Search engine optimization for better positioning is an important investment for digital marketing. Google, Bing and all search tools changing its algorithm regularly. It's hard to keep up to date. You need fresh content for updating website content regularly for a better result in the Internet market.

Keeping up to date is one of the biggest challenges of digital marketing, especially when it comes to positioning on Google SERP. The rules of the game change over and over again and what gave excellent results in 2015 could lead to ruin in 2017. 

It is not necessary to go crazy or be afraid to apply new techniques or keep what has been working. But it is important to be aware of trends not to invest time, effort and money in something that is not functioning.

When you say SEO, you mean...

For those unfamiliar, SEO is the acronym for 'search engine optimization.' These engines (also known as search engines) are nothing other than Google, Bing, and Yahoo! And several others that exist. The 'optimization,' meanwhile, refers to the strategies that are applied to a site is among the first results of profitable searches.

SEO requires knowledge and a lot of work, since the procedures are usually complex and broad, depending on the competition. It is, therefore, advisable to carefully evaluate whether it will be a suitable investment or not.

One detail: SEO is also called organic positioning or directly positioning in Google, since this browser covers almost 80% of the market worldwide, according to the NetMarketShare portal.

What are profitable searches?

I always give the same simple example: if you have a standalone designer shoe store and want to sell online, you'll want every time someone searches for "designer shoes" or "handmade shoes" your site comes out in the top positions. The higher you rank your site, the greater the volume of people accessing it each time you look for products like yours on Google.

There is a fast way to get to the top of the page through platforms where you pay every time someone clicks (PPC), like Google AdWords. And although this system delivers almost immediate results, its benefits are suspended instantly when you stop paying the high costs per click.

The SEO, although delayed in giving results, is a long-term investment that with lower maintenance levels remain very profitable over time. Also, well done, the customer is more faithful and accurate.

To understand it in a simple way to pay per click is like going to the grocery store, investing in SEO is like planting your own vegetable garden. Both are useful, but in different cases, everything will depend on your business goals.

Hands on: how to guide SEO strategies in 2017

It is impossible to summarize everything that should be taken into account to perform a good SEO strategy in 2017. Not only by the amount of data to consider but also because each company is a separate case and there are no fixed paths for all.

In general, you must understand that SEO in 2017 has three major parts: website code, content and link building (known as link building ).

For all three aspects, it is critical to start with a keyword research and search intentions, to know how users are looking for your products and what terms are most convenient to use. With that information, everything else is optimized.
Also, read:
5 Tips on How to Increase Website Traffic Through Google 
Finding long tail keywords using google analytics for free

1) On-Page SEO

On-page SEO: At this point, it is a question of speaking to the search engines in their own language so that it is very easy to understand what is on your site. Also, it is to repair all the structural flaws that can have the page since the malfunction or the disorder are reasons for Google to lower your site in the rankings.

What is optimized for the code?

On the one hand, the so-called 'meta information' (titles, descriptions, H1, H2), the URLs and the general structure of the site should be optimized. The structure of internal links (which is critical), redirects and broken or obsolete parts of the site. Everything should be aligned with the keywords and search intentions you selected at the outset.

It is also important at this stage to correctly configure the Google search console (or Search Console, formerly called WebmasterTools) and Google Analytics (or search engine accounts that interest us). This will serve to collect very useful information: you will know if your actions work or not and you can make better decisions in the future.

On the other hand, according to Smart Insights, every year the number of sessions initiated from mobile devices grows 58%, so web design must be responsive (mobile-friendly) and not take too long to load.

To facilitate that, in October 2015 Google launched AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages). AMP is a framework (as a predefined structure) that is installed on a website and greatly facilitates its acceleration. This improves the user experience, and in turn, Google takes it as an important criterion when it comes to positioning the sites. During 2016 more than 40% of the news websites have implemented it, and during 2017 the trend will continue. So if you have it, you will climb more quickly in the rankings.
Also, read:
How to create on-page SEO friendly content
What are most important on-page SEO factors?

How are web mistakes found and repaired?

The simplest way is to get some crawler platform for SEO errors. ScreamFrog is one of the most used, for it is free, straightforward and efficient. There you can easily get a list of the arrangements that have to be made.

If you have web development skills, you can probably solve most of the errors on your own. But if not, only send them to the webmaster or web developer to correct them. In this process, it is important to provide the chosen keywords.

To check the loading speed and efficiency in displaying the website on different devices, the most recommended tool is Google's Test my Site.

When you have all that set up, you'll have your car ready to hit the road. But the journey is just beginning!

