Google Is Set To Win The Search Engine Optimization Struggle. Next Year You Need Engaging Content More Than Ever

Every website would like to be ranked number one in Google. But the competition grows every year. Almost since search engines arrived, internet marketers have engaged in a battle with search giant. Whether it was stuffing keywords, link wheels or using bots to build links with thousands of sites at the press of a button, they used all sorts of techniques for tricking Google’s carefully calculated algorithm. But the tide is turning. Google's Penguin & Panda updates may have cuddly names.

But they have wrecked havoc on the search positions of 1000s of sites. A lot of affiliate marketers stubbornly continue to use the same old tactics to fill websites with links to their websites. But there is a big question mark over how much longer these tactics will be effective. Ultimately, it’s only a matter of time before the Big G wins the war, and SEO marketers bow their heads in acceptance to the new rules of SEO.

The main advice coming from Google's HQ is not to optimise at all. If you do anything to cheat you are only an algorithm update away from a ‘Google slap’. Instead, looking natural is the name of the game. How can you achieve this? Through ethical 'white hat' SEO. Here is a rundown of the five pillars of the new rules of SEO: Aim For A Wider

Range Of Keywords - Not long ago the main SEO advice was to use keywords in your 'anchor text(the highlighted words that form the link). Predictably, this tactic became totally overused and abused to the point where it has backfired for many website owers. Nowadays, you need to have a range of anchor text to reflect the many different ways in which people can connect to your website’s articles. Instead of just having ‘snow blower’ as your anchor text in every syndicated blog post and article, you need to include terms like 'visit our snow plough website', 'we sell the best snow ploughs‘ and more varied links . 

Links From Social Media- What other people think has always been a strong barometer of what constitutes great content. So Google has started using Tweets, Likes and other social signals to gauge which articles and blog posts have earned their authors a higher spot in its rankings. How do you get all these social signals? That’s right, through employing a copywriter to write great content for you. In fact, you can now get as much traffic from social media sites as you can the search engines. This means high value content can double your traffic, and one day Facebook and Twitter's influence may grow to the level where you dont even have to worry about search engine optimisation ever again.

Posting On Popular Blogs - Backlinks from relevant, high value websites has long been SEO mana. But these days popular blogs can afford to be picky. They will be less than impressed if you send them rehashed content, rewritten and served as original thought of your own. If you want your articles to be accepted and to drive traffic, along with a backlink, you need to provide content that challenges their reader’s preconceptions or has something new to say. It takes time and research to write such unique, original guest articles. But the delicious ‘link juice’ you gain will make all the effort worth it.

Bounce Rate - Much like a rubber ball bouncing against a wall, this is the number of people who leave your website without visiting more than one page. This is now a key indicator of your website's relevancy and value. So to boost your search positions, you should have high quality content that keeps them engaged, answers their questions and keeps them hanging around for longer.

Google+ Author Link - Google+ might still be lagging behind its rivals, but ignore Google+ at your peril. Being a member of other people’s ‘circles’ gives Google a clear indication that you have something interesting to say. Consequently, adding the Google authorship tag to your website lets Google know that you can be trusted to deliver high quality information which keeps people engaged and that you deserve the nod of approval to sit at the top table of its search results.

As you can see from these new rules of search engine optimisation , quality content is going to be how you earn high rankings now and in the future. To gain higher rankings you need to get talking to SEO copywriters and/or content producers.

The added bonus is that along with higher rankings, you'll be developing your reputation as a thought leader and an expert in your niche. Higher conversions and more enquiries on your website will follow .