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- Garry Grant, CEO of SEO Incorporated, recently joined the Future of Work podcast, to discuss the critical nature of ranking highly on Google for driving business revenue.
- This evolution of Google’s AI and algorithms underscores the vital and changing landscape of SEO where adaptability and knowledge of current best practices are essential for maintaining relevant and high search rankings.
- Quality, relevance, and visibility form a triangular foundation for successful SEO.
Getting your website seen on search engines like Google is critical for driving traffic and growing your business. But with over one billion websites online today, how do you make sure search engines can find and showcase your site?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the cornerstone of digital marketing and involves strategies and techniques aimed at increasing the visibility of websites in search engine results — specifically Google’s, given its preeminent market share in search.
Garry Grant, CEO of SEO Incorporated, recently joined the Future of Work podcast to discuss this, and more. Grant brings a wealth of knowledge in this field, emphasizing the critical nature of ranking highly on Google for driving business revenue.
High rankings correlate directly with increased visibility and, by extension, an increased opportunity to generate revenue.
High rankings correlate directly with increased visibility and, by extension, an increased opportunity to generate revenue. In the absence of a strong presence on search engines, even the most well-designed and content-rich websites may remain obscure and fail to attract desired traffic and potential customers.
Grant mentioned the significance of Google’s ranking AI, previously known as RankBrain, and its evolving algorithms that have become more complex and lengthy over time. The most recent rollout he cited is unprecedented in its duration and volatility, with website rankings fluctuating significantly over a month and a half.
“In the future in — the next five years, AI is going to be more complex, hopefully show you better relevant information on the web. Right now, I don’t think it’s the best, but they’re evolving in the next ten years,” Grant said.
The Impact of Deliberate SEO Strategy
This evolution of Google’s AI and algorithms underscores the vital and changing landscape of SEO where adaptability and knowledge of current best practices are essential for maintaining relevant and high search rankings.
The future of SEO, as described by Grant, promises even more complexity from AI systems, aiming to provide more relevant search results to users.
This is a reminder that a website’s value lies not just in its aesthetics or content quality, but in its visibility to those searching the web. Simply put, no matter how substantial the investment in a website’s development and design may be, without proper SEO, that investment may not yield the desired returns.
Grant compared a high-ranking website to a business located on a busy main street, benefiting from the inevitable foot traffic — the sheer visibility translates into potential business.
In contrast, a website without visibility is likened to a store stranded in an isolated location, unlikely to attract any customers by accident.
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This analogy explains the critical factors that dominate successful SEO in the current digital landscape. According to Grant, two of the most significant elements are tied for first place: content and page speed.
What Matters Most to the Algorithm?
Content remains king as it resonates with users and satisfies their search intent. However, even well-crafted content cannot stand alone. It must be accessible swiftly, which brings us to the importance of page speed.
Page speed, an indicator of website performance, has become more challenging to perfect, beyond the skill set of many programmers. Mastery of this feature requires expertise and a consistent commitment to maintaining optimal scores, as evaluated by tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights.
This commitment to ongoing website maintenance and improvement parallels that of a physical storefront — both need to stay clean, updated, and aligned with the latest trends to attract and retain customers.
Grant advised that finding the most effective SEO strategies may necessitate trial and error, and he recommends dedicating time to research and apply new insights. Each incremental improvement may positively impact rankings over time.
The creation of quality content, tailored both to users and search engine algorithms, requires significant investment — sometimes up to a week for a single page of content.
Nevertheless, this investment is worth it, given that organic search can contribute “over 84%” of a site’s traffic, according to Grant. While paid search may seem prominent, many users prefer clicking on organic results, knowing these are not paid advertisements.
Quality, relevance, and visibility form a triangular foundation for successful SEO.
Writing good SEO articles requires specialized skills; it involves balancing the demands of SEO strategies with user engagement. For SEO companies who are competing in a field flooded with experts, the bar is set especially high. Grant emphasized the need to outshine peers to secure top rankings on Google’s first page.
Grant concluded with advice that SEO is not just about the volume of content but the value it brings to users. Quality, relevance, and visibility form a triangular foundation for successful SEO.
Creating content with a focus on being viewed, rather than for the sake of activity, aligns with strategic business practices — avoiding the waste of valuable time and resources.
“You can’t just throw something on your website,” Grant explained. “You’ve got to throw it on with purpose and then architect the content in order to have an aligned outcome with your overall SEO plan.”
“You can’t just throw something on your website,” Grant explained. “You’ve got to throw it on with purpose and then architect the content in order to have an aligned outcome with your overall SEO plan.”
When aiming for better Google rankings, focus on three core areas:
1.Page speed: Google favors fast-loading sites in its algorithm. Optimizing page speed by minimizing file sizes, enabling compression, and streamlining code can boost rankings.
2.Quality content: Unique, informative content tailored to what your audience is searching for signals relevancy to Google. Regularly publishing new, useful content is key.
3.Inbound links: Securing links from other authoritative sites helps Google validate your site’s value and subject matter expertise. Guest posting, sponsored content and link building should be ongoing activities.
Grant’s insights provide a glimpse into the ever-evolving world of SEO. Success in this realm lies in understanding and responding to the intricacies of search engine algorithms, prioritizing both technical performance (such as page speed) and high-quality, relevant content creation.
As AI continues to shape the future of search, mastering these elements becomes more crucial for businesses that want to secure their visibility and competitive edge online.
