SEO is no longer enough to earn your website the top spot in search engine rankings. This post will explain why and what you can do to remedy the situation.
In the past, search engines relied on keywords and keyword phrases to match content with viewer queries. While this worked well in theory, it led to some content that was stuffed with fluff. A business or organization could simply repeat keywords and their variations throughout a given website page, offer nothing of value to the reader, and yet rank well for matching criteria. This kind of search engine optimization was discouraged by changes to ranking algorithms.
When SEO is no longer enough, there have to be other ranking factors at play. It has been over a decade since Google began looking with extra favor on mobile-friendly websites. By April 2015, Google began enforcing mobile-first ranking as we explained in “How Mobile First Ranking Works.” Four years later, website owners were encouraged to make the switch from HTTP to HTTPS. Google rewarded early adaptors of these secure, encrypted connections by including HTTPS in its search engine ranking algorithm. In 2019, Google’s Core Web Vitals became ranking values, once again placing an emphasis on the importance of the user experience.
Combined with excellent web design, these website ranking factors—mobile friendliness, viewers’ safety and security, and the ease and speed of the core web vitals—contribute to a better user experience. An exceptional user experience and people-first content now also matter when SEO is no longer enough.
The primary purpose of people-first content is to help the viewer. You may answer a question, give directions, solve a problem, provide resources, share your expertise, or offer products and services to your target audience. Google has added a Helpful Content update to the list of what it considers good web content in order to reward helpful content and minimize keyword stuffing, fluff, and unhelpful information. We show you how to make the Google Helpful Content Update love your content.
Search engine optimization is still important to the search engine query process but SEO is no longer enough. Call Tate Design at 610.725.0702 or e-mail [email protected] to get the mobile-friendly secure website, people-first content, and exceptional user experience that can now help your website rank well with your target market and with search engines.
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