Whether you're new in the game or a seasoned campaigner, you would have noticed by now that Search Engine Optimisation is by no means a walk in the park. Algorithm changes get made a multitude of times annually; 516 changes were made by Google alone in 2010, and they're just the ones they tell us about. As a result, staying on top of the game is quite a task for anyone, individual or team.

A lot of consultants in the industry, whether it be by direct implementation or via a series of experiments, have dabbled in the art of tactical play to try and “game the algorithm” to their advantage in some way or another.

One example of this is ‘link building’ – the practice of increasing the quantity of inbound links to any given site. Because one part of the search engine algorithm looks at the quality and quantity of inbound links to a site, if we compare two sites, A and B, we can better ascertain quality, relevance and rank based (not solely) on these inbound links. So the logical progression would be to acquire as many links as possible to help increase search engine visibility.

Time to Shift Focus

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For a while this approach worked. People did anything they could to source inbound links and were rewarded with high rankings. However, this is no longer the case. It's 2012 and search engines are quite sophisticated. Link building, along with a host of other old SEO techniques, no longer cut the mustard, and as a result, those of us in the SEO community have had to change. To that point, Mike King recently wrote a post discussing how SEO as an industry needs more focus on strategy and less on tactics.

In retrospect, search engines' stance against these methods shouldn't have taken us by surprise. Google, especially, have always espoused a philosophy that runs counter to shady SEO tactics. The difference is that now, with their more intelligent algorithm, they have the tools to enforce their philosophy.

To see how Google's core message has stayed the same, you need only examine their mission statements, comparing the one from when they opened to the one they use now.

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As you can see, apart from some minor grammar adjustments, this statement remains unchanged. Google has always focused on providing a high quality and relevant user experience. Their philosophy has remained the same, despite the fact that they've become a world-conquering, corporate monolith.

So what has changed over this time period?

In short... a lot.

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The internet has grown to colossal proportions - we're talking trillions of pages - and the quantity of low-quality websites has increased. To maintain quality and to be able to "organise the world's information and make it useful", over time, Google have had to implement certain measures. Let’s have a look at the major changes and how they have influenced SEO.

Quick Delivery

Caffeine, a Google algo update in mid-2010, changed the landscape in that results in the index began to be delivered in real-time (almost). Previously there was some lag and results were being cached. Caffeine went some way to getting around the problem. These days, to Google's credit, they're doing a pretty good job delivering "relevant" results on the fly. Though it's by no means perfect, it is one of the better indices (not to mention the most widely used). When combined with the "Query Deserves Freshness" rule - one that ensures the latest results for specific searches - it is possible, for some searches, to achieve real time results.

Quality and Relevance

When released, Panda demoted low-quality/thin websites, so that sites that did provide quality were promoted. Things that were previously used in the algorithm, such as PageRank, were downgraded in terms of importance, whilst other ranking factors from real-world conditions were introduced. The idea behind the change was to reward trustworthy sites, rather than pages merely padded for SEO purposes. In an interview to wired.com in 2011, Amit Singhal says "we basically sent out documents to outside testers. Then we asked the raters questions like: 'Would you be comfortable giving this site your credit card? Would you be comfortable giving medicine prescribed by this site to your kids?'"

Behavioural Change

The Penguin update arrived and penalised websites that employed black-hat methods to boost their search engine rankings in direct breach of Google's Webmaster Guidelines. Google launched their war against spam. As Greg Boser said at MozCon 2012, something needed to be done; this was a "behavioural correction" by Google where "everyone's skeletons [were] exposed."

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As a result some sites got knocked completely out of the index. However as Greg said "once you get back in you rank right where you did before, so it's not like the links are really counting".

These changes are just the tip of the iceberg! Since Google's beginnings they've also introduced a wide range of products, are constantly making user interface changes and are tracking user behaviour.

So what does this mean for SEO?

