SEO Is Dead - 4 NEW Principals For SEO Success In 2013

Everything that you have learned in the past about "traditional" SEO has changed.  In fact, you could say SEO is dead (or as we know it), and anyone clinging to this old thought process will see their sites plummet in rankings.  

In the past, search engine optimization was based on having the “right” amount of favorite keywords scattered through the site.  Now, due to the ever-evolving algorithms that search engines use, popular keywords on a site is one of the lowest metrics used to gauge ranking.

There are four new metrics that are used for ranking purposes.  By implementing these changes to your site, you will boost your rankings and keep ahead of the curve.

1. Create A Keyword Portfolio. When you are looking for keywords to place on your site, you want to expand your offerings to include more long tail keywords and phrases than those ranked as the most commonly searched.  Recent data released by Google shows that  70 percent of searches online contain three or more long tail keywords in the search query and nearly 20 percent of all searches that occurred last year were for phrases that were never used before for common products.  By expanding your keywords to include newer keywords and ideas, you will boost your site rankings.
2. Offer Content That Is Problem Solving.  It has become common knowledge that the Internet is now the first place that people turn to when they have a problem.  It's much easier to look for a solution online than to talk to someone over the phone.  If your site offers information on solutions to common and uncommon issues in your industry, your rankings will soar. SEO is dead but long live authority sites!
3. Connecting With Quality Sources.  To have your site considered reliable, you must connect with reliable sources. Google's Penguin Update last year devalued low-quality websites and content farms so don't forget to publish content to reliable sites, such as industry-related sites or even social media outlets.  This builds credibility for your site and increases your rankings.
4. Social Media.  If you are on the Internet, you need to be connected to social media.  Google and Bing have both stated that part of their algorithm for ranking includes the sites intertwinement with social media.  Anyone who desires to promote their site and have good rankings must take advantage of all the opportunities that social media offers.

As you can see, SEO is dead - or at least SEO as we once knew it is dead. In an effort for only the best sites to rank high on the search engines, the game rules must change.  Otherwise, sites that have over-stuffed their content with meaningless information but high numbers of popular keywords would continue to place first when a search is performed. 

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