee.
Author
Gerrid Smith is the CEO and founder of SmithSEO – a law firm Internet Marketing company based in Sarasota, FL. Gerrid enjoys spending his free time outdoors hiking, fishing and camping.