SEO Story

The very basic elements of search engine optimization are practically the same as what we saw in yesteryears. The optimization of the meta title tag, description tag, (the on-page and the off-page factors), creating SEO-friendly content and the like. These are still currently relevant.

But, in general, SEO has evolved from what it used to be. Some gurus say it has become difficult. Basically, gaming the search engines has become difficult. These days, you must appeal to your target audience first before you start appealing to search engines. This is because, search engines today are becoming more intelligent, more human. Their algorithms can now easily detect spammy content and malicious SEO practices.

The most important tip for SEO in 2016 is to focus on your audience. In the past it was about marketers trying to promote content to the top of Google, ethically or unethically, whereas today it’s about delivering what your audience actually want to see.

Keywords have changed into long phrases

SEO practitioners were so obsessed with exact-matched keywords in the past. But, these days, the norm has shifted to long-tailed ones.

Today, we are optimizing longer search terms or the most popularly known as the long-tail keywords, the ones that define the intent of the user.

Long-Tail Keywords: A Better Way to Connect with Customers

“Long-tail keywords are longer and more specific keyword phrases that visitors are more likely to use when they’re closer to a point-of-purchase. They’re a little bit counterintuitive, at first, but they can be hugely valuable if you know how to use them.

Example: if you’re a company that sells classic furniture, the chances are that your pages are never going to appear near the top of an organic search for “furniture” because there’s too much competition (this is particularly true if you’re a smaller company or a startup). But if you specialize in, say, contemporary art-deco furniture, then keywords like “contemporary Art Deco-influenced semi-circle lounge” are going to reliably find those consumers looking for exactly that product.

Managing long-tail keywords is simply a matter of establishing better lines of communication between your business and the customers who are already out there, actively shopping for what you provide.”

2016 SEO tips:

1. Keyword research is still very important
2. On Page Optimization is still vital in making a website crawlable and indexable
3. Site-wide SEO is still important

Internal links: The number of internal links on high-ranking pages has increased since 2014. According to the report authors, the number of links you include in your content isn’t as important as optimizing your overall link structure: “What counts is not the total number of internal links, but rather the optimization of the internal structure and page information so that the user (and also the search engine) is optimally guided through the provider’s content and to ensure that the user stays on the page and is satisfied.”

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