My Site is Up; Now What? Part Two: SEO and SMO

In a recent post, I gave an overview of SEO as it relates to you as a uniform retailer. And my most recent post covered the topic of social media. Today, I’m going to explain how SEO is changing and how SMO (social media optimization) is becoming extremely important.

Is SEO dead?

As I mentioned in my previous SEO post, Google has a vested interest in providing users with the most relevant search results possible. Google continually updates their algorithm to improve search results and to limit the power of spammers and SEO “experts” who use black hat techniques to increase rankings.

Luckily, Google provides webmasters with very clear recommendations for how to approach SEO the right way, including creating unique content and improving site structure. Unfortunately, many people ignore these recommendations and continue using black hat methods, thinking that they can outsmart Google. And sometimes, they can. But not for long. Google listens to feedback about their search and makes adjustments to the algorithm accordingly.

Google’s recent “Panda” or “Farmer” update, for example, targeted content farms (websites that use low-quality content to generate advertising revenue). Users complained that content farms were coming up higher in the search results than high-quality, reputable websites. The Panda update addressed this issue and affects 12% of queries. Even well-known sites like Suite101 saw dramatic declines in traffic, and SEOs are frantically trying to come up with new ways to game the system.

Perhaps a better approach would be to once and for all take heed of what Google’s been saying all along: Create unique, high-quality content. Create content for your visitors, not for the search engines. Optimize your site so that it’s easy for visitors to navigate and for search engines to crawl and index.

So is SEO dead? It depends on how you define SEO. If you define SEO as doing whatever it takes to get to the top of the search results, even if it means risking your reputation, then yes, SEO is dead. If you define SEO as making your website useful, interesting, and accessible, then SEO is alive and well. And now, there’s a component of website optimization that’s becoming increasingly important- SMO (social media optimization).

SMO (social media optimization)

Once upon a time, Google placed a great deal of importance on backlinks (links on other sites pointing to your site). But some SEOs caught onto this and began to exploit backlinks. They created websites that contained nothing but links. Google responded by improving their algorithm and placing more importance on real, original content. Then, SEOs responded by creating content farms that contained just enough low-quality content to appease the search engines. And of course, Google responded with the Panda update. Some SEOs will continue to test Google, and Google will continue to improve their algorithm.

But the SEOs who are ready to play nice will realize that Google’s algorithm is becoming more and more intelligent and reflective of what users want. And Google is looking to social media to determine what users want. Links are losing ground to likes (Facebook stamps of approval, if you’re not quite there yet).

Why are likes or tweets that link to your site important? They mean that people find value in what you have to offer, which is why you have a website in the first place. Let me say it again: You have a website because you offer something of value. (Maybe you should put that on a post-it note and look at it once in a while.) Likes are also important because they can drive new traffic to your site. People trust their friends, and if their friends like something, they’ll like it too. In fact, many sites are seeing more traffic from social media sites than from search engines.

Because of this, links that are shared on Facebook and Twitter have an impact on search engine rankings. But before your sneaky SEO wheels start turning, let me say this: Quality matters. The user sharing the link will be judged in terms of their reputation or authority. Bots need not apply. Unlike the backlinks of days gone by, quality likes can not be purchased.

What’s an SEO to do?

So you can’t lie, cheat, or buy your way to SEO or SMO success. I hope we’re on the same page there. And if you’re throwing up your hands, wondering how you’ll ever succeed, allow me to repeat myself: Create unique, interesting, useful, quality content. Figure out what value you add to people’s lives. And then:

• Tweet about it.
• Blog about it.
• Post a status update about it to Facebook.
• Make a video about it on YouTube.
• Offer a deal on Foursquare.

So. What questions do you have? What information do you need? Give me feedback! Please! And of course, if you’re a UniformMarket client, we’re here to support you. If you are feeling overwhelmed by social media, SEO, email campaigns, or online marketing, drop us a line. We are ready and willing to manage these areas, or provide extra training and support as needed!