As you head into the New Year, you may be wondering if SEO still works. I guess it’s a fair enough question—I mean, so many other things are “dead” in this day and age, like Furbies, TRL, and Nintendo 64. But SEO isn’t one of them.
When talking to prospective clients about our services, our sales team often hears the question, “How can I be positive this is going to work?”
Honestly? There is no guarantee.
Be wary of companies who make you promises (“I guarantee I can get you on the first page of Google.” “I promise I can get you X number of visits to your website in one month.”). Nobody but the actual search engines can actually control which pages rank. Companies have tried to game the system and failed (Rap Genius is a glaring example of this).
While nobody can guarantee SEO will work, I can still answer your question with more than just that. But first, analyze your website against your competitors’!
Does Content Marketing Work?
Yes, content marketing still works, and better yet, content marketing is still effective! I’ll say four things as a way of answering the title of this blog post:
Without content, you won’t rank.
Having a beautifully designed website with five pages isn’t enough. Search engines rank pages, not websites. So by adding more content (more pages on your website), you increase your chances of ranking. And when you rank better, you get more website visitors—more potential leads!
How else can you become THE authority in your industry?
Without investing in any form of content marketing, it can be a bit more difficult to become an authority in your market. By blogging on a regular basis, not only can you establish yourself as an authority that consumers can turn to when they need something (your services—like plumbing repair, AC installation, kitchen remodeling, etc.) but you can rank better in the search engines.
Look at what people are saying.
Shakira says it best: “my hips don’t lie.” And neither do happy customers and the data! I don’t mean to toot our Blue Corona horn (actually, kind of), but if you want to know if content marketing works, check out our case studies and testimonials. That should be answer enough.
Also this simple concept: doing something is better than doing nothing (and your competitors are most likely doing something). If you’re still skeptical, check out the websites of other content marketing companies and look for testimonials, case studies, and the like.
It’s in the blog.
For more details, you should read our blog. There are a few different posts that more or less answer the ever-present question “does SEO still work?”
- Although SEO has evolved and will continue to do so, it isn’t dead.
- Speaking of change…Google’s Hummingbird is bringing about a smarter system for ranking (which can eliminate spammy content).
- Black hat SEO and spammy link building are becoming scarcer as Google and the other search engines are getting better at detecting spam. White hat SEO is here to stay!
- And more (there’s a lot more, I promise).
Conclusion
Back to the beginning for a sec—why does nobody play N64 anymore? How did ever it die out? What a shame. But it would be an even bigger shame if you didn’t invest in content marketing. So if you need help coming up with an online marketing plan so you can get more website traffic and leads, you’ll be in good hands with Blue Corona’s content marketing team.
Contact us today to get started and make 2014 a year to remember!
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About The Author: Alanna is the Quality Assurance Manager in Blue Corona's Maryland office. When she's not triple-checking websites and content for errors and consistency, you can find her at the gym with her twin sister or urban exploring with her husband.
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