Note From Steve: This post is written by a guest blogger

Looking back on 2012, it can be seen that the year saw an enormous amount of changes in the world of SEO. With Google implementing significant algorithm updates throughout the year, many saw a transformation in positioning that was unwelcome.

What did become clear was that many of the old ways of building links and carrying out SEO were no longer effective. Indeed, evidence started to emerge that suggested that some techniques, which had previously been successful, could now actively harm a website.

Popular online marketing and web development forums are full of stories about lost rankings, often as a result of Panda and Penguin updates. With this in mind, it’s suggested that a new strategy is needed in 2013.

Understanding what’s required

In order to understand the changes that are necessary, it’s useful to think about what Google are looking to achieve. The company will certainly be looking to maintain market dominance and that process will be seen to involve two significant strands of work.

In the first instance, it’s clearly critical that search engines users should get the experience that they desire. That primarily means producing results that allow users to find what they want.

The second element here is ensuring that income levels are maximized. This can be seen in a number of changes that have been made during the past year, including the addition of more results that directly make money for Google.

So how can you ensure that your website is included in the list of sites that are seen to provide the desired user experience? In essence, you need to show that you have a site that is informative, original, useful, secure and trusted. If you can demonstrate all of those elements, then you’ll be on the right path for success.

The problem is that achieving this means that you’ll need to avoid taking shortcuts. For many SEO consultants and some enthusiastic amateurs, that doesn’t sound like a great idea. We all want to get results quickly and it’s never nice to think that we may be left waiting.

Sustainability and SEO

But the truth is that SEO in 2013 is all about trying to build sustainable positioning. That’s not just about improving search engine positioning in the most direct sense. It’s also about demonstrating that you are here for the long haul.

So how can you go about achieving this? When writing content for your site, maintain a focus on users and potential customers. You need to get out of the habit of writing as though Google forms your main audience. The search engines are looking at other factors, including bounce rates and average visit times. In order to improve those metrics, you need to be providing authoritative content.

The days of outsourcing content creation overseas should be behind you. Your focus needs to be on quality, rather than the old target of quantity.

You also need to think more broadly about how you are engaging with users and other website owners. You certainly need to have a social media presence and you need to see that as being central to your approach.

The old techniques are losing their impact. It’s time for you to implement new SEO strategies.

By: Steve Jurvetson – CC BY 2.0