Google algorithm is constantly changing and in recent years there have been some huge changes to how it works. SEO used to be very easy, and for some it still is. However, it has become much more complex and difficult to succeed in for the smaller websites and businesses that are looking to rank. Google now takes many more factors into consideration when ranking your website and some of these are difficult to compete with when you have larger companies and more established websites ahead of you. So, to maximize your results it is essential that you at least make sure that you present yourself with exactly what Google wants to see in a website in the present time.
Content—Quality and Informative
If you have an informative website, then you likely attract organic viewers to some of your articles due to relevant inquiries into the search engine. Someone is usually looking for an answer to a question that they have. What Google is trying to do is eliminate the websites that do not provide an actual answer to those questions or are not fact-based. Google weighs content with resources, long answers, relevant LSI keywords, and social strength. For instance, a news report on a celebrity’s death may not pick up much-ranking results without any social signals as it is something that is expected to be very viral. On-page SEO is no longer sufficient effort to rank well in Google.
No more copied or poorly-rewritten content. Quality is everything. You want a well-written article that is completely comprehensive and grabs the reader’s attention. The amount of time that they stay on the page is important in your SERP. If they see the article and immediately leave, then you definitely have a problem. You can use images, charts, resources, font, color, different sizes, and much more to all make the article more professional, authoritative, and visually appealing to readers. Also, make sure that it is relevant and provides the visitor with an actual answer to their question.
Social Signals—Off-site SEO
Previously, most of your efforts were focused on on-page SEO and link building. However, you now have to make more of an effort than that. Increasing your social signals is one example of something that should be done to live up to the standards of SEO for Google in 2012. You want to build a strong social network for your website and try to make it viral. Social networks like Twitter rank very well and have strong social signals. If a bunch of people are talking about an article on your website, then it will definitely help you rank that article well in Google.
Negative SEO—What to Avoid
Negative SEO is a blackhat method that some service providers offer. It consists of doing bad SEO work to your competitors to help you rank better than them. It may even happen that you are the victim. Its generally not good practice, but the negative SEO techniques may be considered as stuff that should be avoided by all means. Changes in webmaster controls with Google indexing have allowed for manual backlink removal, which is one example of a way to eliminate negative SEO effects. It would be a good idea to start tracking your links and grooming your website’s presence according to link value so that it is perceived as authoritative and rank-worthy as possible.
These are just a few examples of SEO methods and approaches that are of utmost importance with the current Google algorithm. It is suggested that you get a better understanding on what Google values the most right now. You should also keep up with any algorithm changes as keeping up with them will make all the difference in your long-term ranking results. In closing, Google algorithm in 2012 has made interactivity, quality content, and authoritativeness of extreme importance, so your SEO work should be done in accordance to that.