How to SEO-Proof Your Content

When it comes to the SEO landscape, the only thing that's constant is change. Do you remember the good old days of guest posts and article directories? Tactics that used to send your pages soaring in the rankings are virtually useless today, and some outdated strategies can even get you in trouble with Google. Staying on top of the latest SEO trends is an exhausting task. While you can't slow down the pace of change, you can take some steps to make sure that Google's latest algorithm update doesn't destroy your ranking. Here are some ways you can SEO-proof your content and stay ahead of an ever-changing curve.

1. Improve the Quality of Your Content

You've undoubtedly heard the mantra: "Content is king." It might be an overused catchphrase, but there's truth to the statement. Too many content creators make the mistake of focusing on links and keyword counts, instead of thinking about the big picture. There's simply no substitute for quality content that's written in a natural style, crafted for humans instead of for search engines. Content should be entirely unique, and it should be both engaging and helpful to readers. In the current SEO landscape, the search engines favor lengthier content; while this may be a temporary trend, in-depth content is more likely to stand the test of time and survive in the rankings. Always strive to provide value in your content, and you'll be well on your way to a SEO-proof website.

2. Keep It Fresh

A SEO-proof strategy doesn't mean you can slap some content on your website and expect it to garner a top spot in the search results for years to come. Regardless of changing algorithms and best practices, fresh content will always triumph over stale information. New content entices your website visitors to keep coming back for more, and it has the same effect on search engines. While fresh content can help your website stay ahead of the SEO curve, it doesn't mean that you should fill your site with reams of pointless content in an effort to stay fresh. Quality trumps quantity in every case.

3. Ignore the Hype

Do a bit of online research and you'll see plenty of SEO tips and tricks. Take these tactics with a significant grain of salt: In many cases, these overhyped strategies aren't even a smart idea for your website. You're more likely to suffer a Google penalty when you blindly follow the latest SEO tricks, because these tactics have been abused by the time you learn about them online. A solid content strategy that doesn't rely on manipulative tricks is a far more reliable bet in the long run.

4. Focus on Social Media

Social signals play a role in Google's current ranking algorithm, and there's no doubt that an engaging social media presence will help your content rank well in the future. Why are social signals valuable? The answer is straightforward: Google assumes that people share content on social media when they've found it to be helpful and valuable. Connecting with your fans and followers and building real engagement takes time and effort, but the results are worthwhile.

5. Make Your Content Accessible

Your online content needs to be accessible on desktops and a variety of mobile devices. If you don't have a mobile-friendly website, there's no better time to make this improvement. Responsive code is the safest bet for a SEO-proof strategy. Not only will this provide the optimal user experience, but it avoids the problem of duplicate content, which can harm your rankings.

6. Speed It Up

Even top-notch content won't stand up to various algorithm updates if the page takes a long time to load. You'll end up turning off potential readers and being overlooked by the search engines. Try compressing and optimizing your images to speed up your page load time, and be sure to keep your CSS in external files.

It's clear that quality content is the key to long-term success in the search arena. Most trendy SEO tactics are nothing but shortcuts, designed to manipulate the search engines into assigning high rankings to weak content. Creating SEO-proof content requires hard work. You need to craft highly readable, incredibly valuable content that will benefit your target market. More time and effort will be required at first; however, it's a lot easier than trying to reclaim your rankings after being hit by a random algorithm update. In fact, an SEO-proof strategy might be the most powerful SEO strategy of all.