[AMA] SEO and Digital Marketing in 2016

[DoctorNotADoctor]

@devine

I don't want to go into too much detail about the exact niche, but i'll give a close approximation. Lets say I want to rank for the keywords "Lung cancer". If you google this, you will see that top ranking sites include MedicineNet, WebMD, Wikipedia, Cancer.org etc. I know lung cancer is a very broad keywords, but even if i was to write a post on keywords branching from it, like lung cancer treatment, lung cancer signs and symptoms, lung cancer life expectancy, those same authority sites would come forward for the top rankings. How should one proceed to outrank them ?

 

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[devine]

Most of the info in this thread is outdated, as well as anything you find on the other barren internet marketing forums.

SEO can be a supplemental (long term) strategy, to your existing marketing efforts. Relying on it as your bread and butter, however, is a fools game. Over the past 3 years, Google has effectively squeezed out SEOs, and allowed old money to make its way online.

source: I've played the SEO game since black hat, through the SMB service era.

It's no longer "Internet Marketing"

It's "Marketing"

Always was.
Idiots fell for cheap tricks and have no businesses now, because while they were F*cking around with tricks and shortcuts, others were building serious businesses.

 

[devine]

@devine

I don't want to go into too much detail about the exact niche, but i'll give a close approximation. Lets say I want to rank for the keywords "Lung cancer". If you google this, you will see that top ranking sites include MedicineNet, WebMD, Wikipedia, Cancer.org etc. I know lung cancer is a very broad keywords, but even if i was to write a post on keywords branching from it, like lung cancer treatment, lung cancer signs and symptoms, lung cancer life expectancy, those same authority sites would come forward for the top rankings. How should one proceed to outrank them ?

Then don't ask competent specialists for advice if all you have is hypothetical nonsense.
However, if you really have some serious agenda, I'll post a thread here at TFLF today on this exact topic: competing with BIG companies. Consider yourself lucky.

 

[DoctorNotADoctor]

@ApparentHorizon

I have been casually blogging for 4-5 years now, but have now only decided to get into it full time, to shift my slow-lane, albeit high paying profession, to the fast-lane.

Back then, I had a tech-blog, where I blogged for fun, later realizing that money could be made too. I followed all standard SEO protocols which were advocated back then, on-page and off-page. Everything from blog commenting, PBNs, directory links, guest posting etc etc.
Back then, I wasn't really serious about the quality of links, but still began to rank well.

But now the dynamics have changed. It is all about quality backlinks, quality content, relevancy etc. Compared to the old days of SEO, the approach today is very nihilistic. So how should one proceed to rank content, taking in view the way SEO has progressed in the recent years?

Is content truly the only thing that matters now? I have tried this approach too, writing detailed articles (4-5000 words), which completely blow authority sites out of the water, only to find myself on the 5th page of Google, seeing very pathetic websites, forums or even youtube videos ranking before me. It is very frustrating to say the least.

 

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[Andy Black]

@ApparentHorizon

I have been casually blogging for 4-5 years now, but have now only decided to get into it full time, to shift my slow-lane, albeit high paying profession, to the fast-lane.

Back then, I had a tech-blog, where I blogged for fun, later realizing that money could be made too. I followed all standard SEO protocols which were advocated back then, on-page and off-page. Everything from blog commenting, PBNs, directory links, guest posting etc etc.
Back then, I wasn't really serious about the quality of links, but still began to rank well.

But now the dynamics have changed. It is all about quality backlinks, quality content, relevancy etc. Compared to the old days of SEO, the approach today is very nihilistic. So how should one proceed to rank content, taking in view the way SEO has progressed in the recent years?

Is content truly the only thing that matters now? I have tried this approach too, writing detailed articles (4-5000 words), which completely blow authority sites out of the water, only to find myself on the 5th page of Google, seeing very pathetic websites, forums or even youtube videos ranking before me. It is very frustrating to say the least.

Have you tried paid search?

 

[DoctorNotADoctor]

@devine

It is not hypothetical at all. Im new to this forum, and just getting a feel for it, and wasn't sure if I should be posting things like my niche or domain name on this public thread. I'd be very thankful if you could post that thread you have mentioned regarding competing with big companies. If you don't mind, I can PM you my domain so that you can check it out

 

[devine]

@devine

It is not hypothetical at all. Im new to this forum, and just getting a feel for it, and wasn't sure if I should be posting things like my niche or domain name on this public thread. I'd be very thankful if you could post that thread you have mentioned regarding competing with big companies. If you don't mind, I can PM you my domain so that you can check it out

PM is fine.

 

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[ApparentHorizon]

@ApparentHorizon

I have been casually blogging for 4-5 years now, but have now only decided to get into it full time, to shift my slow-lane, albeit high paying profession, to the fast-lane.

