It seems every year, multiple people claim search engine optimization, or SEO, is dead. Their reasons differ, but they each seem resolute about the demise of SEO.
Fortunately for any business with a website, SEO is far from dead. In fact, as search engines have become more advanced, SEO is far more important now than ever before. Sure, making the most of SEO is different now than it was five or ten years ago (maybe that’s what people are saying when they claim SEO is dead?), but SEO is very much alive and well.
SEO is Not Dead and is More Important Than Ever
Like anything else in technology, SEO has evolved over time, and some of the early tactics used to enhance SEO have been killed off, mostly by the search engines. Actions like linkbacks and keyword farming have been discovered and punished by the likes of Google, Bing, and Yahoo.
Those who claim SEO is dead may be those who had the most to gain from now defunct SEO tactics. That would make sense, considering many businesses that built themselves up as leaders in the SEO industry came crashing down when the rug was pulled out from under them.
But SEO itself isn’t dead, it’s just evolved. In order to do SEO well these days, businesses need to be almost scientific in their approach. Doing so will allow them to successfully improve the strength of their website and improve the bottom line.
True Search Engine Optimization
As long as there are search engines, there will be search engine optimization. How we do SEO has changed, and will continue to change, but the act of optimizing a website to achieve the best search position possible on a search engine will endure forever.
Today, SEO is about optimizing a website’s text, photos, and videos to make it the best possible option for a search query on search engines. Strong SEO is about high-quality content created with research, knowledge, and the best CMS tools currently available.
Does My Business Need SEO?
If there’s one thing the above points have solidified, it’s the importance for companies to continue doing SEO. In fact, it’s more important now than it’s ever been before. There are close to one billion websites worldwide, all fighting for attention from those browsing the World Wide Web. And as marketers have become more skilled at injecting good, strong content into their websites, the competition has only grown, and will continue to grow for the foreseeable future.
So, yes, your business absolutely needs SEO. And not the kind of SEO that comes from a few keywords you throw up on your site in a single afternoon, but the kind of SEO that’s crafted from hours of research and inserted with precision and care.
An Ongoing Practice
These days, it’s not enough to set up a website with powerful SEO and then leave it alone. To compete with the millions of other websites vying for attention, companies need to step up their game and work diligently to maintain the strength of their SEO. This means constantly monitoring the website for necessary changes and adding new, useful content.
Companies need to incorporate videos and blogs into their sites so they have a fresh feed of content spilling into their site on a regular basis. And just like the content in the main website, blog posts these days are only effective when they’re perfectly crafted using the right keywords and messaging.
Get Help With Your SEO
Strengthening your site’s SEO can be daunting, but don’t worry; we’re here to help. As a marketing agency, we have been helping companies with their SEO for over two decades.
We are dedicated to helping our clients make the most of their websites as a marketing tool to build and grow their businesses. Get started by calling us today: 501-372-0393.
