That sounds a bit harsh - but ultimately it’s true.
Late last year, Smashing Magazine wrote an article about SEO and basically said that:
- As long as your website is programmed properly.
- Don’t try to game the system - it’s not a long term strategy.
- Write original, relevant, interesting website content for people.
- Keep doing that - it takes time.
- As people link to your site, your ranking will rise.
I 100% completely agree.
We’ve been saying this for years - most SEO seems to be a scam - build a site properly, then fill it with interesting website content: blogs, white papers, information, items that people are interested in.
If people are interested in your site, there will be links to it. If there are links to it, then your ranking will rise. If you’re utilizing social media to spread the word, if you’re active online where your customers are active - that will all help.
You have to make what you do interesting - and ultimately what you do will be interesting to somebody.
There isn’t an easy button - you have to work at it - and gaming the system (short term SEO hacks) will only help for so long - and may hurt you in the long run.
We’ve lost contracts because we didn’t offer those scammy SEO services - but we’re still not going to offer those services. Do like Google says:
Make pages primarily for users, not for search engines.
Isn’t that what should always be the point? Do things for your clients / users and their long term benefit - not short term snake-oil cures that ultimately don’t work.
There is no easy button - and you have to take the time to fix it.