What Actually is SEO Today?
Search engines reward content that directly answers a search query (and little else)
Search Engine Optimization is a familiar acronym that many businesses ask for but few understand.
In its simplest form, SEO is creating content on the web that search engines are likely to recommend.
The best SEO we can do today is 1) answer questions with well-presented, focused content, and 2) get credible, relevant sites to link to it. People are looking for an answer, so search engines reward the best answers.
In the past, search engines weren’t smart enough to find the best answers across the unstructured internet, so they over-relied on keywords and other website tags for clues. Obviously, businesses found ways to cheat.
Today, search engines are smart and much harder (impossible?) to cheat.
As time goes on and search engines get even better at context, language interpretation, and intent, the algorithm stuff will be unimportant to the average business.
The only thing that will matter? Organized, quality content.
Search engines will find it everywhere, understand it, and serve it up. Here’s my take on SEO today. While there are less tricks and tactics than before, there’s…
