Are you still placing keywords on a pedestal (and all over your site)? Or chasing the number one spot on Google in lieu of other, more lucrative, online home improvement marketing efforts?

It’s time to close the books on some old-school SEO tactics and enroll in a higher level of current online marketing.

1. Treating Keywords as King

Keywords are still important, but they’re not content royalty — more like content soldiers. You still need to station them at strategic locations such as title tags and the meta description, but algorithms have evolved, so you’re no longer tied to forcing awkward phrases such as “window coverings San Diego” throughout content.

In fact, because Google currently puts more value on content that’s helpful and relevant for users than on SEO-stuffing, you shouldn’t force keywords where they don’t easily fit. Work them in where they naturally belong, but otherwise, spend your efforts on creating quality content that speaks organically to the needs of homeowners.

2. Chasing the Top Spot in Search Engine Results

Google isn’t the same search engine it was a decade ago, and you have a lot more options for connecting with your audience now. Spending all your resources chasing a top spot for every keyword is simply poor marketing investment when you can get a lot more ROI working for feature snippets or customizing your Google My Business page.

Search engine rankings remain very important in online marketing for home improvement companies, but going after that top spot isn’t the only tactic you should spend time on.

3. Relying Heavily on Links for Search Engine Ranking

Link building used to be an easy way to increase performance in the search engine results, but in targeting spammy practices and less-than-transparent “black hat” SEO tactics, Google has made it harder to get good results out of links.

That’s not to say they aren’t important and shouldn’t be part of an overall online marketing strategy. Home improvement businesses can benefit from links on local chamber of commerce pages, association listings, or the sites of partner companies. But those should be ancillary to what really matters: techniques such as creating user-friendly websites, quality content and well-tested PPC campaigns or other online advertising.

Don’t let old-school SEO habits bring down your conversion rates and revenue. Take time to learn what works today and integrate those tactics into your home improvement marketing campaigns.

(Note: Ready to supercharge the leads you get from the internet and convert them into real-life clientele? In his free webinar, marketing expert Welton Hong delivers practical techniques you can employ today. Click here to register!)