Approaching Search Engine Optimization Many people spend countless hours on search engine optimization by tweaking and changing their websites to try to get a top ranking. While this may seem to be a good idea, it is actually pointless. By the time you possibly figure out how to get a top ranking in a particular engine, their search engine ranking criteria has most likely changed. So what did you gain by spending hours and hours analyzing ideas? A short term win.
What should I conentrate on besides SEO? A better approach is to concentrate on your website content. Many have mentioned that content is king. As annoying as it sounds, it is true. One thing that has stayed consistent among the major search engines is that they love new, fresh content. To be successful, you need to keep the content fresh, new and unique. Anyone can write up a page on something related to their website content. This is one of the best ways to put yourself in a position to be picked up and ranked higher in search engines. Is it guaranteed? No. But concentrating on unique and fresh content will be a win-win situation. First, your users will appreciate the dedication and updates to your site. Many sites I have been to are good but the content is outdated. When I come across a website that shows recent information or updates, I will spend additional time there and maybe even bookmark it or recommend it.
Sources of quality website content Writing your own content is to me the best approach. Sure you can get information from other sources such as RSS feeds, webmaster articles, magazine articles and websites. But the rules for using this information are tricky and you run the risk of penalty if you use it incorrectly. It is much easier just to get a blank sheet of paper or open a new document and start typing away with your own ideas. Spending time looking for shortcuts, tricks and workarounds to get high ranking in search engines is counter-productive. The search engine rules change. They will always be one step ahead and you will always be chasing your tail. Look at some of the SEO forums and you will see hundreds of threads on people trying to figure out search engines. Be different. Look at your website and see what quality content you can add. You might get the article picked up by a search engine but the more important idea is to give your users fresh information.
What should be the end result? Remember, one visitor seeing quality content might pass it along to another friend or even post it in a public forum. Then those people pass it along. I’ve seen it happen. Then you will have more visitors than you thought possible. So start writing!
