Pubcon seo panelIn preparation for our upcoming SEO 101 training, I had the pleasure of hearing some experts share trends for SEO in 2013. As SEO (Search Engine Optimization) continues to grow and evolve, having a solid strategy is required. This big trend is that organic and natural language, link-building and content are more important than ever.

Kristine Schachinger

  • SEO isn’t just about content (although that is where the hype is)
  • The periodic table of SEO
  • Good SEO should be natural
  • Google is now thinking about “Search Experience Optimization” vs. Search Engine Optimization
  • This is about – design, technical, on-site, off-site, authorship, management, content and more….
  • Google+ is NOT a Social Network – It is an IDENTITY SERVICE – Google wants to know who you are…..
  • Author Tag is an identity tag – Google wants to know who you are and for your reputation to follow you around the web.
  • The rankings of the things you write will be influenced by the reputation score of your work, not just the site that the content is on
  • Google+ is about the credibility of an author…. they are starting to look at factors related to how trusted YOU are
  • Google is not a federally credentialed identity provider
  • This means that you want to consider the QUALITY of your authors if your content matters

Jake Bohall

  • Make better content
  • Stop keyword stuffing
  • Your content should prove that users are engaged
  • Create content that is more semantically related to what you want to rank for to create schematic relevance
  • Stop doing spammy stuff
  • Get rid of bad links!!!!

Scott Polk

  • Links are not as valuable as they used to be
  • Exact-match anchor text is dying – link anchor text needs diversity
  • Natural link building and anchor text is becoming more important
  • Brand names as well as brand names of URL/domains work as well as calls to action
  • Link Research is required
  • Social signals strengthen links
  • Verified ID accounts (like Google+) matter – a trusted and verified identity will become more valuable
  • Is your Google+ profile verified? One of the keys to getting your profile name verified is to own your name domain