Is SEO still a real thing though?

[KennethCrowder]

With google filtering the internet, is SEO still a reliable marketing tool? I personally think using job sites like Indeed etc. can get you better short term SEO, just make sure you're advertising a job.

Google also slowly removes any form of meta data or tricks to get you in the front pages. You're battling against mainstream media outlets for front page news.

 

[AllUpHere]

If your SEO relies on tricks, you are doing it wrong.

 

[fisicx]

Google also slowly removes any form of meta data or tricks to get you in the front pages.

And so it should.

SEO is not about tricks. It's about following tried and tested methods that haven't changed much in years.

 

[ctrlbrk]

With google filtering the internet, is SEO still a reliable marketing tool? I personally think using job sites like Indeed etc. can get you better short term SEO, just make sure you're advertising a job.

Google also slowly removes any form of meta data or tricks to get you in the front pages. You're battling against mainstream media outlets for front page news.

Google 'filters' the Internet based on the keywords you put in.

SEO optimizes those search results based on certain factors.


This is either a click-bait thread or OP is ill-informed indeed.

 

[R4Andrew]

You don't need tricks to rank. I've started SEO more than a decade ago and the only tricks google filtered are those black hat techniques.

 

[KennethCrowder]

I understand your replies, but its mostly evergreen content and years of teaching google that you're a safe website. This is unfair when you can literally pay to be on the front page, which defeats SEO.

So I was trying to understand how people survive today. For example, you can have a website for 10 years on 'best pizza recipe', it can be safe, it can be trusted, but then if I make a youtube video on 'best pizza receipe' and it goes viral the next day. My video will top your website in an instant. All those 10 years and you got bested by a tik tokker who thought 'might as well put it on youtube'.

Me personally, I've been following seo for a decade. Before it was as simple as having chainlinks, backlinks, and a good solid year of being a trusted website. The best method was when a top source linked back to your site, those were the golden days. But now more im seeing that those who can pay the way, pave the way.

 

[ctrlbrk]

But now more im seeing that those who can pay the way, pave the way.

Aren't we talking about different things though? At its simplest:


SEO is one thing, which is generally free and merit-based.

SEM* is another thing, you pay and you get your traffic.



* or whatever you call it these days

 

[fisicx]

This is unfair when you can literally pay to be on the front page, which defeats SEO.

That's advertising, nothing to do with SEO.

IFor example, you can have a website for 10 years on 'best pizza recipe', it can be safe, it can be trusted, but then if I make a youtube video on 'best pizza receipe' and it goes viral the next day. My video will top your website in an instant. All those 10 years and you got bested by a tik tokker who thought 'might as well put it on youtube'.

Doesn't work like that. In any case, youtube =/= tiktok

Before it was as simple as having chainlinks, backlinks, and a good solid year of being a trusted website.

It's never been like that. It's always been about the content supported with links. Google now puts more emphasis on content and less on links unless they are relevant, from an authoritative and trusted site and add value.

 

[SEODEV#338055]

"With google filtering the internet, is SEO still a reliable marketing tool? I personally think using job sites like Indeed etc. can get you better short term SEO, just make sure you're advertising a job.
Google also slowly removes any form of meta data or tricks to get you in the front pages. You're battling against mainstream media outlets for front page news."

Then why do the free Google for Jobs listings appear above uk.indeed.com in the search engine results page for the search 'solicitor jobs in london'?

I think you'll find that meta data still works

https://developers.google.com/search/docs/data-types/job-posting

 

[fisicx]

Then why do the free Google for Jobs listings appear above uk.indeed.com in the search engine results page for the search 'solicitor jobs in london'?

Because that's a Google service just like GMB.

And those listings are the result of structured data not meta-data.

 

[SEODEV#338055]

Because that's a Google service just like GMB.

And those listings are the result of structured data not meta-data.

So I was correct in disagreeing with the o/p statement that 'Indeed is a better form of advertising a job than Google for Jobs'

"With google filtering the internet, is SEO still a reliable marketing tool? I personally think using job sites like Indeed etc. can get you better short term SEO, just make sure you're advertising a job."

...whilst you correctly point out my technical error!

 

[Ozzy]

Yes, SEO is a real thing so long as you do it correctly. I too remember "the good old days" back in the early 00's where I was a contractor for the World Health Organisation with access to some very high profile websites, and I also did some SEO work. I could get someone on the front page of Google for anything within a week. Easy money, but quite rightly those tactics don't work any more.

