It’s always a great idea to stay up-to-date with what’s going on in the digital marketing industry. But it’s also important to maintain an ounce of skepticism whenever a new trend pops up.

Every month or so, a marketing trend that promises to improve online performance spreads quickly throughout the digital marketing community, yet it fades almost immediately after it arrives. Why? Usually, it’s because the trend stops showing results-or it turns out that the results don’t work when bigger and better websites are able to jump on the bandwagon and dominate the trend.

Perfect examples of recent trends that tried and failed include guest blogging, article directories, and link wheels. Websites employed these trends, hoping to improve their rank in search engine results, but they’ve since been renounced by Google.

So how do you avoid falling for these flash-in-the-pan techniques? Well, first, you have to identify the trends that simply aren’t worth it by asking these questions.

Does it do anything for my users?

Most trends that surface in the digital marketing industry are minor tricks that somehow improve SEO. These trends have absolutely nothing to do with improving overall user experience, which is why they get shut down so quickly.

Search engines are becoming more and more focused on promoting sites that genuinely contribute to good user experience for their site visitors. So if a trend arises that doesn’t relate to refining user experience, it’s a good idea to avoid it altogether.

Is it referred to as a “trick” or “hack”?

If so, that’s a pretty big red flag right there. A lot of so called “experts” in the field take to forums to tout things they refer to as “quick tricks” or “SEO hacks” that will help your website jump in rankings. The fact that they even refer to these strategies as tricks or hacks should indicate that they won’t offer any long-lasting results. Even worse, these temporary solutions can (and usually will) come back to hurt your website, as Google penalizes sites using black-hat techniques, making it harder for those sites to see good search engine rank and web traffic.

A major thing to keep in mind when marketing your website is that that aren’t any easy strategies or “hacks” to stay at the top. Everything takes time and effort. By avoiding temporary “hacks” and focusing on strategies that offer long-term value, you’ll experience far more success with your online presence.

Bill Hipsher is the co-founder of B2 Interactive, a web development and internet marketing firm located in Omaha, NE. Bill has more than 15 years of experience in building and promoting websites on a local, regional and national level. His firm has taken years of national SEO experience and applied it on a local level. For more online marketing, SEO, and social media tips, please follow the B2 Interactive website at,
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