Whether you know it as Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Organic Search or Natural Search Results, it has been an ever present part of the results we get in response to a keyword search on the internet. It also has been under the most scrutiny by the search engine ranking programs (SERPs) over the last few decades, as they work to improve the accuracy of search results.
While there are hundreds of factors that contribute to ranking well for a given search query, the base factor still relies on website content of value to the searcher.
“Back in the day” optimization relied primarily on keyword stuffing and a keyword meta tag. Over time the key element for website optimization morphed to keyword dense content followed by semantic copy.
The underlying goal of the SERPs has always been to understand user intent. As technology and algorithms have matured, so has their ability to try to understand the intent.
At the end of the day, web content needs to provide focused, thorough content, and lots of it. Thus the popularity of blogs on today’s websites.
As if hundreds of ranking factors weren’t enough to work through, websites now have to compete with left side only paid ads, local map listings, video results as well as social media results such as Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.
This is why we started employing a holistic approach to SEO years ago. We believe that search optimization can no longer be an à la carte item, but needs to work in conjunction with all marketing channels. This way we leverage the website’s strengths while complementing our marketing efforts through various other marketing channels.