SEO Specialists: Creating Content That Counts

Over the past decade, search engines have changed what criteria they use when ranking pages. Years ago, all a page needed was a large number of backlinks to achieve the highest rankings. Yes, the content of a site was part of it, but not to the degree that it is today.  Search engines have become more sophisticated in their crawling techniques. The content has to be relevant and informative to catch Google’s eye. In addition, the page layout must have an architectural value. The bottom line is search engines have evolved, and SEO specialists must grow and evolve to keep up.

How Search Engines Rank

Every search engine has a “bot” that “crawls” through websites and evaluates the pages based on certain pre-set criteria. This process is continuously changing and keeps the SEO specialists on their toes in order to keep up.

• Value: In the world of today’s search engines, the demand for value within site content is high. Either through the layout themes or through information architecture, a site must be easy for the search engines to crawl. Content and information must be organized and flow throughout the entire site.
• Keyword Placement: Not only is the density of the keywords important, the placement of the relevant keywords is critical. The SEO specialist must be knowledgeable in the use of the keywords in a way that is relevant, but also ensures appropriate placement in the title, as well as the body of the content.
• Cohesive: In order to achieve higher search engine rankings, a site must provide a good user experience (UX). Pages must flow well and links should take users to an appropriate and relevant landing page.
• Engagement: Pages are also ranked by how “engaged” a visitor becomes when visiting the site. For example, clicking on videos or links to other pages and articles. Sites should be designed and content composed that catches a visitor’s attention.
• Query: The search query entered by the user and the keywords used within the site content should match and be relevant. Negative keyword should also be utilized to further qualify the traffic that is directed to the site.