Using no dodgy SEO tactics, just good web copy and structured content, I've been able to get my wife's site, and now my daughters too because not like I have a business of my own to run, well ranked on Google for their products/service they offer and both are getting business/enquiries from it. Not really any hard work either, just kept it all in mind as I built the sites and the page content, and it only took a couple months to come into effect and neither site has any backlinks from anywhere that I created or sorted. Just submitted a sitemap once the site was ready.

 

[makeusvisible]

Google are simply trying to display the best and most relevant websites at the top of search results. Otherwise, their product is defunct.

An SEOs job is to follow the guidelines Google provide and do the things Google asks you to do in order to improve your chances of appearing in those top results;

i.e

Provide users with good and relevant information
Provide a site which has a good user experience
Have a secure website
Have a website which has unique text
Have a website which loads quickly
And 1,000+ other items

Alongside this having properly setup GMB profiles, social profiles, and of course performance tools such as Analytics and Search Console in order to act on data Google provides you with, and improve all of the above.

If you do all those things, you are not only improving your chances of appearing higher in search, but you are improving the user experience, and thus will improve the performance of your website once people visit it.

Obviously, Google ae monetising their platform as much as possible, but even with their paid Google Ads platform, the usability of a website, content, speed and performance comes into play in the price you pay for clicks.

 

[OldWelshGuy]

I won't quote people as that makes life complicated but as someone who has been handling SEO since before Google existed I feel that not a lot has changed in how professional SEO works. Sure early days due to the backrub algorithm Google created it was possible to link bomb, but when they acquired Applied Semantics with the intention of using it for Google AdWords (as was then) things changed as they had two measurements, value (PageRank) and relevance (semantic relationships).

In 2006, I wrote how while working on a bridal store I noticed that on searches for 'Wedding dress' Google was highlighting 'Bridal gown' 'wedding gown' etc.

I have always been asked how my blog ranked so well when my written English was not that good!

The answer of course was that I wrote naturally and as a result Google detected semantic relevance in the natural language.

Since 1995 when I built my first commercial website I told the client that I was 'not building a site for you, I'm building it for your customers'. From day one, as a marketer I knew that meeting search intent was the key to traffic and conversion, and here we are 26 years later with everyone and their brother evangelising how meeting search intent is the new SEO shiny object

It's like the story of the old bull and the young bull at the top of the field, young bull says 'Hey pops, let's run down there and **** one of the cows.

The old bull says 'go ahead son, I'll walk down and **** them all

 

[SEODEV#338055]

I feel that not a lot has changed in how professional SEO works

I told the client that I was 'not building a site for you, I'm building it for your customers'

The answer of course was that I wrote naturally and as a result Google detected semantic relevance in the natural language.

Just highlighting the best parts

 

[OldWelshGuy]

Just highlighting the best parts

That's one way of getting your post count up I guess <joke>

 

[SEODEV#338055]

@OldWelshGuyModerator

Bart Simpson's detention punishment

I promise to post less
I promise to post less
I promise to post less

 

[Digihound]

I won't quote people as that makes life complicated but as someone who has been handling SEO since before Google existed I feel that not a lot has changed in how professional SEO works. Sure early days due to the backrub algorithm Google created it was possible to link bomb, but when they acquired Applied Semantics with the intention of using it for Google AdWords (as was then) things changed as they had two measurements, value (PageRank) and relevance (semantic relationships).

In 2006, I wrote how while working on a bridal store I noticed that on searches for 'Wedding dress' Google was highlighting 'Bridal gown' 'wedding gown' etc.

I have always been asked how my blog ranked so well when my written English was not that good!

The answer of course was that I wrote naturally and as a result Google detected semantic relevance in the natural language.

Since 1995 when I built my first commercial website I told the client that I was 'not building a site for you, I'm building it for your customers'. From day one, as a marketer I knew that meeting search intent was the key to traffic and conversion, and here we are 26 years later with everyone and their brother evangelising how meeting search intent is the new SEO shiny object

It's like the story of the old bull and the young bull at the top of the field, young bull says 'Hey pops, let's run down there and **** one of the cows.

The old bull says 'go ahead son, I'll walk down and **** them all

Looks like we both come from the same school of SEO thought/practice with the only difference being that I started out my online journey in 1997 instead & sadly I also have to admit to using that young bull/old bull joke quite a few times too!

