seo tips and tricks

seo tips and tricks

Search engine optimization (SEO) and the variables that control the ranking of websites and pages are constantly changing. Google’s algorithm, the system that dictates which webpages show up in searches, and in what order, is constantly being altered. The changes are usually minor if you are doing the right things and practicing “white hat” SEO techniques, such as creating quality content and acquiring high-quality links from topical websites. But there are other variables that are constantly shifting, and if you want to get or stay at the top for your selected search terms, you need to stay on top of these changes.

Google’s latest algorithm, named Hummingbird, hurt a lot of websites. Most of those that took a big hit were sites that purchase link building services from SEO companies that provide low-quality links with the exact same anchor text. So if you were targeting the term “St. Louis Wedding Photographer” and you used one of these services that provided links from low-quality websites with the link “St. Louis Wedding Photographer” pointing to your website, you were now penalized for doing so. Google has caught on to this shady technique, as it always eventually does when people try to fool the algorithm. Google’s now looking for more organic links, like “click here…,” and especially your brand name/domain name, since they are more natural.