When the big search engines first started ranking articles the algorithms were actually much simpler. They looked simply at the keywords peppered throughout the article. Let’s say, for example, that one of your keywords is ‘pirate.’ The search engine would simply filter it under a bunch of other articles containing the keyword without reference as to what pirates you are referring to. It could be historical pirates, pirate costumes, pirate rock, or pirate television series. All of these things would be lumped together under one enormous search, which made it extremely difficult to rank high in the search results. A second problem presents itself here. Not only was it harder to rank high in the search results, but the content being presented was of much less quality because of extensive keyword usage. With the keyword ‘pirate’ being used between two and three times per paragraph, the content suffered. For this reason, other articles had to be written for actually readability, or your readers would get frustrated and go elsewhere. All in all, it was a rather confusing, difficult situation to find yourself in. So how has it progressed until today?
The Big Difference
Today the search engines rely less on an individual keyword, and more on the article as a whole. Keywords still hold a bit of importance because they will help you register on a given search, but they are not the only thing factored into the equation. Let’s take a look at our example keyword ‘pirate.’ If your site is based on pirate rock, then other words contained within your article would be taken into consideration. Words like ‘rock,’ ‘music,’ ‘show,’ and ‘band’ will help the search engines to identify what that article is actually about.
Why This Works Better
The main reason why this updated algorithm works better is that all content may be written for readability with a light emphasis on keywords. Keywords can simply be included where they naturally fit into the article instead of inserting them a large amount of times. This increases the quality of articles found around the web, and leaves your readers much less frustrated. In addition to this, it makes your work a bit simpler. No longer must you distinguish between reader friendly and search engine friendly articles. Ranking higher on individual searches is also a little easier since these searches are more exclusive and relevant.
Tips To Making This New Algorithm Work Best For You
Although the new algorithm used by search engines is better, it also means taking a look at your current marketing techniques and tweaking them. You shouldn’t have to change your approach to SEO too much, but it will have to be slightly altered to best work with the new way search engines process data. Here is a short list of tips to help enable you to do this:
- Write all of your content to basically be reader friendly versus search engine friendly.
- Limit your use of an individual keyword to no more than three or four times per article.
- Ensure your piece is well-crafted to contain helpful words which will allow the search engines to best assess the actual topic of your article.
Post regularly. Posting regularly is a big factor in how your site does in general. You should be posting at least once a week to maintain a decent spot. Posting once a a day or every other day is even better.