 

[AlasterCook]

You should some something for your website which is permanent. Like if you are going to build links for your website in order to increase your website traffic, pa/da and keywords ranking. Then you must find out high-quality niche relevant websites and place your link there naturally.

 

[Metabrand]

As long as there's a position 1 and page 1 on Google, SEO will always be a thing—the only changing factor is how you get there.

 

[SEODEV#338055]

As long as there's a position 1 and page 1 on Google, SEO will always be a thing—the only changing factor is how you get there.

By following the guidelines and providing value

Google
https://developers.google.com/search

YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/creators/

Bing
https://www.bing.com/webmasters/help/webmaster-guidelines-30fba23a

Yahoo
https://help.yahoo.com/kb/higher-website-rank-sln2216.html

Yandex
https://yandex.com/support/webmaster/recommendations/intro.html

Ecosia
https://ecosia.zendesk.com/hc/en-us...w-do-I-get-listed-in-Ecosia-s-search-results-

Ask
https://help.askmediagroup.com/hc/e...n-I-add-my-site-to-your-search-results-index-

StartPage
https://support.startpage.com/index...-i-improve-my-websites-search-engine-rankings

 

[shopomatix]

You can spend six months on seo to get you to the top of organic results and that will place you 7-8 on the page or two min on a Google Ad that places you at number 1. It all comes down to budget

 

[Peter Morris]

With google filtering the internet, is SEO still a reliable marketing tool? I personally think using job sites like Indeed etc. can get you better short term SEO, just make sure you're advertising a job.

Google also slowly removes any form of meta data or tricks to get you in the front pages. You're battling against mainstream media outlets for front page news.

Yes, definitely! If it's done right, it could still deliver amazing results.

 

[fisicx]

You can spend six months on seo to get you to the top of organic results and that will place you 7-8 on the page or two min on a Google Ad that places you at number 1. It all comes down to budget

Or you could do it right and rank of page 1 in a couple of days.

 

[Iain Venn]

Our business still benefits from seo, so I would definitely say YES

 

[fisicx]

yes. SEO is very important for any website. without SEO, very difficult to rank your site and bring traffic to your website.

Why are you still posting? Did you even read the thread?

 

[japancool]

Why are you still posting? Did you even read the thread?

Is Jessica perhaps cut from the same cloth as "Abby Phillips"?

 

[martech]

Yes, SEO is still a great way to generate leads for businesses. It needs some patience and skill to achieve top 3 position in Google.
I normally suggest starting with easy keywords, once you manage to rank them it becomes easier to work with competitive keywords.

Another thing to consider is what stage the business is at, if the business is in need of leads in the near term then it would make sense to pay for Google ads then slowly work on SEO to start generating leads from organic traffic as a long-term strategy.

 

[OldWelshGuy]

Again it all comes down to 'what is SEO?'

I look at page 1 of a Google search result and look for quick wins. E.g. I can get a video on Page 1 fairly easily, which in turn will drive traffic to the website. I can get images appearing on page 1, I can get rich snippets , and best of all, I can get Google My Business (maps) listings on page 1,

All of these things I class as SEO along with conversion optimisation and content, so is SEO worth it? Well hell yes PROVIDED it is holistic and done properly.

 

[Metabrand]

So long as Google keeps publishing it's search guidelines, SEO will always be a thing!

 

[rechapman]

if you Google “SEO is dead,” more than 31 million results pop up)

 

[fisicx]

if you Google “SEO is dead,” more than 31 million results pop up)

Many of which are clickbait articles and the rest is just google tying to match keywords.

 

[makeusvisible]

if you Google “SEO is dead,” more than 31 million results pop up)

If you google 'Paul McCartney Is Dead' you get 23 million results.... doesn't make it true...or does it

 

[UKSBD]

If you google 'Paul McCartney Is Dead' you get 23 million results.... doesn't make it true...or does it

If you type in Boris Has Resigned you get over 4 million results.... doesn't make it true... [Fill in the missing word]

 

[DontAsk]

if you Google “SEO is dead,” more than 31 million results pop up)

If you google "rechapman is a bot" you get 6.9m hits. Are you?

 

[Jacob Evans]

And so it should.

SEO is not about tricks. It's about following tried and tested methods that haven't changed much in years.

Yup, I agree. People fail to realise that SEO is not solely getting quick wins. To get something substantial, you need to be willing to put in time and effort for organic results.

 

[SEODEV#338055]

if you Google “SEO is dead,” more than 31 million results pop up)

Google seo is a thing

299 million results