Why we should still call SEO, SEO!
I read an article from a local competitor that states “Why We Need To Stop Calling It SEO” yet under the title of “What is SEO” they show their lack of understanding of what SEO has become and why it is more important than ever.
SEO; or search engine optimisation to give it it’s full title is NOT just about optimising web pages to conform to Google’s et all good practises; though I will give them some credit; it is part and an important part of what SEO is about.
However, Wikipedia give a far more accurate description of what SEO is; it is the process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine’s “natural” or un-paid (“organic”) search results.
This means looking at a website; as the competitor pointed out, optimising the webpage to conform to standards PLUS use white hat (will explain another day) methods to push the page as high as possible. These methods must also conform to Google’s Webmaster Tools Guidelines.
Their piece then goes on about Digital Marketing Strategies; why? They sell themselves as an agency that does it all. However they have failed to see that with the latest version of Google; Hummingbird and the ever increasing use of knowledge graphs any digital market strategy should be managed by an SEO.
After all, part of an SEO’s job is to find the potential keywords that may generate, not just traffic but leads. With these in mind the SEO should then guide those running the social media side of things in the right direction of what is needed to help with the organic side of things.
Yes; I know that social media optimisation (SMO) also covers things like branding and awareness however these will potentially be directed by the companies own guidelines or policies. In saying that, SMO; when guided by an SEO can lead to interaction between a company and those seeking their product in a way that lets the knowledge graph know how important that company is to the product; this builds Authority.
In the eyes of Google; Authority is one of the most important elements of SEO; as are Trust and Reputation. So when the author writes “Don’t do Social Media for SEO” he is wrong. You should look at social media as part of an overall strategy; SMO and SEO are to some extent intertwined.
I could go on and write thousands of words as to why I think SEO is not Dead and why we should still call SEO, SEO! However that will come mixed in other posts.
If you take one thing from this short response it should be that with knowledge graphs, there is the potential that what I do when I use the internet, could affect the search results of others I converse with via social media.