Confessions of a Search Engine Optimization Specialist

Did you know that achieving high rankings in search engines has more to do with content than on-page or off page factors alone? Contrary to popular belief, one of the most powerful SEO secrets is related to content development and the ability to focus the topical theme of your site to target a specific niche.

Writing themed and relevant content essentially toggles search engine spiders, who are constantly scouring the web for related material to share with others. If your content is impeccable and manages to link to and from relevant sources (*think Wikipedia) then it has the trappings potentially to be promoted as an authority site for that subject. This is a VIP guest pass straight to the front of the line for any potential page once authority is acquired.

Here are a few things to consider about website authority:

1) Each page in your site can rank on its own accord with its own position.
2) If you group enough pages together around a topic or theme, it increases the relevance of your document(s) for the keywords and phrases used.
3) By deliberately focusing on a specific range of content development (writing related material) and introducing new content regularly, you can increase the crawl rate and befriend the spiders (which are the gatekeepers to the search engine index).

Instead of approaching SEO from the perspective of the 90's and thinking strictly from the quantity of links that a site has, there is something even more effective you can do. Focus on internal linking, content and then the number of links you require to compete for the same keywords and phrases is considerably lower by comparison.

After you hit the authority zone, you will know it as you can essentially use your keyword research tool as a targeting device. Integrate the keyword of choice into a post, tag it properly and add a few external links, wait 3 months and enjoy the top 10 spotlight with defense intact.

I have seen pages hit the top 10 for competitive phrases in a few days and hover for months as a result of this tactic. Once again, the hang time and the time it takes to hit the top tier keywords all depend on the authority you pages garner collectively.

Depending on the age, depth, quality of sites linking to you and the amount of related content within your pages site wide determines the amount of time it takes to bump less relevant pages and climb to a lofty position.

The main ingredient is time, imagine using hundred or thousand of internal links, with very specific anchor text going to your home page and other deep links. This dynamo when aged can provide colossal rankings on its own.

Then when you add links to the mix organically, it is only a matter of time before the wiki effect (a site with authority) kicks in and your relevance score increases for your main keywords.

But if you want to expedite the process, here is what you can do:

1) add a content management system if you haven't already.
2) write themed content and introduce it regularly
3) make sure you have an RSS feed to share your content (RSS feeds build links)
4) if you are using WordPress, using information silo structures to enhance your website infrastructure works wonders.
5) focus on quality content, let the links age and allow the authority to settle in.

The more authority a site has, the easier it can acquire and defend itself from other sites in the search engine result pages for competitive keywords.
In the beginning, you may have to build 50-75 links per month using an array of anchor text to acquire the right link velocity. Then over time, you never even have to build another link after you are grandfathered into the result or an occasion link here an there to maintain the position.

In every industry, there is that one site at the top for hundreds of related searches and you want to know how they pulled it off.

Chances are, they simply started developing quality content long before others caught on to this phenomenal and ethical way to boost rankings through relevance.

Then, through mastering the introduction of new content, linking and deep linking, they manage to consume additional keywords as a result of algorithmic affinity.

Why is it that Wikipedia ranks for so many phrases (1) content (2) internal linking and (3) authority. So, the last thing a 30 page site should be doing is building links and waiting for the top 10 to embrace them.

You have to roll up your sleeves, get your hands dirty with organic SEO if you expect to gain a higher relevance score than the next guy (or gal) competing for your most coveted keywords.

Going back to the 30 page site, say you have identified you base phrases, you still only have 30 pages of content, no matter how you slice it or dice it. Spiders will only frequent your pages enough to dust cobwebs from them, but to leave it to chance is so passe.

By providing fresh content to your website, your are invigorating the spiders. Here is where the simplicity is overwhelming, the more often the spiders frequent your pages, the more opportunity your site has to pass along the new keyword wish list.

By using a keyword in the headline, incorporating it in the anchor text (ideally deep linking to another related page that has additional content on the subject).

Over time, if your pages are themed in sub folders, have a steady supply of inbound links from related sites, it is possible to acquire organic rankings on the merit of such content with a fraction of the links required to elevate your pages to the top 10.

I have tested this theory time and time again with the same results:
1) identify a keyword or key phrase from your wish list.
2) write an article or post about it.
3) link it (to and from) other related posts with deep links.
4) let the spiders ingest the changes to your content
5) based on the authority of your site you will organically rank for it if you have 20-30 related posts or articles to reinforce the virtual theme.

It may take several months of employing this tactic, that is why blogging is so important. But, the end result is well worth the investment in time.

The key is not to stray to far off topic from the core theme of your site. Introduce fragments slowly if you must, then nurture the new content with links from your main pages to give them an umbrella for relevance.

This is as basic as it gets. Link building is effective, but building links it is that much more effective when coupled with SEO content development and targeted syndication.

It is all about reaching critical mass for content, internal and external links. That is the true essence of SEO and the value of having a clearly defined game plan when it comes to subject matter, content and relevance.