SEO: A hyperbole distraction.
If you’re working in the digital space and anything like me, your morning probably starts by tapping open your LinkedIn app — not for anything in specific, but for everything relevant. What’s currently trending? Is there more for me to keep up with today?
After having read one too many articles (trending on LinkedIn) detailing the difference and links between SEO, Content, and the massive DumpsterFire that the industry is, I felt the need to put things in perspective. Q1 of 2016 is coming to an end, and SEO is dead… again. For real this time.
As Google rolled out it’s latest updates (Hummingbird, Panda tweak, Penguin tweak, EMD, Payday, Pirate, etc), a whole class of marketer wandered shell-shocked across the battlefield. All of the SEO skullduggery that had made them relevant had been wiped away.
And then being marketers, they began once again making up acronyms to justify their existence to their clients. Content — bonafide content, whatever that word means ! — is as hot as ever.
The reality is, SEO is incredibly basic. Does it still require a strategy? Yes, it does — but it does not necessarily warrant the hire of an “SEO consultant” or agencies that focus solely on SEO. There is an entire industry within the broad and ever-changing “Digital Marketing & Advertising” industry — and for the most part… it’s scammy.
Also? Gross!
So what am I on about? Why are you reading this? How is this going to benefit you? Here’s what works, as of today:
- Constantly produce content that can’t be found elsewhere. Leverage your tone of voice — no one does you better than you.
2. Wordpress. Wordpress. Wordpress. (Or Meduim.) The default options itself are ideal, and it has a lot of plugins which you can leverage according to your needs. If you’re just starting out, do check this out: https://wordpress.org/plugins/
3. Use clever, descriptive titles. Single words and Colons (:) are currently trending (make sure to re-check before publishing though, you never know with these trends!
4. In picture posts, make sure the taglines and pictures are in sync! Kind of hard to expound on. Insert your own clever follow-up line here.
Search Engines, and by that I mean Google, is and may always will be our go-to to get the information we need. However, with the decrease in tolerance and inability to deal with all the sponsored content out there, it is vital for those businesses who relied purely on SEO to keep up with the trend. All anyone wants out of an internet minute is something that they can resonate with. Focus on quality content and articulation, and you’re all good!
