Search Engine Rankings – Long term results

We regularly get asked for some magic bullet or quick fix to get to the top of Search Engine results.

For many sites we see there is a bit of a quick fix, just getting the basics done right, or near right (if you want to stay away from the engines radar for being too perfect), but most of the site owners wanting the magic bullet are in tough categories.

I have been involved with SEO since before Google dropped on our radars, and for the large part now the basics are the areas that generate the best results. And no I am not suggesting that doing the basics will get a result for every site in every category, however in the long run (which most businesses are in for) the fundamentals matter.

Think of it a bit like a football team / game of football (ok lets use Rugby Union as our football analogy for now). This year in the Super 14 we are seeing a lot of new experimental laws.(hmm this sounds a little like some of the latest google changes).

These laws have been designed to ’speed up the game’ and make it more of a ’spectacle’ for viewers, and also to make it better for the players. While I am sure sometimes the players would like just to be left alone and earn their livings, many times they too want the quality of the game improved.

Overall the bigger picture is being worked on by the decision makers.

SO what are the search engines doing that matches this. Well they are constantly trying to improve the game, they want to provide the best results possible that allows them to make money from the user. Lets remember it is all about the user (not the advertiser). Without the user search engines have little reason to be there. Bit like the local provincial games, where only the diehard fans turn up, great to watch but no money in it for anyone.

So too the little niche engines. While Google may have started out to just provide good results, those days are long behind us. Providing good results in the organic search (free search) is all about making sure they have users eyeballs squarely looking at their paid results as well. And by improving their ‘game’ and keeping the user happier they have a better chance of making more money.

In rugby and search there are always players who can capitalise on opportunities for the short term. The special player who can excel above others around the fringes short term, who gets results but in most cases cannot sustain it. In optimising sites there are always quick fixes and tricks that get some special results, but applied unilaterally they don’t have the same impact.

Lets remember most of the sites that Search Marketing companies (like our Ireckon Web Marketing) get asked to optimise are businesses wanting to ensure their prominence in the online world. These businesses long term need stability where possible to maximise their processes and systems.

Most businesses are not Google or Amazon with unlimited budgets or staff. They cannot handle 15,000 inquiries one day and 3 the next. They need to be able top place themselves and grow with it to handle the level of inquiry and product delivery.

One of our customers came to us to get 6-12 new sales a month from his online site. He knows his business and knows what he can handle and what makes him money and keeps him profitable. He also knows that the optimisation is only part of it. While he may be at the top for the right queries – he knows his content and site will do the converting.

The coach of a rugby team in the current game, knows he has to have players with a solid technical background, great fitness and the ability to adapt to the situation within certain parameters. They don’t expect the players to be able to be great rugby players 1 day and then AFL players another. They need to know the technical elements of the game, train them on the basics in drills until they are blue in the face and then allow them the freedom to express their abilities on field.

A commercial site cannot change its game plan easily without a dedicated team of staff, and unless the business itself is changing overnight should not try to.

The basics for a commercial site are:

• Solid site structure
• Information architecture to support the purpose online
• Great content (for the purpose of the site)
• Calls to action
• Simplicity wherever possible
• Great content
• And then all the necessary Optimisation items. eg page construction, links (internal and external) etc.

Several times i have mentioned content more specifically great content. It matters. Yes you can bluff and stuff the engines with sites whose sole purpose is to get found, however ultimately the goal is not just about getting found.

The goal is normally either more inquiries or sales (or both). To get these Search position alone isn’t the goal, it is part of the process. It is a marketing goal / objective which we all know matters. Make sure you get both right.

A good site ultimately wins out in optimisation. Because it is focused on the long term goal and the technical experiments by the search engines ultimately support and reward sites that don’t fake it.

So:

• Build it right
• Maintain and manage yoru content
• Most importantly run monthly reports on your search positions
• Then adjust content where trends show you dropping or pages not performing as well as they could or have
• Focus on not losing sight of the end game while optimising

Business has changed, so has rugby and also the engines. But overall most businesses in the world last for 5 years or more, Rugby players still have to get fit and practice the basics, and search engines are looking for sites they can rank well for users based around legitimate content and purpose.

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