Let’s talk about SEO – Search Engine Optimization (or, how to get found on Google)! This entry is a bit long but packed with information. Just a heads up you might want to give yourself a few minutes to read through it!
What a lot of people don’t realize (understandably) is that poor SEO doesn’t just mean being missed by Google; it can create long-lasting repercussions. Yes… Google can actually punish the hacky, unethical Black Hat SEO tactics and unlike most punishments; you may not even realize it.
When Cevado provides a service, we do it well. We work ethically and take the time to understand the complexities of making your site better and getting it seen more often.
Not everyone does this….and that’s the difference between White Hat and Black Hat SEO.
For folks who don’t know what we are talking about in regards to hats, here’s the breakdown: The term “White Hat” means high-quality, content-focused, above-board SEO work that helps a site rank higherin Google’s algorithms. The term “Black Hat” equates to “tricks” that people use to unethically boost their rankings. Google is constantly updating their methods to sniff out these tactics and lower the rankings of t
hose sites. Examples of such tactics include embedding spammy links, stuffing an overabundance of keywords into tags, as well as other measures to trick Google rather than actually having content worth clicking on.
In the “Early Days” of SEO, the quality of the site wasn’t very important. Keyword stuffing was a regular thing and grammar and syntax didn’t matter.
But Google is clear that its goal is to provide users with quality before quantity. These evolved search algorithms are actively dropping the rankings of any site with the old, Black Hat SEO tricks.
So how can you boost your SEO naturally?
- It is important to review your content and make sure it is unique (not copied from elsewhere on the internet), flows naturally, and uses correct grammar and syntax.
- Keywords (the words that are tagged for Google searches) are important, but using them successfully does not mean dropping a clump of them on a blog post and walking away. The best way to use keywords is to do so with intention. Make your keywords specific and apply them tactfully and you’ll begin getting clicks from people who really want to look at your website.
- Check your backlinks. Backlinks are hyperlinks on other websites that send users to your website, like sharing a blog from your site to Facebook where folks can be sent to your page. Having backlinks with reputable web sites creates a measure of inferred credibility that Google can trust. Make sure that your backlinks live on trustworthy sites. If they don’t simply contact the website’s webmaster and request they be removed.
Unless you can spend $55 million in Google ads, there really is no substitute for quality work.
If you find yourself overwhelmed and need a hand, give us a shout, our SEO team is standing by, ready to help!
