Think like the Search Engines
If you want your website to be placed in the top results of Google or any other Search Engine you must first understand what these Search Engines are, their primary objective, and how they make money.
The Search Engines want to serve people looking for information. They know that if people don’t find what they are looking for on their Search Engine they will go elsewhere else.
When customer's search traffic moves away from a Search Engine, that Search Engine loses ad revenue, and worst of all that same Search Engine may even lose it’s customers' trust.
The Search Engines want to serve people looking for information. They know that if people don’t find what they are looking for on their Search Engine they will go elsewhere else.
When customer's search traffic moves away from a Search Engine, that Search Engine loses ad revenue, and worst of all that same Search Engine may even lose it’s customers' trust.
If you were Google would you trust your website?
Hypothetical situation to think about:
If you were the CEO of a major search company like Google and you were looking at your website and websites just like yours, would you look at your website as a liability or an asset?
Does your website have what the search traffic is looking for?
What would you do with the website?
Where would you put it?
Does it look like your website is trying to trick the system?
The Search Engines are not perfect
You may have already noticed that the search is not perfect. For some searches, you may have to dig for the best content. For others, you may not be able to find what you are looking for.
Search Engines are constantly trying to deliver the best information and fill in any knowledge gaps that might exist online. With that being said some websites have subpar information and often get mixed into the search results.
Search Engines are constantly trying to deliver the best information and fill in any knowledge gaps that might exist online. With that being said some websites have subpar information and often get mixed into the search results.
How SEO’S show your website
SEO companies and freelancers understand how the search algorithms work to some extent. Some of them use practices that are in line with the Search Engines policy(white hat SEO), some use their knowledge of the search algorithms to manipulate the search results(Black hat SEO) and some use a little bit of both(Grey Hat SEO). In my opinion, most search marketers use Grey Hat strategies.
SEO’S and Search Engines are like cops and robbers
As the Search Engines attempt to deliver best results and grow their ad revenue, the search results get shifted around. In some cases this will happen in specific industries.
When the search results change, some websites lose traffic while others gain traffic. This can have a catastrophic effect on businesses that solely rely on search traffic for their revenue. In some cases this forces some businesses to start spending dollars paid Ads offered by the Search Engines.
Changes in the search algorithm also forces SEO professionals to change their strategy which, is not always an easy task.
Some SEOs think that major Search Engines deliberately make changes not only to deliver better quality results but to control the markets. This can be for political reasons as well.
When the search results change, some websites lose traffic while others gain traffic. This can have a catastrophic effect on businesses that solely rely on search traffic for their revenue. In some cases this forces some businesses to start spending dollars paid Ads offered by the Search Engines.
Changes in the search algorithm also forces SEO professionals to change their strategy which, is not always an easy task.
Some SEOs think that major Search Engines deliberately make changes not only to deliver better quality results but to control the markets. This can be for political reasons as well.
Know your market inside and out and be available wherever they hang out.
Think long-term, have a good understanding of your clients' needs, pay attention to any changes in consumer demand, present information in the simplest and best way possible, look at your website from the Search Engines' perspective, and most importantly diversify.
Diversify your marketing don’t just rely on Search Engines
This last suggestion to diversify is crucial and can save your business in the event that your Website doesn’t perform on search or gets penalized by the Search Engines for whatever reason.
If you put all of your marking in the hands of another company like Google, your business might suffer a devastating loss in the event your Website, and Google profile are targeted by the search algorithms.
Get your business on all the social media platforms you can, get listed in other trusted Websites, get physical advertising going, word of mount, and anything else you can while you optimize for search.
Doing all of this not only helps you diversify your marketing, it can also help your Website SEO. The more places customers can see your business information including the website, the better.
Put your Website URL in all of your business media print and digital. You don't necessarily need Google to get customers to your website.
If you put all of your marking in the hands of another company like Google, your business might suffer a devastating loss in the event your Website, and Google profile are targeted by the search algorithms.
Get your business on all the social media platforms you can, get listed in other trusted Websites, get physical advertising going, word of mount, and anything else you can while you optimize for search.
Doing all of this not only helps you diversify your marketing, it can also help your Website SEO. The more places customers can see your business information including the website, the better.
Put your Website URL in all of your business media print and digital. You don't necessarily need Google to get customers to your website.
So what should you do?
Look at your website from your customers perspective, look at your website from the perspective of Search Engines, and make your website visible to your market in as many places as possible digitally and physically.