Search Engine Optimisation in 2011

Search Engine Optimisation in 2011

By Graeme Knights


Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) helps webmasters get their sites noticed by the online world. For years, businesses have thrived by developing successful SEO strategies that place them at the top of SERPs results, garnering valuable clicks that they convert into qualified leads and sales.
Just as search engines have evolved over time, so have SEO practices. The same techniques that worked wonders in the past probably will not accomplish much in the modern environment, especially since the online world has gravitated to social media, away from the search engines, as its primary focus.
In the past, SEO emphasized achieving the highest possible page rank through web development. Now it is an integral part of online marketing, although high placement in the search engines is often among its results.
Links
In the past, SEO techniques focused on generating links to a website using directories and similar services. Now, link quality matters, because search engines focus on the type of site that links in, rather than just the fact that a link exists. Nowadays, SEO practitioners understand that the quality of links, not their quantity is what really matters.
Google
Another way SEO has evolved is the variety of search providers for which SEO aims to accommodate. Gone are the days of Excite, Magellan, AltaVista and other search engines that once were on level ground with Google. Right now, Google reigns supreme to the extent that it is synonymous with an Internet search. In spite of the fact that Microsoft is making significant gains against Google in the marketplace, modern SEO emphasizes how a site appears in Google search results.
Social Media
In the early days of SEO, Facebook and Twitter did not exist. Now these platforms attract the majority of Internet users. Search engines now consider the presence of a site in social networking when calculating search results. Tweets, retweets, links and likes now impact search engine results, meaning that successful SEO in 2011 requires an integration of business SEO practices with public relations and social media efforts.
Quality Content
Google now emphasizes quality content, rather than simple keyword placement and back-links when establishing search engine ranking. This makes it necessary to surround links with content that has legitimate value. If Google thinks that no one would benefit from the content on a site, it will be relegated to a lower rank versus a site that has content that actually benefits readers. Still, SEO experts are cautioned not to over-think the new emphasis on content. Google tries to display better content first, but no one should expect it to display the best results. Therefore, a balance between content quality and link building for 2011 seems like the best approach for SEO 2011.
Internet search engines have come along way since the early days of Internet search, so those SEO company that practices the discipline in 2011 must adapt their practices to accommodate the changes listed here. SEO development should not stop here. New trends and new algorithms constantly affect Internet search, so the company that quickly adapts to the changing search environment is the one that will benefit the most from SEO.
Graeme is writing on behalf of onagency.co an SEO agency & Web Design Agency.

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