The Continuous Change of Organic SEO

Search engine optimization used to be a science. Marketers knew how Google ranked websites; increasing the keyword density on a page and backlinks to a site was almost a guarantee for success.

But things have changed. Marketers who knew how the ranking system worked also knew how to game it, creating irrelevant backlinks and stuffing keywords into pages just to increase rankings. So in its ongoing effort to increase user experience, Google has released a number of algorithms with names like Panda, Pigeon and Penguin that were specifically designed to take the wind out of the sails of marketers gaming the system. As a result, organic SEO has transformed steadily from a science to an art.

What is organic SEO?

Organic SEO encompasses all unpaid efforts to increase website rankings on Google. It stands in direct contrast to SEM or search engine marketing, in which marketers pay money to have their website appear as a "sponsored" link atop search results. Not surprisingly, organic SEO is among the most desirable marketing tactics available: 93 percent of all online experiences begin with a search engine, and reaching that audience without cost is tempting.

Organic Relevance

The importance of organic SEO explains why, as mentioned above, so many marketers have attempted to game the system in order to get results. But in today’s SEO world of Panda, Penguin and Pigeon, gaming the system is no longer an option. Backlinks have to be from relevant and authentic sites. Keywords still have to be present, but can’t be stuffed into pages with an unusually high density. Black-hat and grey-hat tactics like cloaking keywords by hiding them on same-color background are no longer acceptable.

Websites ignoring these developments face serious penalties that range from loss of ranking (and traffic) to being kicked off Google’s search results altogether. Instead, marketers looking to optimize their websites have to consider their audience more than ever before: what content can we post that users will not only view, but share? How can we utilize social media as a way to increase shared links? What keywords are important, and how can we integrate them naturally?

Those are just a few questions that marketers engaging in organic SEO have to ask themselves. Fortunately, we’re here to help! Contact us today to see how you can improve your organic SEO results without fear of penalization.