5 Sustainable SEO Tips: How to remain relevant

As we mentioned in previous posts, the rules of SEO have change in recent times, long gone are the days when you would rank high for spamming back links and stuffing keywords. To stay relevant and on top pages of search engines you need to step up to the game. here are five tips to help you build organic traffic.

1. Create relevant content.

Yes, your business offers an amazing service or you're an expert at something. Good. Unfortunately, this fact won't bring up your search rankings unless you use the right words to tell your story. What are the best words? Well, the simplest first step is to think like one of your prospects. How would somebody that is not in your business describe your business? Each sector has its 'keywords' and jargon and Google definitely knows that. Most likely, these are words that people put into its search engine. Use these on your home page; but remember to use them sparingly. Don't stuff keywords into every sentences of every article.concise statements of what you do and the benefits of your product or service. Good rule of thumb: 3%-5% density ratio of content to keywords. Google can sense when you are stuffing your articles, and punish you with lower rankings just as easily as rewarding you. big G loves fresh, unique and conscious content.

2. Appropriate titles and labeling.

Properly labeling your online content is one of the easiest ways to rank well for your targeted terms. for instance, say you're a plastic surgeon and one of your keyword phrases is "jobs in kenya." When you write a blog, press release or article on one of the benefits of undergoing a procedure for rhinoplasty - or on a topic that is directly related to similar procedures, work "rhinoplasty" into your title, headline and first paragraph. Fairly simple, yes - I get it. But, sometimes the tendency is to write cute titles that you think might get people's attention. You're definitely not trying to get their attention, you're basically trying to get Google to listen as you shout your message.

3. Develop a robust social media presence.

Social media is the vehicle, SEO is the driver. especially today, Google's search algorithms prioritize tweets and other social media updates over other forms of new information. Why? Because there are over 1 BILLION people on Facebook and half a BILLION people on Twitter, more than 300 MILLION people on LinkedIn, and this list keeps growing. And they share worthwhile content 100s of 1000s of times every day. That is, why. Again, you're trying to shout information out but Google wants to make sure that the largest number of people is listening - and if you use accepted online platforms, you will be rewarded.

4. Build your thought-leadership position.

In the world of academia there is an old saying: Publish or Perish. If you're basically going to teach a subject, institutions will always want to ensure that you reflect the thought-leadership role of your employer, by being one yourself. The online concepts of reputation are following suit.

Conversations - answering questions in a 'comment's' thread is a perfect opportunity to showcase your expertise. Most magazines ,blogs, news and social sites welcome, normally invite, actually, participation from their users. Offer to contribute an article or blog post explaining something related to the service you offer; or product you are selling. Major caveat: make sure that your commentary, answers, opinions are authentic and helpful. So, sit down and find sites that you think your prospects might be using. Think secondary, even tertiary interests and likes. What  their hobbies are, areas of interest outside of your product or service? Find a website that deals with that and get busy.

5. Create outside links to your site.

Not only can contributing to other sites help generate awareness about your personal and company brands; it's also an effective way to get high quality links back to your site. This is called "inbound linking." If you do this right and people like what you write, this will establish you as an industry expert and your social following will grow accordingly. Good content will breed outside links. Other examples that breed links: Free resources, white paper downloads, informative videos act. People normally appreciate what you are doing/saying and link back to your site because you are contributing value. Google will appreciate value and your rankings will slowly improve.

So there you have it, a basic primer for creating organic SEO. It takes a bit of some work, brain power and continuity. The results of your organic SEO efforts may take time and you need to be patient. And, once people get to your website, they still need to do what you wanted them to do: buy, register, subscribe, etc. This is why your site design and organic SEO building go hand in hand. They are not autonomous functions; they require expertise and awareness of intent from the information architecture phase forward. Make sure that during your research period, you get a clear understanding from your future agency that they understand the bigger picture, its not just bits and pieces. Your business' success depends on it.