Google’s algorithm changes about 500 times a year, which is pretty crazy if you think about it.
That means in Google’s lifetime there have been around 30,000 changes to how it computes what results to present to searchers.
That is why I am here to tell you that in 2013, your SEO strategy should evolve with Google and not against it. Post panda, penguin and whatever other animals they will name their changes after in the new year, websites must learn, adapt and implement specific things.
Authorship
Author Rank, in combination with Page Rank, is Google’s way of providing more precise results based on user history and experience.
Author Rank consists of:
- Google Plus Engagement
- Page Rank
- Website +1s & shares
- Discussion about an author or website
- Number of circles an author or website is in
- Frequency of posts (on-site and off)
- Comment engagement on posts (on-site and off)
- Non-Google social signals
I know, that is a lot to consider. But if you add Google Plus into your daily activities, then doing well with Author Rank is simple enough. Add Google Plus to one of the first things you do when you log online in the mornings, and then check it once more before you log off. That will hopefully be enough to keep you afloat in the changing SEO times.
Guest Posting
Writing blog articles comes easy to many people because a blog is personal. For others, though, it can be more difficult. I often hear through social media, "I’m a photographer not a blogger." and while that may be true, blogging is now part of being a photographer with a business. This is the case for most businesses out there.
So I urge you to consider one of the following:
1. Take one day, here and there, to sit down and focus on writing the best possible articles you can. Take these articles and research websites worth guest posting them on.
2. Hire a freelance copyrighter to take your brain dump and write a very engaging article that is worthy of guest posting on your behalf.
When writing the article, it is important to include your bio line either in the beginning or end. Placement is decided by the blog you hope to have the article published on. In your bio line, include a link to your website with your keyword as the anchor text.
Don’t overdo it with links to your site and definitely link to content on the website you’re hoping to be published on. One final guest posting tip is to not put your eggs in one basket. Write guest posts on many blogs, so your over link profile is spread out. At the same time, be sure to guest post on blogs in your niche. For example, if you are writing about a WordPress gallery plugin, then it’s wise to guest post on a WordPress related website.
Content
There are so many ways to produce and share content and in 2013 the list is going to keep growing. Here are some of the many content types you should be creating and sharing in the new year.
- Infographics
- Podcasts
- Google Plus Events / Hangouts
- Memes
- Quotes (for pinning)
- Videos / Screencasts
- Workshops / Classes
- Charts / Graphs
- eBooks
- Case Studies
- Webinars
- Prezi presentations (get rid of Powerpoint)
Did I miss anything? Most likely, but that’s the beauty of the Internet and content – the options keep coming. One thing worth noting, on top of what was already said, is to keep using images. Images increase chances of conversion, because people are visual beings.
In Summary
There are things that you should start doing, if you’re not already, in the new year. Add Google Authorship to your website because Author Rank is gaining importance every hour of every day. Start or continue guest posting relevant websites to your niche, and make them awesome. Use many types of content to lure people in, keep them engagement, coming back and wanting more.
Here are some of things I have already started to do as the year ends and new one begins.
First, I worked with ten colleagues to create a free eBook for the photography community. With it came guest articles, a press release, a video announcement and of course, email marketing. Through the SEO community, I used the evergreen technique to create a course on Udemy from a presentation that was previously created. That is just the beginning.
What do you have planned?
Thanks for reading and see you in 2013,
Scott Wyden Kivowitz is the Community & Blog Wrangler at Photocrati, developer of the WordPress theme for photographers, NextGEN Gallery and the Photography SEO Community, teaching other photographers on how to increase business with their website.
About Josh Nadeau
