SEO Changes with Google

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is always evolving and always changing. Why? Mostly because as technology advances, people’s behaviors change. SEO companies are in a unique position to monitor the changes in search as well as the changes in user behavior.

Search engines, such as Google, will periodically present new ideas and let us know how they have updated searches and rankings. They will hypothesize about the future and fine tune the results that you get when you search for information on their site. Google has been especially successful in giving users useful and relevant search results. They have been an industry leader and they establish new search standards all the time.

All of these changes are exciting and overall really improve the user experience. If you are a small or local business, you may have previously had almost no interest in coming up on the first page of Google results, because it just seemed impossible. Advancements in search have made it possible for smaller companies to be found by users that would benefit from finding them. The search advancements have forced companies to keep up with the times by getting involved in providing useful information to the public.

All of these things trickle down to the business owner. You have to be responsible enough in your advertising to make sure that you are being recommended by real people, providing current and useful information on a blog and not just spamming your name around social sites until everyone is annoyed by you. Advertising has made it to a whole new level. I don’t even own a phone book anymore. I fast forward through commercials on TV. I change the radio station if I feel an ad coming on. So how do you advertise?

You have got to go to where people are looking. The internet is more widely used to find businesses than any other medium. So, should you just have ads pop up in people’s faces all the time? No. That is annoying and companies that use pop-ups like that will turn me against them faster than I can click that little X. You really have to work with the people. Let them know what you offer and that it is of value. Provide information about areas related to your industry. You can provide a link so that after I read it and I’m interested, I can find your site and check it out. But, if something starts to sound like sales copy, then I automatically think that the article is an ad and may be full of biased information.

SEO companies that keep up with these changes will go about your optimization in an almost delicate manner. The campaign that is right for your company will be different from other companies. Everyone’s needs are different and there is never a one-size-fits-all strategy. You may have to be patient for the results, but the results will be real. Organic SEO uses the right strategy at the right time to help the search engines find you and rank you based on their current standards. So, don’t waste your money on anything else. Go to where the people are and find the right SEO company for your business needs.


About the Author: Stacy Pessoney is a Project Manager for ArteWorks SEO, one of the top search engine marketing companies in the world. A graduate of the University of Alabama, she implements and manages comprehensive SEO strategies and serve as an organizational liaison among company executives, clients and colleagues.

SEO for 2009

Search engines have really been leaning towards localizing their rankings and considering social media to make each user's experience a more personal one. This basically means that you may not see the same results as someone else for many searches, depending on your location. You can also depend on user feedback driven results in the rankings.

Something else to expect for 2009 is the emergence of other media such as mobile, video, podcasts and images. Is your site ready to rank?

SEO is a constantly evolving industry in which SEO professionals are forced to keep up with the marketing demands of the search engines. SEO’s are no longer simply optimizing a web page for a certain phrase. They are now moving into more specific areas such as videos, blogs, mobile media and images. This makes SEO companies valuable assets to those who utilize their services, ensuring that their web sites can keep up with the changing rank criteria.

These changes are turning SEO firms into web marketing providers. SEO companies are really trying to create a reputation for your site online. Building this reputation with actual users is going to help you come up higher in the universal rankings, and more importantly, come up more often with localized individuals that may actually benefit from visiting your site. These types of results not only give you high visibility, but also place you where you need to be to popularize your site for social media efforts.

Organic SEO firms have always been interested in building your online reputation, seeking long-term results and staying away from underhanded methods just to get a quick ranking boost. Now that the search engines have evolved, the organic method of SEO is really paying off. Search engines are giving results based on your outreach, your popularity and the quality of the information that you are providing.
Building your reputation as an expert in your field with all types of users can take some time. Mobile marketing, informative video, podcasts, imaging and social blogging are soon to be basic categories of SEO. Many of us have already been utilizing or venturing into these areas in anticipation of these changes. Companies that are in on the ground floor of such progressions are going to have a better stronghold on their field of competitors, making SEO a more important facet in your web marketing plan than ever before.

Real results can take time so getting started early is your best bet. Mobile and social media are becoming the norm in qualifying sites for rankings, and you need to be ready. Visibility in the social world of online media can really take a while, even years, and search engines weigh it heavily. Some search engines have even been created to only give socially motivated results, and they are becoming more and more popular. Make sure you are getting good representation in all these areas when choosing your search engine marketing company.

About the Author: Stacy Pessoney is a Project Manager for ArteWorks SEO, one of the top search engine marketing companies in the world. A graduate of the University of Alabama, she implements and manages comprehensive SEO strategies and serve as an organizational liaison among company executives, clients and colleagues.