Back then, I had a tech-blog, where I blogged for fun, later realizing that money could be made too. I followed all standard SEO protocols which were advocated back then, on-page and off-page. Everything from blog commenting, PBNs, directory links, guest posting etc etc.
Back then, I wasn't really serious about the quality of links, but still began to rank well.

But now the dynamics have changed. It is all about quality backlinks, quality content, relevancy etc. Compared to the old days of SEO, the approach today is very nihilistic. So how should one proceed to rank content, taking in view the way SEO has progressed in the recent years?

Is content truly the only thing that matters now? I have tried this approach too, writing detailed articles (4-5000 words), which completely blow authority sites out of the water, only to find myself on the 5th page of Google, seeing very pathetic websites, forums or even youtube videos ranking before me. It is very frustrating to say the least.

Distribution.

Forget about "backlinks" ... "quality content" ... in the traditional sense, which just a year ago, was 80% of the algorithm.

Google has its roots deep within human behavior:

• Analytics in millions of websites
• Chrome browsers in millions of computers
• Android devices in millions of hands

Your every move is tracked, from the link you click, to the keyword you highlight with your cursor.

Get people talking. Create centers of influence. Get an understanding of semantic search.

A traditional search engine (G, Y!, b) is just 1 channel.

You still have social media, secondary search engines (YouTube, Amazon, ...), apps, .... Are you on VR yet??? - "shoot where the target is going to be, not where it is now."

 

[DoctorNotADoctor]

@Andy Black

I have briefly looked into it. I started a small Adwords campaign, which worked pretty well. In fact, I saw some keyword arbitrage opportunities. I will look into it more deeply.

 

[DoctorNotADoctor]

@ApparentHorizon

I understand what you are implying. I will get more into social media and "secondary search engines". Ill try to kind of reverse engineer from where the users are, and try to bring them back to my site.

I'd also like to thank everybody who has replied on this thread. Im new to this forum, and really appreciate how people are ready to help, jump-in and give advice. Thanks all.

 

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[Andy Black]

@ApparentHorizon

I understand what you are implying. I will get more into social media and "secondary search engines". Ill try to kind of reverse engineer from where the users are, and try to bring them back to my site.

I'd also like to thank everybody who has replied on this thread. Im new to this forum, and really appreciate how people are ready to help, jump-in and give advice. Thanks all.

Try thinking about it differently.

Instead of going where "users" are and trying to get them to your site, what if you didn't call them users but saw them as people you want to help?

How would you get in front of them?

How would you help them?

Would you help them better by linking back to your site, or by helping them where they are?

Which of these two ways of helping do you think would result in more people visiting your site?

Which way of thinking would Google want to reward with more eyeballs, and which would they want to punish?


You may want to read/listen to these:

• The bolded links in my signature.
• www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/clarity-of-purpose.63337
• www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/andytalks-with-tedm-about-blogging-authority-services-sitting-on-gold.69999

 

[Andy Black]

@Andy Black

I have briefly looked into it. I started a small Adwords campaign, which worked pretty well. In fact, I saw some keyword arbitrage opportunities. I will look into it more deeply.

Keyword arbitrage opportunities?

Uh-oh. You really are thinking of this wrong.

A keyword (search term) is what a *person* types into a search engine.

That person sat down and deliberately did that search.

What are they looking for?

Why are they looking for it?

Can you help them find it?

Can you get paid to help them find it?


That little search box they are typing into is like a letterbox into their home. You can peer through it and see a thin slice of what is happening inside.

Are they bored and looking for entertainment?

Are they upset and looking for hope?

Are they suffering and looking for a solution?



You can think of people as "clicks" and "traffic" if you want.

You can believe you're making money pushing electrons around if you want.

People make money doing that.

I just believe you can help more people if you thought of your "clicks" as "visitors", and if you're able to put yourself in their shoes.




You may want to read these threads:

• www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/are-you-only-buying-traffic.52527

• www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/the-biggest-landing-page-mistake.68353

• www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/the-biggest-benefit-of-adwords.52440

 

[DoctorNotADoctor]

@Andy Black

I get where you are coming from. Treat people as people, and not as "pageviews/visitors/clicks". I can understand how thinking along those lines would result in me being able to deliver better content, which would actually help people.

My purpose for creating the website was to help people, but the more and more I researched, the deeper I went into the rabbit hole of SEO, and my view point started shifting.

I am going through the links you have posted and realize that I need to recalibrate my mindset. Thanks for the push in that direction.

 

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[Andy Black]

@Andy Black

I get where you are coming from. Treat people as people, and not as "pageviews/visitors/clicks". I can understand how thinking along those lines would result in me being able to deliver better content, which would actually help people.

My purpose for creating the website was to help people, but the more and more I researched, the deeper I went into the rabbit hole of SEO, and my view point started shifting.

I am going through the links you have posted and realize that I need to recalibrate my mindset. Thanks for the push in that direction.

Good for you @DoctorNotADoctor