Google Offers Webmasters New SEO Advice Video

Google has put out a new video of SEO advice from Developer Programs Tech Lead, Maile Ohye. She discusses how to build an organic search strategy for your company.

“What’s a good way to integrate your company’s various online components, such as the website, blog, or YouTube channel? Perhaps we can help!” she says in a blog post about the video. “In under fifteen minutes, I outline a strategic approach to SEO for a mock company, Webmaster Central, where I pretend to be the SEO managing the Webmaster Central Blog.”

Specifically, she discusses: understanding searcher persona workflow, determining company and site goals, auditing your site to best reach your audience, execution, and making improvements.

The video covers these high-level topics (and you can skip to the exact portion of the video that might be of interest):

21 Best FREE SEO Tools for On-Page Optimization

Google's official position on webmaster best practices really hasn't changed much over the years. What has changed is the search engine's ability to enforce these guidelines through improved algorithms. The implementation of Panda, Penguin, and Hummingbird has had a profound impact on the SEO landscape.

Google's Matt Cutts has remarked that no one should be surprised when a website that hasn't followed the guidelines is penalized. What Cutts overlooks or chooses to ignore is something that I have dubbed the "Google Paradox". I suspect the Google paradox is the root cause for one black hat forum member expressing his desire to "punch Matt Cutts in the face" (per Cutts' Pubcon 2013 keynote).

In order to reach the top of the SERPs and stay there in 2013 and beyond, your website must deserve to be there. It needs to be the best in class. It must offer the best user experience in that niche. Fortunately, there are a number of free tools that can help you achieve that goal.

Keyword Research

Developing the right list of keywords remains a staple of SEO, even in 2013. Because the keyword selection has such a profound impact on the overall performance of a website, the keyword selection process shouldn't rely on a single tool.

1. Wordstream

The Wordstream Free Keyword Tool offers thousands of keyword ideas from a huge database of more than a trillion unique searches. This tool outperforms some of the paid alternatives in the market.

2. Keyword Eye Basic

Keyword Eye Basic is a visual keyword suggestion tool, that works particularly well for brainstorming sessions.

3. YouTube Keyword Tool

Julie Joyce recently described in detail just how great the YouTube Keyword Tool is for keyword research for all kinds of content, not just video.