A GUIDE TO DIGITAL LITERACY.

8.1. The content side of it.

People in this camp know how to create well-optimized
content, build links, and boost social shares. There’s no contest. To succeed at search marketing, you need both. When you
need to create link assets or get more backlinks, you need an SEO content
specialist. But if Google doesn’t seem to see those assets, and you’re not
ranking, you’ve likely got structural issues. You need an SEO technician.
Another thing to keep in mind is that SEO isn’t a once-and-done task.
Hundreds and thousands of websites are constantly battling for the #1 spot in
search engines for their target keywords—and securing that spot is kind of like
playing the kid’s game, “king of the mountain.”

You may knock off the guy who’s sitting there now, but someone is coming
behind you, trying to knock you off as soon as you get there.
Which means your content needs to be finessed, updated, and promoted to
rise in the search engine result pages (SERPs) and secure your top-ranking
spot. Meanwhile, everything needs to be working right from a technical
perspective. Finally, search constantly changes. Google’s algorithm isn’t static. It’s based on
artificial intelligence, and it’s learning more every day.
As a result, the rules change too. The tactics you use today won’t be the ones
you use next month or next year. And that’s okay.
Expect to continue learning and adjusting the tactics you use. Don’t resist; just
accept it as part of the process—because the only way to win at this game is
by following the rules.