Algorithms are programs used to automatically ferret information from the web, organize it, and do something with the results. Â Like what Google does to ranks websites.
A lot of SEO (search engine optimization) experts will have as long of a conversation as you'd like (and then some) about how Google's algorithm works and how you can set your web presence up to set off all the right bells and whistles to get Google to rank you.
Our eyes start glazing over after about 5 minutes talking about SEO
Most people I've worked with end up wondering if there is an easier way to understand how Google ranks their sites.
I always answer the question by stating that they are asking the wrong question. Â And that's because Google reacts to what people react to favorably. Â The Google algorithm is just a tool to efficiently scour the web for the signals that people are sending out on social and other sites.
Google has changed the algorithm to track conversations and live data generated by verified people on social networks and their own sites. Â So the answer to all questions regarding how to get more traffic for your blog is this: Â people.
SEO is done by getting people talking about your site on social and on other important websites in your market
Proper internet marketing, by today's standards, is done by you showing up on other sites in your market, and then getting the people who follow those sites to engage with your site, your Facebook, G+, and Twitter profiles, and turning that activity into engaged followers.
When you begin to focus your marketing on people, you start thinking differently about the content you create for your ideal crowd. Â The time you're saving not doing complicated SEO can be and should be applied to putting content in front of your ideal crowd more often.
Broadening The Definition Of “Web Presence” And Where Your Traffic Comes From
When you think of your entire web presence as your website, your social profiles, and content/links that you place on high traffic sites, you're thinking like a person who's finally starting to “get” the new marketing game.
I tell clients to look around their market and find the most important sites and picture what they would do if they owned one of them. Â I have them picture just what would happen if they we able to get on a big stage for a day in front of one of those big crowds.
- Can you imagine the traffic that would result?
- Can you imagine the SEO benefits?
- Can you imagine how much better your marketing would be if you did this regularly?
- Then compare heavy SEO marketing versus doing content marketing focused on engagement, which often gets bigger results faster.
Pick a site, study the kind of content that has resonated with the readers (likes, tweets, +1's, and shares along with high comment counts) and design a piece of content that should really drive engagement and traffic with that audience.
The Readers Do Your Marketing For You…
With this marketing method, the people will send your popularity soaring and your SEO score will just fill itself in as a byproduct. Â Readers will be sending lots of valuable signals that the algorithms pick up and use to take a new, fresh look at not only your domain's relevancy in the market, but your entire web presence.
This results in:
- Bigger, better social marketing through higher engagement on social networks.
- More direct traffic straight from social and the site(s) you appear on.
- Higher rankings in Google, and all without doing a single technical SEO trick.
Not only that, but as you change your marketing to focus on your ideal crowd, you will increase the amount of your ongoing traffic (direct traffic from the sites and from Google rankings you've picked up). And your traffic spikes will get bigger as you leverage your past blogging gigs to get even bigger ones.
If this has been clear to you, you might be feeling a bit more positive about your marketing strategy and traffic prospects going forward. Â I didn't have to say a word about how to manipulate search engines from a traditional SEO perspective. Â We're talking about turning on your ideal people, thus influencing them to do your SEO for you.
That's a lot more like what we all got into blog marketing for in the first place. Â This paradigm shift helps you get back to what you like about blog marketing while also making you much more effective at driving targeted traffic to your site.
SEO has become like flirting. If you are too obvious, chances are you are being counterproductive.
The traffic from search engines is good enough but not 100% reliable (especially if you have faced Google Panda and Penguin),so let’s talk about the seo through social media,it is the permanent source to build relations with people instead of with bots and spiders.
Really nice post, social engagement is really the most important thing currently but the way to get there is great content, I have seen 200% increase in social sharing and engagement if the content is really good on third party platforms.
Hi Jack..
Thank you very much for the details… From your article I am quoting this heading – “SEO is done by getting people talking about your site on social and on other important websites in your market” – I believe, you have just given the most simplest Definition for SEO…. really appreciate it… 🙂
I don’t know why peoples are so scared on these Google Algorithm etc.. In blogging, we must understand that we need to write content for our visitors or contents for answer finding peoples. Try to write more informative content to attract more visitors. Just try to explain in details.
When Content is unique and most useful then you automatically comes in search and got more loyal visitors.
Don’t pay more attention on Algorithms.
I would never rely on Google’s Traffic , one cannot predict the next move of Google as the next move of google can have a serious impact on a website/blog its better to build networks and relationships with people and get traffic from them.Thanks for the tips and suggestions mate.
-Pramod
Thanks for sharing..Its the perfect article to kick start our seo campaign for marketing purpose..You write really awesome I will now regular visitor to your blog..keep it up !
Hi, Nice explanation. I really liked this post.”SEO is done by getting people talking about your site on social and on other important websites in your market”, this point is so true. I totally agree with it.
Thanks a lot for this precious post.
Cheers
Thanks to everyone for the feedback! Much appreciated!
nice article its very helpful tips for me its time that every person should do some seo for their online business and website and your article also helpful with him thanks for sharing with us.
Hey Jack,
A very pick-y and choosy concrete topic. Bloggers often misunderstand and as per you say ask wrong question that how does google ranks the site. Its very well said and my strong belief that don’t write for GOOGLE, write for your Readers.
Thanks a lot for a remarkable and significant truth revealing article.
Regards
Charmie
Great post Jack. Getting into (targeted) crowd is a smart method for improving SEO. Though we don’t get much share at least we can learn something from the crowd.
Your views are highly appreciable. Here i want to share my personal opinion over the SEO industry, as a SEO analyst I want to share little information over coming years, the traditional SEO concepts are not functioning now. The traditional approach has gone now days. Fresh and uniqueness of the content can only stay you in the search ranking.
Guest blogging and sharing information is only the mechanism remain to go ahead. If you do not adopt these mechanism to promotion, then you do not able manage your search ranking.
Directories, bookmarking are no longer available now days, try to use article submissions, blog promotion, and press release as much you can, citation is also one mechanism to handle the ranking as well. Get back links using top bloggers and create authorship. Above these mechanism can safe you in the search ranking.