SEO is the process of making your web site more accessible to search engines. Google's algorithmic updates the last 3-5 years ("panda" "penguin" "hummingbird") have reshaped the SEO marketing landscape permanently.
Gina Tucker:
The SEO Process includes 7 steps.
1) Research and Analysis
2) Keyword Opportunities
3) Coding and Implementation
4) Copywriting and Implementation
5) Speed & Site Performance
6) Marketing & Link Building
7) Rankings Report & Tracing.
Content marketing is essential to building great SEO. Consumer facing brands need to keep their social networks and blog updated on a regular basis. Some common problems include producing engaging content, enough content, the budget for a content strategy, the lack of executive support, and creating a variety of content. There are tools that can help (like Scoop.it)!
It's been a while now that SEO experts such as Lee Odden or Rand Fishkin have commented on the algorithm changes of Google that completely changed SEO from an obscure technical back linking technique to a much more human ability to produce content humans enjoy and like to share.
This post gives a number of actionable tips on how to implement a successful SEO strategy in 2014.
But beyond the list of tips, SEO today boils down mostly to publishing content that your targeted audience will enjoy: because it educates, it entertains them, it informs them, etc...
And therefore the key to success is being consistent which - as the above chart shows - is the main challenge today: producing a constant stream of high quality content is not just tough, it's impossible. Even major media groups have given up on this as they got beaten by the Huffington Post (which this post is interestingly from), BuzzFeed and Upworthy. Mixing your own content with curated content however does not only makes this possible but also makes your entire site and publishing efforts more credible.
Standard On-Page SEO Practices still apply because this is the entry point for Google to know what a page is about and index it correctly. But, creating great content is what it is all about. -Ken