San Diego, CA (PRWEB) January 26, 2013
Business with websites need to rethink their search engine optimization techniques to remain visible now that Google has implemented its Penguin algorithm, according to the head of a San Diego web design agency.
As business owners implement their 2013 marketing plans, they should bear in mind that SEO is not as important as it used to be, says Jeremy Durant, business principal at Bop Design, which has helped hundreds of clients boost response through effective, strategic web design.
Durant notes that in a recent Forbes article titled “The Death of SEO: The Rise of Social, PR and Real Content,” leading SEO consultant Adam Torkildson proclaims, Google is in the process of making the SEO industry obsolete, SEO will be dead in two years.
Torkildson was referring to Penguin, an algorithm Google launched last spring. Penguin penalizes websites that incorporate some of the most popular techniques for achieving high rankings on search engines. Among the techniques: SEO.
Penguin puts a stronger emphasis on content than its predecessors, Durant says. With Penguin, many long-held SEO tactics just arent as effective anymore. Google says the reasoning behind Penguin is to stress the user experience. In other words, websites that offer outstanding content will rank the highest, as well they should.
In addition, he says, Google reportedly will soon institute another change that affects SEO. It will push so-called zombie sites — those that are not updated regularly — farther down in search results.
What is behind the shift?
Google and other search sites have evolved in their thinking, Durant says The prevailing thought is that quality content is far more important than keyword density. Previous algorithms actually encouraged keyword overuse because thats the kind of data the algorithms were looking for.
Does this mean business owners and marketers should ignore SEO altogether? Not exactly, Durant notes. Its still important for your website to have the basics of on-page optimization. The websites code needs to be up to date and clean. The page titles and header tags should clearly (yet briefly) describe the content thats on each page and your business. This just makes it easier for Google to find and evaluate your website. Its also important to pay attention to 301 redirects and sitemap submissions when you launch a new website.
The real shift is content, he points out: If you had to choose between spending hours upon hours optimizing each of your websites pages around a specific keyword and writing a blog post every week go with the blog post. This is important. In 2013 and beyond, great content should be your No. 1 goal.
What comprises great content that will get sites noticed? Durant says pretty much anything thats not overly marketing-oriented, such as thoughtful blogs, white papers, bylined articles, e-books, podcasts, plus informative appealing videos, and infographics.
Its still OK to use keywords, Durant says. Just dont use them to draw too much attention to your company, its products or services so Penguin wont give you a cool reception.
About Bop Design
Bop Design is a San Diego web design agency with offices also in the New York metro area. We express your business values through branding, advertising, design and web design. We also help attract your ideal customer through search engine optimization and search engine marketing. Our focus is on small businesses that want an external team of marketing specialists to help give their brand an edge in the marketplace. To learn about Bop Designs services, philosophy, clients and portfolio, visit http://www.bopdesign.com.
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