In the early 1990s, the dark ages of the Internet, the search engine was a challenge for webmasters, and they often played tricks and devised deceptions to fool it into believing the sites they built were deserving of top rankings. Frequently these tactics brought them top rankings, but the results were far from accurate.
Today everything is different, and every Webmaster must deal with Google’s constantly changing algorithms. Poor quality content and subversive linking methods are part of the driving force behind Google’s “clean up the rankings” mission. Former practices, such as meta tag stuffing, invisible text, high keyword density, and hidden tags will antagonize the Google gods and a site’s rankings can plummet overnight. Businesses need to be sure that the company website evolves at the same rate as SEO does and that no remnants of the former era remain.
According to Matt Cutts, head of Google’s Webspam team, “You shouldn’t spend any time on the meta “keywords” tag.” He also has stated that neither Google nor any other prominent search engines continue to use the “keywords” meta tag.
The “meta” description tag, however, is still important and can provide a quality snippet for Google. Write a compelling and informative description that will draw readers and result in more “clickthroughs” and possible conversions. Google frowns on exaggeration, so be sure your tag provides an accurate description of your website.
Other important meta tags that are still valid in Google’s eyes include the meta “robots” tag, meta “content-type” tag, and the meta ‘’notranslate” tag. There are other meta tags you may wish to use on your website, but if Google doesn’t recognize the tags, they will be ignored.
Just How Important Is Content?
If you do nothing else to your website, update and improve your content. Sloppy grammar and spelling, text with no value, keyword-loaded sentences, and bulky, slow-loading graphics can mean death to your ranking. Provide substance in your content. Give the visitors to your website valuable and useable information that will keep them on your site and bring them back.
The type of information that Google considers to be of value is information that is valuable and instructive. If your business sells an automotive product to the general public, having content for your website explaining the product, how it works, and how the customer can be successful using it is valuable, informative, and instructive. Google likes this type of content. If, however, your content is nothing more than a couple of keywords stuck in front of every model of car in existence and then placed in a long list, Google will not consider it valuable.
Is A Blog An Asset?
A blog can be a tremendous asset, provided it is well written and the content offers accurate information related to the topic of your website. Every business wants return visitors, and a regularly updated and informative blog can contribute immensely to reaching that goal. Offer your readers some inside information on your products or services. Introduce the various departments of your company and the employees who take care of customers. Add a photo of a new product, employees working, or a service being performed. Images add interest and color to your blog and enhance the visitor’s experience. The more quality content you give your visitors, the happier Google is with your website.
Mobil “ize”
Everything is going mobile and your website needs to as well. With so many people using their smartphones for browsing and social media, your website must be mobile friendly. Responsive web design (RWD) is the term coined to define websites with content that is easily accessible to smartphones. To find out how your site looks on the typical phone, tablet, or other mobile device, simply type in your URL on the device and see how it appears. Most sites will look completely different on the smartphone, but they should look the same. If your site does not “respond” properly on mobile devices, it needs to be updated. Google is already including RWD in its ranking results and will continue to do so as mobile technology plays a greater part in Internet visits.
SEO isn’t going away, but like everything else in this world, it will keep changing as Google seeks to even the playing field for the small business owner unable to hire an SEO expert. Whether you are a large corporation or a tiny mom and pop business, you can have the same opportunities online if you offer your website visitors a quality experience.