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Is SEO Real?

5 min read
SEOGoogleYahooDigital MarketingWeb Development

Is SEO Real or Just Snake Oil?

Right then, lets talk about SEO. You know, that thing every web designer and their dog claims to be an expert in. The number of spam emails I get from "SEO specialists" promising to get me to number 1 on Google is proper ridiculous. But here's the thing - underneath all the rubbish, there might actually be something to it.

What's Actually Going On?

If you've got a website, you've probably had dozens of emails promising "guaranteed first page rankings on Google". Sounds brilliant, doesn't it? But hang on a minute - if everyone's on the first page, who's on the second? Something doesn't add up.

The Google Problem

Look, here's the thing about Google (and Yahoo and Bing, if anyone still uses them). They're properly clever:

  • Their algorithms are dead complicated
  • They keep changing them
  • They don't tell anyone exactly how they work
  • They're getting better at spotting dodgy tricks

What Actually Seems to Work

After messing about with this stuff for ages, here's what actually seems to make a difference:

Keywords (But Not Like You Think)

Remember when you could just stuff your page full of keywords? Well, Google's got wise to that. These days you need to:

  • Use keywords naturally
  • Put them in your page titles
  • Sort your meta descriptions
  • Not go mental with it

Links Still Matter

Everyone bangs on about links, and they're not wrong:

  • Links from proper sites help
  • Dodgy links from random directories don't
  • Those "link farms" people try to sell you are proper rubbish
  • But getting good links is really hard

Content (Yeah, Really)

The most annoying thing about SEO? Actually writing decent stuff seems to work best:

  • Regular updates help
  • Proper articles work better than rubbish ones
  • People sharing your stuff on social media seems important
  • But it takes ages and there's no guarantee

The Dodgy Stuff People Try

Right, let's talk about what doesn't work (or won't work for long):

  • Hidden text (Google's not stupid)
  • Buying loads of rubbish links
  • Copying content from other sites
  • Keyword stuffing
  • Those weird doorway pages
  • Paying for hundreds of spammy blog comments

Social Media's Getting Important

This is interesting - seems like Google's starting to care about:

  • Facebook likes
  • Twitter shares
  • How many people bookmark your site
  • Whether people actually share your stuff

Local SEO is Properly Important Now

Google Maps and local search are getting massive. If you've got a proper business:

  • Get listed in Google Local
  • Sort out your address format
  • Get some reviews
  • Make sure your phone number's consistent everywhere

The Technical Bits That Matter

Some proper boring but important stuff:

  • Your site needs to load quick
  • Links need to actually work
  • Get your URLs sorted
  • Have a sitemap
  • Make sure Google can actually read your site

What About Paid Search?

Google AdWords is getting expensive but:

  • It works faster than SEO
  • You know what you're spending
  • You can target proper specific
  • But bloody hell it adds up quick

The Mobile Thing

This might be important soon - Google's starting to bang on about mobile websites. Not sure if it'll matter, but worth keeping an eye on.

Is It Worth Paying Someone?

Tricky one, this. There are some proper good SEO people out there, but:

  • Loads of chancers about
  • Anyone promising specific rankings is probably lying
  • If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is
  • Monthly contracts are a bit suspect

What's Coming Next?

Few things to watch out for:

  • Mobile's probably going to matter more
  • Social media might get more important
  • Local search is getting bigger
  • Google's getting better at spotting natural writing
  • Video seems to be getting more important (YouTube's owned by Google, innit)

Should You Bother?

Here's the thing - SEO is probably worth thinking about, but:

  • Don't obsess over it
  • Don't trust anyone promising miracles
  • Focus on making your site actually good
  • Write for humans, not search engines
  • Keep an eye on your Google Webmaster Tools

Look, SEO is real - but it's not magic. It's mostly about:

  1. Making a decent website
  2. Writing stuff people want to read
  3. Getting proper links (not dodgy ones)
  4. Not trying to trick Google
  5. Being patient

The dodgy tricks might work for a bit, but Google usually catches up. Better off doing it proper from the start.

Just remember - if someone's promising you instant number one rankings, they're probably talking rubbish. Unless you're searching for something proper specific like "Dave's Specific Shop In This Specific Town", getting to number one is proper hard work.

P.S. - Anyone else noticed their rankings jumping about like mad lately? Reckon Google's up to something again...