Essential for Ranking, Not an All-in-One Solution

While SEO is an essential component of online success, it is NOT the be-all, end-all solution to all of the problems you may be facing as an online business. Most marketers know just enough about SEO to know that it is important, however many think that if they could somehow get it just right in terms of on-page and off-page search engine optimization, they’d have it made. If you believe that good SEO will solve your problems, send your website to the first page in the search results and let you lay back on the couch eating bon-bons while the cash rolls in, think again.

Incorrectly applying SEO tactics can be just as detrimental (if not more so) than helpful in your efforts to become more visible online. When you know a little, but not enough to effectively implement all of the aspects of SEO, its sometimes best to let a professional take care of this area of marketing. Even then, you cannot expect stellar results simply because you have applied search engine optimization techniques. Too many people believe that once they have all of the pieces in place in terms of SEO, they can go look at their stats and see that hundreds of targeted visitors have flocked to their door. It just doesn’t work that way.

So, what does it take to rise to the top of the competition? A combination of things. To enjoy high Google rankings, the most important factors are (indeed) effective SEO practices and valuable, original content. You’ve no doubt heard the phrase content is king. That has been true since the inception of the internet, and it is still true today. Content is everything, but your content must be original, informative and valuable to the reader. Combine that with effective SEO techniques, and you’ll see that over time, you enjoy far more success.

Great content keeps your visitor on your site longer and visits length is one statistic that search engines (particularly) Google analyze closely today. These stats are now used in ranking websites because Google is now focusing more on user experience, rather than websites that are overly SEOed or optimized. Simply put, Google is favoring sites that are original and offer value to the visitor, not websites that are simply a collection of re-hashed material found on every other website in a particular niche or industry.

Yes, good SEO is still essential for increased ranking, but it certainly isn’t the whole enchilada, so to speak. If all of the important SEO tactics were properly implemented for every website, the ranking would be meaningless, wouldn’t it? Use legitimate, white hat SEO techniques in combination with killer content that is fresh and updated frequently, and you will see your ranking soar. Don’t expect SEO on its own to deliver the results you’re looking for in terms of a first page or #1 ranking; you may be sorely disappointed if you do.