What does that even mean? I thought my website was for people!?! So now I’m supposed to “optimize” my site for “robots”?! What gives!?! I know, it seems a little strange, and it’s changed a lot as search engine technology has evolved.
Early SEO
Back when I first started building sites, search engines were relatively simple. They’d just scrape your site, see what words you use on it the most (even the meta keywords) and they’d count how many incoming links you have and voila! There was your search result. Super simple! And as you can imagine it was relatively easy to rank using simple methods like “link building” and “condensing keywords”.
Current SEO
SEO isn’t about necessarily about search engines anymore. Google and other search engines have evolved their algorithms to be far more advanced. The focus now is all about creating a pleasant user experience. It’s that simple. Don’t focus on the search engine, write for YOUR AUDIENCE! and most importantly meet the expectations you set from your SERP all the way through your product page to your checkout. Users don’t want surprises, they don’t want a choose your own adventure, they want either information or a product or service, it’s really that simple and the most simple and straightforward way you can give it to them, the better. SEO is not a secret, Google literally gives you all the answers you need right here.
Need help?
I understand many people don’t have the time or desire to try to learn another skill-set on top of running a business and the search world changes quickly so you’ve got to be able to stay on top of the emerging technologies and trends. If you’re located in the Spokane area and need some local help with your SEO feel free to contact me. I’ll gladly take a look at your site and see what can be done to help you improve your users experience and with it in time, your search engine ranking.
Web Developer
eCommerce Usability Optimization Expert
PNW Native, Outdoor Enthusiast and Overlander.