Marketpath is not an SEO company. We have never tried to be an SEO company. We will never try to be an SEO company. Now, if you’re an existing client, you may be saying to yourself “Wait, these guys had an SEO phase during our project…what gives?” If you’re an avid reader of our blog, you may be thinking to yourself “Two out of every three articles these guys post mentions SEO…what gives?” Well, both questions would be warranted, but allow me to retort (said in my best Samuel L. Jackson voice, of course).
SEO is Notorious for the “Flavor of the Month”
Keeping up with the changes from Google and the rest of the web in regards to SEO is a full-time job. Whether it is Google Caffeine, the Panda Update, the introduction of the +1, Google+, Schema.org, or this month’s flavor - Pinterest, keeping up to date with what needs to happen from an SEO standpoint requires an army of people to do well. It seems that not a month goes by where I’m not reading some article about X product that is “changing the SEO game forever!”, only to not really hear about it a month down the road. Over the last two months, for instance, focus has shifted from “how to use Google+ for business” to “how to use Pinterest for business”. We simply don’t have the staff, or the desire, to throw our hat into the ring of these larger SEO firms that do their jobs so well. Our SEO recommendations go as far as Title Tag creation, help with Meta descriptions, and some content revisions…you know, the basics of what any site should be doing.
We’ve Always Preached the Foundations
Being a software company who creates an easy-to-use content management system, we’ve always preached that creating compelling content is the best way to attract traffic. Stop trying to game the system by buying links and focus on content. Write blog posts, build landing pages with links for white papers and case studies, and host webinars on your most popular topics. Be social.
Lately, SEO companies have been slowly moving away from the secretive tactics they have employed and become more upfront with what works. Content is once again becoming king, which is a good thing. Create it, share it, and reap the rewards.
The Long Tail
Competing for highly-sought-after keywords can be extremely expensive. The truth is, if you’re ranking well for 1-2 highly targeted, highly competitive keywords, you’re probably getting less traffic than someone who ranks for 400-500 highly specific, easy-to-attain keyword phrases. Blog posts are great for this. White papers are great for this. Video is great for this. A lot of people type in brand new, never before searched phrases into Google every day. These phrases are the long tail and can really help drive traffic to your site.
SEO is rapidly changing, and will always be rapidly changing. It may be called different terms, like inbound marketing or search marketing, but at the end of the day the goal of a search engine has remained constant since the beginning of the industry. Delivering the best, most relevant results for each search query will always be at the core of what search engines are trying to accomplish. Become the expert in your industry by sharing your knowledge, and you’ll be rewarded.