Thanks to Google’s most recent changes, it is no longer possible to see which keywords are bringing traffic to your site through analytics. In order to stay in the game, a shift has been made on the focus of what is really important when it comes to Search Engine Optimization. People may say that “SEO is dead” but as long as there are search engines and websites, SEO and web marketing techniques will always be beneficial.
Some of you, if you watch your analytics closely, may have seen that the top keyword bringing the majority of your organic search traffic says (not provided). This is the major change that I am talking about. If you can’t see what keywords are bringing you traffic, how do you know that your online marketing company is doing their job? Don’t fire your marketing company! If they have been doing a good job thus far they have probably picked up on the recent changes and have switched gears. So if you see your site slip a little in the rankings, don’t freak out. There are other places that will and should be bringing you traffic.
We have moved our focus away from keyword ranking to branding and building authority on the web. Rather than targeting specific keywords, we are working to build brand awareness and enhance the credibility of your site as well as your company. The idea is for you to look like an expert in your field. If Google sees you as such, you will rank higher for terms in your industry. In the past, SEO was all about link building, the more, the better. This is no longer the way to go. While back links are still important for SEO, it is the quality, not the quantity that matters. So, clients, now you’re wondering what it is that we are doing with your money, right? More emphasis is being placed on what is going on with your website itself. Google wants to be able to easily read and understand what you are trying to say. Relevant and up to date content is very important. We have placed a major emphasis on blog posting with authorship attached to show that you are engaged and knowledgeable. The health of your site is monitored daily to make sure there are no errors in code preventing Google from navigating its way through the site. In order to build your brand and authority online we are submitting the site to industry specific directories and local listings, building social bookmarks, distributing press releases when we see fit, and creating links to other relevant sites with high page and domain authority. All of this creates a web of relevant connections. It’s kind of like you’re running for class president and our job is to make you look like you’re super awesome and popular so that you win the election (make it to the top of Google).
Ta-Da! That’s what’s up with web marketing, in a nutshell. Moral of the story is: don’t get mad over rankings. Pay more attention to your traffic and where that traffic is coming from. By creating this authority across the web, we are driving leads from other places than just Google that are likely to be of better quality and value.
Stephan Boehringer is the CEO of Get The Clicks, a web marketing company. Stephan has over 20 years of experience in the field of web marketing, and has been a speaker and consultant for many years. Stephan is passionate about web marketing and helping their clients be the best they can be.
Stephan Boehringer graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services.
