One thing you can be sure of, SEO is not a static discipline, it is constantly changing and evolving. To be successful, one has to keep abreast of these developments and refine your strategy accordingly. In the past, SEO practitioners simply created as many backlinks in as many places as possible. This practice, not only no longer works, it can actually do more harm than good.
The emergence of Web 2.0 meant that effective backlinks were more social based as opposed to those on custom hosted pages. Quite simply, Web 2.0 is about a more dynamic, user generated experience, as compared to the more static pages in the past. Google also implemented penalties for excessive, arbitrary back linking.
That is not to say backlinks are no longer effective, they are. Link building sites can be of great benefit in improving your SEO.
Here is what you need to do.
- Create A Presence On Social Platforms
It stands to reason, if Web 2.0 is more geared to the social media, it is vital that your company has a presence there. Like most things, there is a right way and a wrong way to go about this so do some homework first to make sure you get it right. It is also important to keep them fresh and relevant. There are many platforms available and new ones appear almost daily but initially, make sure you at least have the following:
- A Facebook business page
- A Twitter account
- A LinkedIn business page
- A Google My Business page
The above is all rather simple to set up and maintain but do your homework and think carefully about what and how you post. There are thousands of examples of companies making epic social media blunders. Try to avoid these at all costs.
One that will take a bit more effort, unless you have the material already, is a YouTube channel for your business. If you are in the hospitality industry, you will also want to get a Trip Advisor and Yelp presence.
Not only will these platforms give you great exposure and improve your overall SEO, they also give you valuable insight into customer opinions as well as a rapid means to communicate with your market.
Also consider incorporating a blog into your web site. With the use of relevant key words, this will help in boosting your SEO and can also assist with content for other platforms. There are social media aggregator tools that can share posts or material across various platforms so maintain the above is not as time consuming as you might first think.
Another important thing to do is to submit and verify your web site on Alexa.
- Create a Killer Personal Branded Profile
Now that you have your company profile set up in all the relevant places and you are updating regularly, you need to create a profile for your own personal brand. Position yourself as a thought leader in your area of expertise. This you can do on sites like Quora and LinkedIn.
There are a few simple rules to follow here for best results. You can mention your company name but try to be subtle. Not only will people reading it see through self-promotion, but Google will pick probably pick it up and penalize you for it. Make use of a different e-mail to the main company one and that is used for other Google services.
Once you have established these personal profiles, involve yourself in discussion, answer questions and get active on the various platforms, in the area of your niche. Slowly and subtlety, you can get your company name across and create synergy with your business profile.
- Interact On Community Pages
Once you mastered that, start participating on community pages. Again, there are many to choose from but some of the most popular are: Tumbler, WordPress and Blogspot Blogs; Instagram; Youtube pages and Facebook fan pages.
Again, ensure you are subtle and sincere. Try to genuinely assist the communities with relevant, factual and useful information, while slowly bringing your brand into the posts.
The above might sound like a lot of work but take it one step at a time and before you know it, you will have a brilliant Web 2.0 presence.
