What SEO Strategies Work Today?
1. Massive Value Posts (MVPs)
There’s a big difference between writing an article and writing a Massive Value Post (MVP). Too often, people are plagued with the syndrome of doing the least amount of work with the expectation of the greatest returns. In fact, this is ingrained into our instant gratification, on-demand society where we feel we shouldn’t have to wait or work hard for things.
The problem? Success in life, no matter what endeavor we’re speaking about, is steeped in the underlying principle that you have to do the most amount of work with the expectation of the least initial return. In another words, you have to add value. Those who can add the most value, no matter what industry we’re speaking of, will always rise to the top.
For example, think about Apple for a moment and its product lineup, along with its sudden meteoric rise in popularity. Of course, that rise wasn’t sudden, but rather a culmination of a high-value proposition consistently wielded over time, resulting in an upward curve in the popularity of the company’s products and its subsequent marketshare.
So why did Apple rise to the top of the heap recently? One simple and basic reason — the company added a lot of value consistently over time. In fact, it added far more value than its competitors, not only in its computer and laptop business, but also its smartphone and tablet business. There’s an element of trust that’s been built with the community as a whole.
However, this didn’t happen quickly by any means. Similar to the value-added proposition that you see with any large corporation that’s been able to capture a significant marketshare, this was built up over time. It doesn’t happen overnight. Neither does SEO. Google has actually miniaturized the rules of economics with supply and demand into its algorithms.
Today, those rules are apparent. The company looks for Websites that are continuously adding value over time, without trying to bend or break the rules. It’s looking for those that are doing the most amount of work with the expectation of the least initial return. How’s that done? Through MVPs, quite possibly one of the most direct routes into mass appeal.
So what is an MVP, really? Here’s what’s involved with creating an MVP:
Adds Immense Value: Great MVPs succeed because they add a lot of value. As subjective as that might seem, Google has algorithms for determining just how much value has been added. Not only can it analyze the content itself, but also users’ reactions to that content based on their behavior such as how long they stayed on the page, what they did after reading it and so on. Go out of your way to ensure your MVP adds an enormous amount of value.
Keyword Focused: The MVP has to be keyword focused and laser targeted towards your topic. Trying to cover multiple topics in one post or even veering off topic doesn’t lend to adding lots of value to your prose. Whatever it is you’re trying to help solve for the reader, or whatever tutorial you’re trying to give, just ensure that it stays clearly focused on that keyword or topic.
Usage of Illustrative Media: Depending on what topic the MVP is covering, illustrative media is always helpful for the readers. Especially when you’re trying to convey information related to highly-technical topics, providing photos of the steps or even an explanatory video can help your MVP score some huge points. In essence, anything that can improve the user’s experience, will be beneficial in the long run. This is one of those areas where your time is very well spent.
Well Written: While this might seem obvious to some, if your article isn’t well written, it’s not going to add lots of value. In fact, it’s going to diminish the user’s experience, which is a big no-no in the eyes of Google. Start by ensuring that the article is free of spelling errors and is grammatically correct. Then, ensure the usage of diversity in chosen words throughout the article and make sure the reading level is high. While you’re not looking to write a doctoral thesis, you do want it to be intelligible enough that it conveys the concepts and principles intended in the best manner possible.
Length: A solid MVP should be anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 words. This isn’t to just be verbose. In order to add real value and instruct readers on some topic, it has to be in-depth. It can’t be in-depth if it’s short or truncated. Go into real detail and explain all the facets involved with the tutorial.
2. Content Marketing
One of the most legitimate and effective SEO strategies(use seo analysis tool to start your seo strategy) for helping to get your startup off the ground is content marketing. Content marketing, when done the right way, can add an enormous amount of authority and credibility to your domain. It can also help to skyrocket your positioning on Google’s all-important SERPs. However, it won’t happen overnight.
Once again, in the beginning, you’re fighting against Google’s built-in filtering functions such as its Sandbox. In effect, Google doesn’t trust you in the beginning, so whatever strategy you try to employ, its effects are diminished due to the huge virtual barriers that the Search Giant has erected over the years. To overcome these, you simply have to stay persistent.
Content marketing is by far one of the best SEO strategies when it comes to the efficiency of your time. Considering that we all have an equal amount of time in this world, our success in life or in business largely boils down to just how well we use our time. Effective time managers will find implementing SEO strategies such as this one, very beneficial.
So how does it work? To engage in content marketing, first, you need some content to market. If you’ve created an MVP, great. If not, build out a resource page or useful post that you can then market through this SEO strategy. Resource pages are a great way to do content marketing, but they need to be, well, really resourceful.
For example, I have a post that I wrote about famous people who failed. If you were to search “famous people who failed” on Google, I would be near the top (currently in the second or third position depending on geographic location), outranking some very trusted domains such as Buzzfeed, Lifehack and Quora.
How did I do it? Content marketing.
I spent the time writing (not spinning) similar articles on famous people who failed, all with a link back to the main article on my site. This is the essence of content marketing. Of course, this kicks into really high gear when the content-marketing articles begin getting shared, liked and linked to across the Web. This is where the real “link juice” comes from. For that to happen, you need to have great content.
3. Organic Link Building
Organic link building isn’t dead. It just needs to happen… organically. Long ago, automated systems ruled the Web. They could generate thousands upon thousands of links that looked organic in nature, in a very short period. Of course, today, those links will actually hurt you rather than help you.
While there are a number of ways to build organic links without having a post go viral, there are some methods that you can employ right now, on your own. However, whatever method you employ, the links have to come from a value perspective. You have to add value by adding something useful to the conversation, for example, especially if you’re posting comments on the Web.
While some people think that blog commenting is dead, it’s not as long as it’s done the right way. Merely posting mindless links on blogs won’t work. In fact, that method will get you banned and you’ll also appear spammy in the eyes of Google. But, if you post meaningful comments that are supported by a link from your blog, for example, that method will offer you a more-direct route to organic-link building success.
