By Max Milano (Tech Writer)
Business owners have been told that SEO will bring them traffic and sales, so they hire someone to “do SEO” and get them sales. Let’s start by clarifying something: SEO alone will not bring you sales, and increasing your traffic won’t necessarily improve your conversions.
This is the dirty little secret of most “SEO Services” out there. Startups and business owners are bombarded with unsolicited emails offering “SEO Services” for thousands of dollars as if SEO were a stand-alone thing separate from your core business. Startups and business owners that make that mistake may only be around for a short time.
So, What IS SEO?
Let’s first clarify what SEO isn’t. It isn’t a shortcut to getting sales or a “hack” to increase conversions. It isn’t even an efficient way to scale your business if that’s all you do, particularly if you approach SEO incorrectly, as, sadly, many startups and entrepreneurs do.
Before writing one line of SEO copy or even designing your website, you must first consider your ideal customers. Who are they? What are their needs? How are you going to solve their problems better than the competition?
Only after you’ve answered these questions can you move on to the next step: Discovering what keywords and search terms your ideal customers are already using to find services like yours. I call this the “SEO Matrix” or “Keywords Matrix”.
As a business owner or startup entrepreneur, you must create a living Google sheet workbook with your top keywords and search terms. Some of these search terms will be provided by your customers themselves by simply looking at the search terms they’re using to find relevant websites and services. The more relevant to your customer and your services, the more critical these keywords and search terms are.
Once you’ve analyzed your customers and their search behaviors, the following steps are crucial.
Semantic SEO Optimization: Semantic SEO emphasizes context, relevance, and intent matching, which are crucial for SEO success in 2024.
Voice Search Optimization: As voice-based searches rise, optimizing content for natural language queries becomes pivotal for visibility.
Structured Data Markup: Leveraging structured data helps search engines understand your content better, potentially enhancing your visibility in rich results (Rich results are experiences on Google Search that go beyond the standard blue link. They’re powered by structured data and can include carousels, images, or other non-textual elements).
Top SEO Trends For 2024: Black Hat Is Out & White Hat Is In
In today’s bustling digital landscape, staying on top of the latest SEO trends is akin to steering a ship through changing tides. Too many “experts” are out there giving all kinds of outdated or black-hat advice.
What’s so bad about black hat SEO, you may ask? Well, because Google owns the casino, they make the rules, and they focus like a laser on penalizing websites or blogs using black hat techniques. Therefore, the best advice is to steer clear of it and think of SEO from the point of view of your customers. What will help them solve their problems? What type of content will be sufficiently helpful to your ideal customer that he will link to it and share it with their colleagues and friends?
Easier said than done?
SEO Fundamentals: Navigating Murky Seas
First off, let’s look at some SEO fundamentals. Picture this: the internet is a vast, murky ocean where websites are islands enveloped in fog, and search engines like Google are like ships manned by crawlers, i.e., the ships’ navigators. So, what is SEO at its most basic level? SEO is the compass guiding these search engines to your island of web content amidst a vast and murky digital sea.
Keywords and search terms are like the wind in your sails, helping search engines understand what your website or blog is all about. But in 2024, it’s not just about stuffing your pages with keywords like a sailor stuffing his duffel bag (a very outdated black hat tip). SEO in 2024 is about helpful context, relevance, and intent matching – the triple mast of SEO success.
2024 Trends: What’s on the Horizon
Let’s scan the horizon for the latest SEO trends for 2024.
A.I. and Natural Language Processing (NLP): Brace yourselves for AI-powered search algorithms and NLP advancements. Google’s becoming more competent at understanding natural language, so crafting content matching user intent will be even more pure gold than it is now.
E-A-T & Authority Building: Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness (E-A-T) are three pearls you want to clutch tight. Focus on building your brand’s authority through quality content, authoritative backlinks, and establishing expertise in your niche. As a business owner or marketing manager in a startup, consider your backlink as natural, organic relationships with brands and services that complement your product. This kind of organic link building is the digital word’s equivalent of “if you build it, they will come,” and, when done well, it becomes the gift that keeps giving.
User Experience (UI/UX) Takes the Helm: Smooth sailing through UI/UX waters is non-negotiable. Page speed, mobile-friendliness, and seamless navigation are crucial to keep visitors anchored to your site. That’s why you should design your website around your SEO strategy and not vice versa. Think of your top search terms and how they fit your services and create landing pages around them and logical internal links within your website to deliver an optimal user experience that will drive higher traffic, link sharing, and conversions.
White Hat Wisdom: Setting Sail on the Right Path
Ensure your team stays on the path of ethical, white-hat SEO strategies. Remember, black hat tactics might promise quick wins, but they’ll send you straight into the depths of search engine purgatory. Google knows all the black hat tricks in the book and then some.
Technical SEO: If your ship’s hull leaks with technical issues like crawling errors, site speed problems, or indexation woes, it’s time to summon the tech-savvy wizards. A reputable SEO agency like Whale Social can patch these leaks and fine-tune your website for smooth sailing.
Content Is King: Content is the thing! Quality, relevance, and uniqueness are your best currency. Don’t produce content for the sake of it, but only if it helps your customers solve their problems. It may sound simple, but as many business owners know, when you’re buried in creating content maps or grappling with keywords, a seasoned SEO agency like WhaleSocial can help with the heavy lifting to make sure your website is heading in the right direction while freeing your team to focus on other things.
Link Building: The seas of link building can be treacherous. An ethical agency like WhaleSocial will help navigate these waters, steering clear of shady link schemes while hoisting the flag for organic, quality backlinks. These relationships, built organically, tend to last for the long haul and are greatly appreciated by your customers, who will reward you with their repeat business.
Knowing When To Call An SEO Agency
When should you call for reinforcements and partner with an SEO agency? Think of it as hiring seasoned sailors to guide you through uncharted waters. If you lack the expertise or the time to manage technical SEO, content strategy, or build trustworthy links, an agency like WhaleSocial might be your compass.
Embracing Organic White Hat SEO
In the grand scheme of the digital ocean, organic white-hat SEO emerges as the beacon of light. While black hat tactics may seem alluring, they’ll only lead you to the Kraken’s lair of penalties and de-indexation.
In 2024, chart your course with organic white hat strategies – quality content, user-centric optimization, ethical link building, and technical excellence. These elements will hoist your flag high in search engine rankings, bringing relevant traffic and conversions.
WhaleSocial is dedicated to helping businesses navigate the complexities of SEO. Contact us to learn more about our comprehensive SEO services and how we can help boost your online presence and success.
As you sail into the SEO horizon of 2024, remember that fortune favors the bold, but Google favors the ethical and rewards relevant and valuable content. May your SEO endeavors be as fruitful as a chest brimming with digital gold!
