OK, we know we are going to upset a lot of people with what we are going to tell you in this article, but it needs to be said. All of the off the shelf “solutions” for SEO are complete and total BS. There are no short cuts in marketing, especially in the hyper-competitive digital world. In fact, many of these short cuts will get you penalized and potentially blacklisted. Why is that? Let’s start by thinking about Google and what it is. It is a search engine built by some of the brightest minds in the world. Google makes a lot of money from their paid advertising. However, their value comes in delivering relevant content to end-users. Therefore, if they do not provide a good solution, then the end-users don’t use them, and they don’t sell ads. This is pretty straight forward. And while people are always creating creative solutions to game the system, Google has more resources, and will eventually catch on. So while you might jump ahead for a bit, getting blacklisted isn’t worth it. Instead, let’s consider the mechanics and logic behind search results. First, let’s consider SEO. Search Engine Optimization is the goal of having a website appear in the top search results for specific keywords. In other words, your SEO strategy needs to research around word combinations that people are searching for, and you need to create content that optimizes for these word combinations. So how does Google evaluate websites to figure out whether or not a website is relevant to specific set search keywords? Google typically bases the evaluation on the following factors.

• If people go to your website and spend a lot of time there, Google rewards you.
• If people search for you and find you using specific keywords, Google rewards you.
• If people link to you as an authority, and other people follow those links and spend time on your website, Google rewards you.
• If your website is mobile-friendly, and loads quickly, Google rewards you.

Do you see a pattern here? If you create a useful and engaging brand experience through your website using the right technology, and you combine that with good, relevant, and effective content, then you have a website that will optimize. That is, your website will rank high in the search results. Now, that, of course, is an oversimplification, and ranking does require additional work depending on how competitive the search results are. But the key elements above are the ones that have stayed consistent with Google throughout the changes in their algorithms. Rarely, do you optimize and rise to the top of search results right out of the gate. We see clients starting to optimize weeks after launching, but without more, it can take months before they dominate a set of keywords. If you want to optimize for a search result more quickly, something more needs to be done to bring awareness and thus, traffic to your site. Whether it is through paid advertisements, affiliates, pavement pounding, or other physical marketing, getting found requires a carefully thought out, customized strategy, and the competent execution of the strategy. We can help. We pride ourselves in creating some of the best websites and tools in the world. We bring together the best technologies, usability, and brand strategy for the ultimate marketing experience. We can put you behind the wheels of a marketing Ferrari, and help you drive it and drive it correctly. In sum, you can achieve a majority of your needs for SEO by creating the right website first. However, you then need to research opportunities of where you want to be found and then position your website and content towards those goals. Remember, there are no silver bullets, and almost no automated solutions for optimization and tools require upkeep and maintenance. With each passing day, the Internet grows more and more crowded and more competitive. You need a website custom-tailored to your needs, that is a honed tool for you not just to survive but thrive. So roll up those sleeves. Let’s get you into the driver’s seat of an amazing new website that you can drive to success using our digital strategy.