Search Gets More Complex

As we wrap up 2009, it's good to think about what's coming up in the next, new year. Of course, search engine optimization (SEO) is on everyone's minds. We all want to be found in the search engines. How will search engines change next year? The way I see it, they always have to change. New websites are being launched every few seconds and hundreds of thousands of new pages are added every minute. With this rapid development of online information, the ways it's sorted just naturally has to evolve.

What this means for you and your website is that it may become increasingly more difficult to rank. Your website has to be in tip-top shape and very much look like an authority on the topic. For local search, there's still time to rank pretty well but if you have a national or world wide audience, then you already know that it's not easy to rank.

Here's an interesting article I found:

Four New Signals in Search (searchenginewatch.com)

Search engines constantly look for new signals they can use to improve the quality of the results they provide to users. Ultimately, user satisfaction is a critical component in retaining or increasing their market share, especially over the long term. Let's explore some of these new potential signals and the way search engines evaluate and make decisions to use a new signal.

He talks about page load time, clicks, social media and even how many times something is referenced (that's not a link). This tells me that search engines are striving to be as smart as possible. With more competition out there, websites, like I said, need to be in the best shape they can be. Here are some things that come to mind:

• Does your website use CSS design?
• Are page titles optimized?
• Does your website look good?
• Is there enough unique content on your website?
• Is that unique content real text? (versus images, Flash, etc.)
• Do you have enough links pointing to your website?
• Are you updating your on-site blog? Do you even have a blog??
• Are you using social media like Facebook and Twitter?
• Is your website converting traffic into leads?

You need to look at your competition and do at least twice as better as they are doing. You need to dominate the search engine results for what you or your company does or produces. Anything less and you're not doing enough website marketing.

Speaking of marketing, remember that you first really need a good, solid, offline marketing plan before you go online. Take time to draw up the plans and do marketing research. Your website is only going to be as good as your marketing plan. If your branding or positioning is off, then a new website will only magnify that problem. Don't base your entire success on your website. Business marketing success depends on a well balanced offline and online marketing strategy. For example, if your offline marketing doesn't point to your website, that's a fail.

I like to say that having a website is a lot like having a phone number - just because you have one doesn't mean people will call.

Plan your 2010 marketing now and include in those plans some resources toward your website. Dominate your market and crush your competition. Instead of buying pay-per-click ads, spend that same money on organic search engine optimization, which is long lasting. Blog twice a week. Check your analytics and adapt to the online world.

At Webstix, we'd be glad to talk with you about any questions you have and what we can help with. We can help as little or as much as you want. Sometimes we just do the work of setting the plans and strategy while other times, we're working quite a bit to get a client to rank well. My theory is that you only get out of something what you put into it. Having experts on your side is one way to know what to put into it.

-Tony

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