Having a conversation over the weekend about SEO and the question was asked How many Search Engine Optimisation Strategies are there? The simple answer would have to be How many SEO Strategists are there? Because every SEO Guy has his own opinions on how the Search Engines work and what they are looking for – and of course everyone is right!
The fact is, no-one but the Search Engine programmers know exactly how they operate and what weight is given to on-page factors, off-page (such as backlinks) & whatever other ingredients they threw into the pot. There are some educated guesses – such as the clever guys at Seomoz, who experimented to discover exactly what flavour Search Engines like best – but even so they’re guesses, no-one knows for certain. The other complication is Search Engine tastes are forever changing. Not content with keeping us in the dark, the programmers like to change their algorithms frequently too.
So where does this leave a struggling site owner wondering whether to spend his last dollar at Crazy Vin’s Backlink Bonanza? In my opinion, you can never go wrong with great content. After all, a Search Engine’s function is to provide information relevant to the user’s query –
So if you have that information + it’s presented in a logical fashion
+ the right Search Engine knows about it = Everyone’s happy – Right?
Notice the three parts in the equation? Content, Presentation & Notification.
The problem is rarely do the three come together without some outside help – and that, for me, is where SEO comes in. A SEO specialist can help you develop your content, present it in a way that’s palatable to both Search Engines & Humans and let all of the relevant Search Engines know about it.
Now – go ask someone else and I’m sure you’ll get a totally different answer!