The Best SEO Tips That Will Actually Work for your Company in 2013

The SEO landscape changes every year. Sometimes, it feels like it changes every hour. But we’ve noticed that some SEO trends never fade – in fact, these trends seem to be getting stronger with every Google update.

So what kinds of SEO tactics will work for your company in 2013? Keep reading to find out!

Diversify anchor text

In the past, SEO gurus could confidently link back to their websites using the exact same keywords for which they were trying to rank. If they wanted to rank a Dallas web design website they could simply flood the internet with articles that featured links saying Dallas web design, Dallas internet marketing, and web design Dallas.

While having these keywords sprinkled in your anchor text profile is a good idea, it can also be a very bad one when done excessively. Google has cracked down on websites that don’t have diverse anchor profiles. Instead of writing keywords like the ones listed above, be sure to mix in longer links, naked URL links, and any other text that is related to the content on that page.

The point is: if you’re doing anchor text right, you will still end up ranking for those keywords due to your strong on-page SEO. Worry less about exact anchor text (get rid of those spreadsheets) and worry more about diversity.

Diversify away from Google

Google is a great search engine, right? Well, history has taught us that even the mightiest of empires will fall eventually. We’re not saying we have privileged insider knowledge that guarantees Google’s demise within the next year. But since most websites depend entirely on Google for survival, it never hurts to create a survival plan if Google should disappear (or if your traffic sources from Google suddenly disappear due to a penalty or de-index).

Diversify your traffic sources and look at other search engines. Acquire traffic through other means. Use article marketing to its full potential and try advertising on forums or other websites where potential customers congregate. These approaches can often draw in more targeted traffic than traditional SEO while being far more cost-effective.

Even if Google doesn’t drop off significantly within the next decade, you will have diversified your traffic and increased your online presence and traffic, which is the ultimate goal of any SEO campaign.

Diversify the way you market your products

Apple may preach that simplicity is key when marketing products. And that may be true. But diversifying the way you market your products is never a bad idea. Consumers are getting better about spotting scams and exaggerated benefits.

Instead of trying to perform sleight of hand on your customers by convincing them of benefits that aren’t really there, take a look at what makes your company, product, or service unique. Use the real benefits of your product as the base for your marketing. Don’t exaggerate your product by claiming it’s something that it really is not.

Conclusion

As clever readers have probably noticed, diversity will be key in 2013. Google is cracking down on low-quality SEO tactics and penalizing sites that use them. When you diversify your SEO tactics, you’re showing Google a more natural-looking link profile. When Google sees natural-looking SEO indicators, your search engine rankings will rise. It’s as simple as that.