When I initially got into SEO, I was quite surprised to learn what really mattered the most were links. Just lots and lots of links eventually got you the 1st page of Google for any keyword. This was back in 2006. A lot has changed since then. I am amazed at just how many SEO marketers still believe that only lots and lots of links will get you to the first page even today. This type of unstrategic thinking will get you into a lot of trouble. After analyzing over one hundred thousand links and observing thousands of websites, a blueprint for SEO signals emerged. I hope this analysis will help you with your SEO efforts for you and your clients.
I was able to identify 3 major SEO signals and other smaller ones. The three major signals are relevancy, authority, and popularity. There are other signals such as page load time and SSL, but these are minor so I won't consider them for a discussion.
Relevancy:on-page - To satisfy this requirement, you must think keyword clout. Keyword clout is a group words that are related. They can be related by category or by variations.
Here is an example. The word "plumber" can be related to contractor, service provider, or repairman by category. "Plumber" is directly related to words like plumbing, plumbing service, plumbing company, sink repair, and local plumbers by variatiation. All of these words make relevant keyword clout. Keyword clout density refers to how many of these related words are present in a body of text. Google extracts the theme of a page using keyword clout and this was discussed by Google engineers. On-page optimization refers to how well you are organizing each page with keyword clout in mind.
We are going to hypothetically create a website from scratch and do an optimization. Let's suppose we have a website called www.JoesDallasPlumbing.com. Most web designers will create pages like about, contact, blog, and services and hope to rank well on the search engines. While this is fine as a starting point, the website needs to build pages around keyword clout.
Joe is interested in kitchen sink repair, water heater repair, and general plumbing in North Dallas. His target market is Plano, Dallas, and Carrollton.
Here is a recommended way of optimizing the site by creating keyword focused pages and its content.
http://www.JoesDallasPlumbing.com/plumbing-service-north-dallas/
http://www.JoesDallasPlumbing.com/plumbing-service-north-dallas/kitchen-sink-repair-Plano-Carrollton/
http://www.JoesDallasPlumbing.com/plumbing-service-north-dallas/water-heater-repair-Plano-Carrollton/
This sends a stronger relevancy signal than simply ranking http://www.JoesDallasPlumbing.com/services.htm with some plumbing keywords on the page.
Let's look at the meta information and see how we can strengthen the relevancy signal. Most websites create meta information for the sake of creating the information. Simply adding keywords on the page and hoping to rank is like driving blind and hoping to reach the destination. It takes some thought and practice.
Let's look at how most websites have their meta information.
<TITLE>Joe's Plumbing - Call Us 817-112-1212</TITLE>
<META Name="Description" Content="Call us for a free consultation. We are a family owned company and we will beat all competitor's pricing. We pride in fast service. ">
While this looks natural to most people, it is missing the key point. A better version would be to contain keyword clout while slimming down the marketing message.
<TITLE>Fast Plumbing Repair Service - 817-112-1212 - Dallas</TITLE>
<META
Name="Description" Content="free plumbing consultation, best pricing - kitchen sink & water heater repair | Carrollton | Plano | expert plumber ">
Not only we managed to keep the essential marketing messages for click-thru rate, we also increased keyword clout density. What about the content on the page? We should write the content about what was mentioned in the meta information. The topics can be about plumbing consultation, plumbing service pricing, kitchen sink plumbing repair, and water heater plumbing installation. Be sure to write a minimum of 500 word article using the topics.
Relevancy:off-page - Unlimited Keywords SEO provides strong off-page relevancy via anchor text keyword clout and contextual links.
If you are ranking for local businesses, local citations are vital for strong local relevancy. With Unlimited Keywords SEO tier 2 backlinks and local directory citations, we were able to rank highly competitive keywords.
Authority - Authority signal is essentially a trust signal. The more links you get from trusted sites, the more trust you earn from Google and your overall ranking goes up. What are some of the trusted sites? Generally speaking, older established sites in your niche or major branded sites are considered to be authority sites. Since most small businesses can't easily obtain links from established niche sites, the next best option is to get links from established media sites.
Most major press release services have syndication arrangement with media websites and this is one of the best ways to get authority signals. You must however use press releases in the right way or you can get penalized as Google is keeping a lookout for SEO marketers who abused press releases in the past.
Popularity - Google is now measuring the website's popularity by looking at various metrics. Links do count as popularity signal but this is not enough. Google looks at your site's social engagement and click-thru rate in addition to branded anchor text. Unlimited Keywords SEO can satisfy branded anchor text requirement.
Conclusion - SEO is getting more complex than ever. It is no longer about simply building massive amounts of links and hoping for the best. I am seeing many SEO marketers fail because they simply aren't prepared for the changes. I am hoping this blueprint will help you identify what is needed and help you in the direction of successful SEO endeavor.
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