Old school business clichés that make it easy to understand SEO
There’s a reason that people use SEO agencies. Making sense of algorithms, schema, and optimisation, not to mention all the data you need to detangle, drives most of us into brain fog. Yes, websites are complicated, searching the internet is overwhelming, and there are endless technical tweaks that, let’s face it, you’re not actually that interested in. But when it comes down to the basics, to understand SEO the principles are pretty old school (‘back to basics’, there’s another one!)
This article won’t make you an SEO whizz. But it will help you to understand why the stuff your SEO agency tells you needs to be done, needs to be done! Because lots of it is just old fashioned good business sense.
KISS
Keep it simple, stupid. Coined in 1960, this holds true to understand SEO today. Good, simple design essentially means a user friendly website. Fewer superfluous bells and whistles, more focus on meeting your user’s needs. Not only will visitors to your website appreciate it, so will Google. And this one works in ripples. Straightforward, clearly signposted websites are easier for search engines to process and prioritise. So you’re found by more users. Then, once they’re there, your simple, instinctive site encourages a longer dwell time. This means more signals are sent to Google indicating your site is ‘good’. Continue forever.
You get what you pay for
Let’s go even further back and revisit the Arts & Craft Movement of the late 19th Century. John Ruskin (who’s often named as the source of this concept even though he never directly said the phrase) was an influential thinker for the movement, and wrote much about quality of work and cost. Craftsmanship need not be limited to manufacture and the arts, though. Across marketing disciplines, including SEO, if you cut costs you’ll feel it in the results that you get. From Google Ads to ongoing SEO, invest in good service.
A bad workman will never find a good tool
This one’s been around since the middle ages, and appears in lots of different forms. It can be a bit questionable – good workmen can’t transcend dreadful tools. So, we should look at it in terms of how the ability to choose good tools is part of the quality of the craft. Good SEO is down to strategy. Yes, tools are required. From plugins to AI systems to data analysis, there’s a plethora of choice. So excellent SEO is in part down to utilising experience, technique, and application in these tools.
Quality over quantity
As far as SEO is concerned, one good piece of web content a month is more valuable than weekly content for content’s sake. The business world’s ready use of AI produced content has meant a huge swell in ‘quantity’ content which, ironically, has driven search engine algorithms to disregard the non-human pieces, rendering them pretty worthless. Add to this the prevalence of AI overviews at the top of Google results pages, which is driving a total rethink of SEO content strategy, and quality becomes even more important. We’re not sure where things will go here, but quality and creativity are going to be key factors in staying on top.
It’s not what you know, it’s who you know
Using connections to get to the top is a strategy as old as civilization. The phrase might conjure up an image of the Hollywood casting couch, mid-noughties nepo babies or ‘80s fat cat shareholders. They’re all pretty negative images to be honest, so let’s reframe the reference to understand SEO. The principle of networking is a great way to explain why backlinks are such an important part of the process. Essentially, by creating a series of links to and from your website, you signal to Google that other sources value your services. It’s like lots and lots of little testimonials which establish you as a trusted connection. Of course, since ‘it’s who you know’, the higher the status of the other end of the link, the more valuable it is.
Adapt or die
Search algorithms change. All the time. This is why SEO is a perpetual project. Charles Darwin introduced the ‘adapt or die’ concept with his Evolution of Species, and the business world quickly drew parallels to agility and the ability to react as a way to succeed. Sometimes a business has to pivot or change its offering entirely in order to thrive (it’s how Nokia went from manufacturing wellington boots to mobile phones). More often, though, success depends on the many tiny adaptations that must be made daily to maintain fresh thinking and market positioning. Don’t forget that your competitors are also making their own adaptations to their SEO strategy, so it’s not just the algorithm that shifts the sands. But by consistently identifying and implementing ways to technically, functionally, and aesthetically improve your website, you’ll stay on the right side of SEO evolution.
Time is money
Attributed to Benjamin Franklin in 1748, the concept of ‘time is money’ was soon swept up as a mantra of the Industrial Revolution, designed to keep workers at their stations to profit factory owners. Not a great start! If we reframe this phrase through an SEO lens, though, it makes total sense. It’s why the speed of your website is SO important to Google. No one wants to waste their time staging at a loading screen, so when your website lingers it represents poor value. This is why your SEO agency is so obsessed over optimising images and doing everything they can for that extra split second of speed.
Facts tell, stories sell
The easiest way to work out someone’s age is to ask them which TV adverts they remember most clearly. If they say Hovis, they’re likely Boomers, Gen-X can never forget the Yellow Pages ads, and Millennials will go either Tango or Guinness (if they say ‘what’s a TV advert’ then you’re looking at an Alpha!) All these iconic ads tell a story, that’s what makes them so memorable. You should use this principle for your content, from your About Us pages to your Services, your Blog to your social streams. The stories that make up your organisation increase authenticity signals to Google. Your content will also become more shareable, and your brand more visible across channels. Remember that Youtube is actually the second most used search engine in the world, and you’ll see how stories can help to keep your brand current.
Mind your manners
Lastly, remember that negative experiences stick more than positive ones. So always say please and thank you to your AI. When the machines take over, you’ll be glad you did…
Leapfrog are a dynamic SEO agency – we’ll get you found and also help you understand how we’re doing it. Let’s talk soon about a strategy that works for your business!
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