| The Secret SEO Shortcut
Maybe you have heard about the "Secret" piece of code you can paste on your website that will cause it to go to the top of the Google Search Results.
There is no such thing. Think about it for a minute. If there was, don’t you
think Google would notice when a website shot to the top of the search
ranking when no other criteria the algorithm looks for are met? Have
you heard the saying, “Easy come, easy go?” In the world of search
marketing, just like life, there is no shortcut.
As always, the fastest way to the top is with a map. Just as in the
pioneer days, if you were heading across the country in a wagon train
the quickest way to end up in trouble was to take a “shortcut.” If you
want to get somewhere, look for someone that has gone there already. In
the Military or Police Academy, every instructor teaches a topic they
knew personally from experience. You don’t want to learn to swim from a
person that has never been wet.
The same is true for SEO, Search Engine Optimization. In order to succeed you
have to build a user friendly website that provides meaningful,
relevant information that serves a purpose. Have a plan of what you
want to get across to your visitor. Lead them to the action you want
them to take. Use a structure that is easy for your visitors both human
and Search Spiders to follow and digest. Use content that establishes
your sites value that your users will want to share with others.
It sounds simple however if you follow this method, no Search Engine
is ever going to have a problem with your site. Building like this
takes time, planning and effort. But the long term benefits will be
sustainable. Shortcuts never are and the real downside is they can get
you booted clear out of the search results. For my business and that of
my customers, that just is not an acceptable risk.
That being said, are there websites that rank well even though they
ignore the guidelines set forth by the major search engines? Yes. How
do I reconcile that? I don’t work for a search engine.
I promote websites that want to rank well on search engines while
adhering to the guidelines.
I know that Search Engines have set the rules and even though it may
seem unfair they will enforce them as they see fit. Here’s an example
that may demonstrate the point. There a speed limits posted on most
roads across the country. But there is no way there are enough police
officers to catch every speeder. Now you can decide to speed and risk
either the accident the limits were put in place to avoid or get a
ticket that will make your insurance more expensive or you could follow
the limit and have a better chance of getting where you want to every
time.
The Search Engines are always working on improving their techniques
for discerning guideline violators. They occasionally implement a large
portion of new programming that causes Search Optimizers to scramble when the search results suddenly change dramatically. If you are working within those rules, your still okay.