Due to Google's increased emphasis on 'fresh' results, old practices like benchmarking rankings need to change. The results in the SERPs are becoming more dynamic and fluctuate frequently, in some categories by the hour. As a result, using this metric too closely is a bit off point. Dr Pete set up Mozcast to monitor search engine flux using a single number represented as a weather temperature to compare daily changes. During MozCon this year, he stated "This is SEO in 2012... If you're still tracking rankings the way you did 5 years ago... If you're sitting on 10 year old content and strategies from 10 years ago and just riding your coat tails and hoping everything will stay ok. It won't. Even if the algo doesn't change - 80% changes every day in the SERPs."

As a result of Penguin and Panda, the motivation behind link building also has to change, Ian Laurie, said (also at MozCon) "link building is an outcome - it's audience building".

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And he’s right. Without an audience, link building is a useless tactic, especially given that Google is getting better at detecting a site's social popularity.

In a recent Whiteboard Friday titled "The Death of Link Building and the Rebirth of Link Earning", Rand Fishkin says, "By and large, Google is trying to end the practice of link building and renew the practice of link earning. I think that's why you see so many SEOs embracing content marketing, and I think this shift is going to happen even more heavily over the next 6 to 12 months."

Content marketing seems to be where the paradigm shift has started to focus in our community but it's almost something of a misnomer. In actual fact, you shouldn't need to do "market" your content much. Instead, you need to produce your content for your audience. So the importance is still placed on building an audience; only then can the content do the legwork for you. With good content you'll earn links through your audience. Link earning is how it's done in the real world - you can't open a shop, fill it with fake testimonials and hope to succeed. You need to deliver. With their updates, Google are trying to reflect this online.

What to do next

The important thing for businesses to understand is that they need apply a degree of high importance to setting up a content strategy. A solid content strategy creates a framework for the business and those involved in the content production process. It helps to align business units with a core statement results in consistent content and sets the scene for governance and workflow. It will also help to plan everything from gaining an audience to defining distribution channels.

It's not just about good content; websites also need to be built right with a solid technical foundation. This means getting it to a stage where there are no broken internal and external links, minimal redirects, no duplicate titles or content and each page is set up with a unique theme. There should also be Open Graph tags and Twitter Cards to aid with visibility when sharing through social media. Schema.org is a great way to organise and structure data.

We musn't forget about user experience too. Matt Cutts even suggested that we start thinking about SEO as "Search Experience Optimisation".

Keep it real

Google is getting better and better at mimicking what's happening in the real-world. Rand recently mentioned a prediction that co-citations are a way forward for search engines, where all it takes is some brand and similar keyword mentions on a page to help you rank. This is another demonstration of Google's potential to look outside the link-sphere. Those of us in online marketing now have to do the same.

So, how do you do SEO in 2013?

Just do what you do best - be a real company and as Will Reynolds says do RCS - "Real company sh!t." There is no single "quick win" that will keep your business afloat. Stick to your guns, be transparent, have some fun, get creative and be passionate about what you do. And then reflect all of that online - anywhere on the web your business has a presence!

Establish an online audience and build your community up. Keep consistent with your brand's personality or voice at all touch points. In this day and age, with so much choice & commoditisation out there, customers are not as loyal as they used to be so it's important to be memorable everywhere.

Do SEO the same way it's always been done without employing short-term tactics that try too "game the algo". Sure, some of the tactics will still work for certain categories and may continue to work for some time, but I think the focus needs to shift to establishing an overall long-term strategy... I don't know about you, but I'm here for the long haul!

Other key takeaways:

• Don't concentrate your efforts solely on SEO, look at other inbound marketing opportunities. Check out some of these opportunities represented as landmarks on a town map in "Inbound Marketing Town".
• Make sure your site is technically sound, crawlable and accessible via mobile devices. Read "The Basics of Search Engine Friendly Design & Development".
• Develop a robust content strategy for your business. A good start is to have a read of "Content Strategy for the Web" by Kristina Halvorson and Melissa Rach. Do an audit of your existing content where you can theme pages and align with particular audiences.
• Put in the effort and start earning links

How will you do SEO in 2013?

About the Author
Woj Kwasi owns and runs Kwasi Studios, an Australian digital marketing company that specialises in inbound marketing & content strategies. Follow Woj on Twitter, make him part of your circles on Google+ & check out some killer content examples on the Kwasi Studios website.