If you spend any amount of time watching the news or reading it online, you begin to realize exactly how sensationalized everything is. The same is also true when reading any type of industry news. It is all about the headlines, getting people to read and perhaps even frightening people to the point where they take action. That is why you have likely read headlines about SEO being dead or about how you are wasting your time if you still use search engine optimization in 2017. Is that true?
When you look at the development of search engine optimization over the years, you begin to realize that there was a common theme that was always running in the background. At one time, the search engines were young and it was easy to game them and gain rankings with very little effort. Today, more effort is needed but the same principles that worked well in the past are still working well now. That is a fact that is not going to change anytime soon. When you follow the Webmaster guidelines laid out by Google and you do things the “right way,” SEO is as relevant in 2017 as it ever was in the past.
In fact, you might even be surprised to learn that SEO is actually more important now that it was before. First of all, you have more competition in the search engines as people continue to realize just how important it is to rank highly. That competition makes it necessary to focus on SEO so that you can outrank your competitors. In addition, those who have dropped out of the SEO rankings out of fear or misunderstandings are leaving it wide open for those of us who realize that SEO is still very important.
So what does this mean for you? People are still using the search engines, just as they were last year, two years ago and even 10 years ago. They use the search engines to find specific products and services that they are interested in trying or buying. If you have one of those products or services to offer, you really owe it to the web searcher to allow them to find you. SEO is the most cost-effective and just flat out effective way to do it. It really puts you in front of those who want what you have to offer.
In 2017, SEO is important for even more than simple rankings and direct traffic. It is a matter of social proof and when people see you at the top of Google, they automatically place a certain level of trust in you, making it easier for you to make a sale or gain a new customer.
So if you have heard that search engine optimization is dead or that your efforts are better put elsewhere, it’s time for you to take another look. SEO is not only alive and well, it is thriving and waiting for you to take advantage of all that it has to offer.
Read more on how SEO helps you here.
Learn which type of SEO is good for you.
