The world of SEO and content marketing is changing.  Recent adjustments to Google’s Penguin and Panda algorithms as well as adaptations by other search engines have made SEO tactics more important than ever.  Once, individuals could recycle or repurpose articles and blog posts that appeared on their websites and continue to submit them to directories to capture backlinks thereby raising the rankings in search engine findings.  Now, the dynamics have changed and what once worked can now cause websites to lose their coveted page rankings thereby resulting in a dramatic decrease in traffic to their website.

Today, content marketing including articles, blog posts, and press releases must be timely, interesting, relevant, well-written, and most important fresh.  Content was once written to satisfy the search engines but did little in the way of converting visitors to sites and very little to educate or inform them.  Content must be written in a manner that relates timely information that visitors to a website are seeking, as well as to encourage feedback, comments, and sharing.  This now is the natural linking needed to generate the backlinks that help websites rise in search engine rankings.

What Websites Need To Rise In Search Engine Rankings

·         Link Building: Link building requires websites to build credibility, nurture relationships, and maintain a healthy stream of relevant content.

·         Limit Content Submissions: Submit well-written and original content only to high-quality article directories.

·         Relevant Content: Generic content is no longer going to drive traffic to websites; well-written content with the proper keyword density is essential.

·         Guest Blog Posting: Research existing blogs that provide timely and relevant information and that have active followers.  Offer to write guest blogs; this helps generate back links and  expand reach to a new audience.

·         Use Google Authorship: Link blog posts to Google+ page.  Remember, a Google+ page that includes a photo drives more traffic.

·         Develop On-Site Blog Editorial Calendar: Take a look at the next 3 months; what dates stand out that is relevant to your business?  Develop an editorial calendar to ensure that topics are relevant and timely.

·         Develop Off-Site Editorial Calendar: Guest blogging builds relationships, increases backlinks, and develops a larger audience.  Write compelling and timely pieces including blog posts, press releases, and white papers to provide to bloggers and industry news leaders.

What Websites Need To Avoid In Order To Rise In Search Engine Rankings

·         Generic Content: Immediately stop distributing generic and poorly composed content to article directory services.

·         Article Spam: Cease distributing article spam – non-original content – to content delivery services.  In the end, this does significantly more harm than good.

·         Plagiarized Content: Stop spinning content from other sites.  Unique, original, and fresh content is more valuable.

Timely, Relevant, And Unique Content Marketing

Instead of focusing on general information for visitors to your website, think about how to provide real value.  The list below is a sampling of content marketing topics and ideas that can help your website rise in page rankings:

·         Interviews: Conduct an interview with a customer or industry professional.

·         Case Studies: Write a case study of a customer that has successfully used your product or service in their business.

·         Industry News: Search the news of the day/week and write a relevant post on timely and relevant news.

·         Tools & Tips: Brainstorm new ways that your product or service can be used to educate your potential customers.

·         Product Reviews/Product Comparisons: Routinely review products that are relevant to your business and compare your products with your competitors.

Most importantly, remember that the dynamics of driving traffic to your website has changed dramatically over the last couple of years.  Do not let the changes in Google’s algorithms get you down; you can still drive visitors to your website and rise in the page rankings.  SEO and content marketing take nurturing, analysis, and time; building backlinks by providing relevant high-quality content is worth the time and effort.