SEO, or search engine optimization, is moving about as fast as everything else in the world of the Internet - that's to say, very fast. But then, staying on top of trends and best practices in SEO is essential if you're running an online business. If you have a website that doesn't rank in search engines, it might as well not exist. Only those who know exactly where to look will be able to find it.
Like most marketing, SEO is partly a science, and partly down to your creativity. You need to be aware of scientific factors that affect your ranking, but you also need to engage with people. You need to use scientific factors to improve your ranking, but you also need to create customer loyalty with fun and engaging content.
Here are a few ways to keep on top of SEO trends that won't leave you languishing in the rankings.
Follow the leaders.
You need to identify people who you think are leaders in the field and authorities of SEO. These are the people who can help you solve problems and stay on top. Your picks might include reputable SEO advice sites, bloggers, content creators, etc. This is quite a difficult thing to do as online, lots of people can sound like they know exactly what they're talking about when they really don't, especially in fast-moving industries. One thing we don't recommend is to read books on the subject. They're out of date as soon as they're off the printing press.
Use the right tools.
SEO is a highly technical facet of digital marketing, and it can be easy to get totally confused if you don't know where to start. You need to get it at least mostly right from the outset, or it can be hard to recover later on if what you're doing actually does more harm to your search ranking than good.
Finding and using the right SEO tools can help, as well as recommending courses of action as you optimize your site or start work on a new one. There are tons of tools out there, so a bit of research is required. Ask the industry leaders mentioned above for recommendations, or peers with similar business needs. Also, remember that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
Hire professionals.
If you're brand new to SEO, it's almost definitely worth investing in a little professional help by hiring an SEO consultant or agency such as Zane Digital Marketing. SEO agencies can help you identify the keywords you need to focus on, track analytics to make sure you're getting the right results, and audit your existing sites and online properties to identify where you can improve. Again, proper research is imperative. Ask someone you trust for their recommendation, and check out online testimonials. Most good agencies will have these on their site. You should also ask for regular reports that prove you're getting your money's worth. If an agency refuses, they're probably not the one you want to work with.