Search Engine Optimization

The nature of SEO is VUCA. VUCA(volatility, uncertainty, complexity, & ambiguity) is an acronym that is used to describe the nature of a challenging situation. - Volatile: unexpected algorithm updates & daily ranking fluctuations. - Uncertain : content in the most important ranking factor but the majority of other factors are unknown. - Complex: interdependent systems(content, optimization, tech) & tasks. - Ambiguous: 'effort vs impact' not straight forward. Because of this, do you think working in SEO has made your thinking more nuanced/ make better decisions?

I recently read this book called A​tomic Habits​. The author talks about how we should focus on ​Systems instead of Goals.​ He says a goal-focused mindset can cause a rollback effect once the goal is achieved.  For example,  Goal: Lose 10 kilos (most of us would go back to old patterns once we achieve the goal) System: Workout 4 times a week.  If you think about it, SEO & Content marketing is very similar. Let’s say you have a Goal to rank for a particular keyword in position number 1, you would:  - Analyze search intent  - Do keyword/ competitor research  - Plan topic clusters  - Write content  - Influence rankings by doing on-page / off-page changes  But SEO/ Content is a continuous process that doesn’t stop once you get to rank 1.  Hence we have to set up the right processes to build backlinks, set up interlinks, refreshing old content & writing new content.  The purpose of setting goals is to win the game....

There is no Google certification for SEO , Google Partner Certificate at all. A " Google Premier Partners " status only applies to " Google Ads "(Google Paid Ads), there is NO special insight into Google search at all . It is only the Google Partner badge shows that specific Partners have passed Google Ads product certification exams and are up-to-date with the latest product knowledge. In other words, they earned it. 2 users certified in Google Ads who have admin or standard access to your company's Google Ads manager account or sub-managers. Meet a 90-day ad spend requirement of $10,000 USD across your managed accounts to show that your company has a healthy amount of activity. Requirements to be considered for a Partner badge: To maintain a high standard for Google program, Google will review companies to both receive and retain the badge. Certification: 1 user certified in Google Ads who has admin or standard access to your company’s Google A...

How Google determines local ranking Local results are based primarily on relevance, distance, and prominence. These factors are combined to help find the best match for your search. For example, Google algorithms might decide that a business that's farther away from your location is more likely to have what you're looking for than a business that's closer, and therefore rank it higher in local results. Relevance Relevance refers to how well a local listing matches what someone is searching for. Adding complete and detailed business information can help Google better understand your business and match your listing to relevant searches. Distance Just like it sounds–how far is each potential search result from the location term used in a search? If a user doesn't specify a location in their search, Google will calculate distance based on what’s known about their location. Prominence Prominence refers to how well-known a business is. Some places are more pro...

Source -  https://www.linkedin.com/posts/vibin-baburajan_seo-digitalmarketing-activity-6588320388508409856-59LU

Bounce rate:  Bounce rate is defined as "the percentage of visitors who visit a single page on a website." A high bounce rate isn't always bad, as it can mean that while the visitor didn't travel deeper into a site, he did spend some time on the page and get an answer to his question. He may have bookmarked the page or shared it on Facebook, but since he didn't read more, it constitutes a bounce. Pogo sticking:  Pogo sticking occurs when a user performs a search, clicks on a result, very quickly clicks back to the search result page, and clicks on a different result. This type of behavior is a direct result of immediate dissatisfaction in the search result, and—unlike bounce rate— pogo sticking is always a bad thing . Source -  https://www.fosterwebmarketing.com/faqs/whats-the-difference-between-pogo-sticking-and-bounce-rate-.cfm

You get better content and better business results when you’re focused on educating people instead of driving leads. Here’s what changes when you adopt this mindset (1) focus on the audience - You’d create content the audience actually wants, not the stuff about your product/company that you wish they wanted. (2) remove friction - You’d stop gating content because the *consumption* of the content is actually more important than collecting their email. (3) invest differently - because you don’t have a metrics dashboard breathing down your neck all quarter, you’d have the freedom to try new things and build new capabilities instead of dumping all your money into the “lead gen” you’re forced to do right now. (4) think long term - you’d do things that don’t have tangible immediate ROI, which ironically are often the most effective. I'm pushing a lot of marketing leaders to start scoring their content marketing team on audience metrics instead of business metrics. Crazy h...