2) Website content

Attention here, because in 2017 SEO will continue with the trend that has been growing for several years: the importance of content. It is long to explain, but you can orient your content policy thinking of a simple sentence: if you want to position, you must be the best result of the web for that search.

How to achieve it?

Search for your keywords on Google and see what kind of results it delivers, what the top spots (your SEO competitors) offer and what you can provide that really outperforms. If you offer a list of 20 tips, offer a list of 50 or 100. If you want to dream about being the first in the pursuits you pursue and staying there, in the long run, you should deserve to be there. Therefore, it invests time and energy in the contents: it will be worth it.
Also read: Boosting Your WordPress Blog Site’s SEO And Traffic

Some tips for SEO content in 2017

Quality more than quantity. It is always best to have a few significant, attractive, and popular posts before a large number of internal URLs that contain only one or two written paragraphs.

• Group the keywords. 

Before it was customary to make an internal page for each keyword variation that you would like to position. For example, a URL for / shoes-red, another for / shoes-green-summer, another for / shoes-blue-sea, and so on. Now, for keywords that can be grouped into a 'family of words,' it is better to have great content that encompasses all of them. To know with which criterion to group them, think about the intention of a search of the user. What do you want? Maybe you are looking for colored shoes so that you can see all of them and choose the one you like the most.

• Images, please: 

Although it is critical to have long texts, well written, attractive and easy to read, the visual has an enormous importance throughout the web. There are many searches whose ideal result includes a video, an infographic, even a set of memes! Then think about your content in a multimedia way and evaluate the best way to tell your story.

• Videos, an excellent idea: 

Keep in mind that Google competes with Facebook through YouTube, in the generation of content in videos. Also, YouTube results often appear also in Google, so if your item requires, it is important to consider making efforts to maintain a YouTube channel. Always remember to upload the videos with subtitles, descriptions, and keywords according to your strategy and what your users want and consume.

3) Link building

Link building is often the misunderstood child of SEO. It was fertile ground for practices SPAM that gave excellent results until Google swept the web with great penalties for those who abused the links. From there was left a mixture of fear and paranoia to make links and even many people saying that it no longer serves. Nothing less right!

According to several sources, like this research, links continue to be the primary positioning factor. That is the most important thing to position a site is a good links strategy. It is not the only thing, but without a link strategy, it is almost impossible to achieve a good position.
Recommend:
How to create backlinks from Google?
12 Simple Ways to Get Backlinks from other people

What is the importance of link building?

If other sites in your industry or other relevant general sites have links to your website, Google interprets that you are a good result for searches in that area. Following the example of footwear, Google will always prioritize a site that is mentioned (with links) in several renowned newspapers, major fashion sites and more, in sites specialized in footwear. If the link comes from government pages (.gob) or formal educational institutions (.edu), much better. All those sites on the web have 'authority' in the matter, and by mentioning (with link), they transmit a little of your power.  

What should have a good link?

The best link that you can have is a good site in your field or in a note that talks about issues related to your products. To measure the quality of the page is usually used the toolbar Moz, a complement of the Chrome browser that tells us from 1 to 100 how much authority has a domain. The higher the number, the more domain authority (DA) and the greater the convenience of having a link on that site.

The ideal link (also called backlink) should be located in the middle of content relevant to the topic you want, surrounded by your keywords and an excellent article, with images. You must have links in several domains and build them progressively: it is not ideal to make many links at one time but to stagger the amounts over time.

It is also critical that you have variety both in the domain authority of the sites that mention us and in the way you place the backlink: if it always appears at the beginning of 500-word words, next to the photo, with the same words Key and the same URLs, will be suspected. That is why flees from natural solutions and agencies that offer hundreds or thousands of links in a short time. You must be patient, focus on creating quality content and know that all fast options are harmful. No one wants to receive a Google penalty!
Also read:
Getting Do-Follow backlinks to your site for better SEO result 
Top 10 Killer Tactics To Increase Website Traffic

Summarizing:

In short, the complex and extensive path of positioning a site can be summed up in:

• Carefully evaluate if it will be worth the investment: will it be profitable? Will you have the money to invest during the entire process? Remember that staying in the middle is a big waste, in every way.
• Do a research of keywords and search intentions: choose the best opportunities, that is words that have many searches and little competition.
• Fine-tune the internal code of the page: correct errors with your webmaster, optimize the meta information and structure of internal links.
• Invest in content: research your SEO competition and become the best result for users looking for your products. Prioritize quality!
• Build a different and progressive link profile: gradually, make sure that your site is being linked in on quality sites, relevant and/or specializes in your topic.
• It is not easy or fast, but remember: just like having your own garden, the results you get will be incomparable. 

Good luck! I'm inviting you to read "steps that will make you better investor this year" and hope for your success.