So what do In case you haven’t heard, there’s big news in the world of SEO. Google has updated its algorithms so that keyword density plays a much more minor role in search results than it used to. In fact, using keywords more than a couple of times apiece will get your site penalized and make your content rank lower in the results, rather than higher.
What does this mean? It means the end of black hat SEO. The practice of surreptitiously stuffing a site with out-of-context keywords to boost its popularity artificially is no longer effective. Instead, the winners of the battle for search supremacy are the ones with the best content.
The problem with black hat SEO is that, though it can drive people to your site, it’s always been less effective at helping sales. Say someone searches for “air conditioning repair tips.” They click on the top result, and it’s just a page that says, “air conditioning repair tips” over and over again. So the site has another visitor, but then what? They weren’t looking for the words “air conditioning repair” over and over. They were looking for actual tips about air conditioning repair. If they don’t find that, they’ll leave the site and try the next one instead.
The best way not only to drive people to your site, but to turn them into real, usable leads, has always been to offer them the content that they’re looking for. If you run an air conditioning company, post a blog that lists those repair tips: simple fixes for minor problem that your audience can implement on their own. Then, when they need to hire a professional for more extensive repair work, you’ll be the company that they immediately think of.
That’s just one example. In any business, providing people with the information they’re looking for is the most effective way of not only bringing people to your site, but keeping them there and turning them into a sale.
The other major part of Google’s search algorithms hasn’t changed: it still responds favorably to recent activity on your site. So the way to keep your site at the top of the search results isn’t to pack it with keywords, but to keep your content fresh. Posting blogs a few times a week will help your site remain active, thus increasing its visibility on Google.
Black hat SEO tactics may have seemed tempting to some, at first glance. They provide quick and easy ways of getting people to your site without all that effort. But Google’s new policies are proof that cheaters never prosper. Now we can all sing together…
Black hat’s got run over by good content
In a Google Search on Christmas Eve
You can say there’s no real point to blogging
But as for me—I believe.