The SEO Strategies That Still Work Today

“SEO is dead”.

Or some in the industry would have you believe. The search landscape may look completely different thanks to constant algorithm updates and new changes to the search results. But the truth is that SEO is far from dead and it remains one of the most effective ways to drive targeted traffic and generate more sales.

Your audience is likely using search right now to find products or services that your business offers. SEO is absolutely invaluable and simply a must if you want your site to rank in the search results.

Here we take a closer look at which SEO strategies are no longer effective and where to focus your efforts instead.

Some SEO Strategies Are Dead

Claiming that SEO is dead is an overreaction, but there is also some truth to it.

Google is constantly tweaking its ranking algorithm to deliver more relevant results for each search query. Slapping up content from low quality writers and building thousands of links using automated tools may have worked before. But such tactics no longer work and will get your site penalised or even banned from the search index.

So here are the SEO strategies that are simply not worth your time:

Keyword stuffing or scraping content from other sources
Optimising purely for search engines
Using automated tools to build links
Buying links from spammy networks

These are the practices that are definitely dead and what Google targets in its ranking algorithm. Even if your site manages to slip through unscathed after an update, the search results are constantly being refreshed.

SEO Tactics That Still Work

Search engines have one primary focus: To provide the most relevant results. Certainly not an easy task considering there are billions and billions of webpages online. To sort through all the noise, Google relies on complex algorithms that weigh hundreds of different factors from domain authority to content relevance and more.

Here are the SEO strategies that still work today:

Content creation: Google’s ranking algorithm is incredibly sophisticated and able to detect instances of keyword stuffing and spam. If you want your site to rank, then you need to focus on creating content that actually provides value. This means comprehensively covering the topic while also optimising it for the right keywords.
Link building: Links are still an important ranking factor but the days of ranking with thousands of links to your pages is no longer effective. A better approach is to focus on building links from relevant sources in your industry. Guest posting is one of the most effective strategies to build high quality links to your pages.

Conclusion

SEO is far from dead.

Optimising your site and building links are still effective in terms of ranking your site higher in the search results. But you need to focus on providing quality to your visitors. Simply spamming your site may have worked before but it will only result in ranking penalties now.