Every now and then you’ll read something about SEO being dead, or irrelevant, or not important. When you read that you should automatically be suspicious of the person writing it. SEO is not dead, and never will be dead if there is content online and people want to find it. It’s just going to change and evolve over time as the tools change.
SEO Is More Than Keywords and Links
One thing to always remember is that there is so much more to SEO than just keywords or links. SEO involves a combination of many factors. Think about the words that make up the abbreviation SEO — “search engine optimization”. That means that no matter what happens, SEO will always be a thing because it’s all about optimizing search so that search engines find your content and deliver it to your audience.
Search Engines Don’t Serve You
Another thing to remember is that search engines don’t serve you. They serve their customers. Their customers want to consume content that is accurate, informative, and valuable to them about the topics they are searching to find. They don’t want to read anything that seems like a sales pitch, or worse – that they think is spam.
SEO Is also about Building a Strong Brand
When you have a strong brand, you know your voice and you can build strong content around that brand voice that gets attention. Your brand can imply many aspects that you want your audience to think about when they think of your products and/or services. The words you use, the types of content you publish, the images you use to convey your message, and everything, all go together to form your brand in the mind of your audience. It’s all important.
The Way You Lay Out Your Site Matters
Search engine optimization includes how you lay out your website. The navigation is very important for SEO because it informs the search engine how to index your website. Plus, it affects how people who visit your site get around or stick around. If it’s hard to understand, they’ll bounce off.
How Fast Your Site Loads
The way your website is built also affects SEO. If it has clunky code, it may load slowly which can cause your audience to leave the website. It can also cause search engines to leave the website if it doesn’t load quickly enough.
Whether Your Site Is Responsive or Not
Today, if your site doesn’t work just as well on mobile devices, you’re downranked in search results. The main reason is that most people today look at websites on their mobile devices. This is another example of search engines seeking to deliver the best content to their audience.
So, the short answer is yes – SEO is important. Both on-page and off-page SEO play a role in how well your website is found and received. If you really want to have a website that delivers value to your audience, pay close attention to search engine optimization trends today and in the future.
