SEO 101: An Introduction to SEO Experimentation
In the world of Search Engine Optimization Marketing, it’s easy to forget that what may seem cut and dried is actually quite complex. A small business is seeking to move up their Google Rankings and acquire more customers; it sound simple enough, but what does that really mean? If you’ve never investigated SEO Marketing before you may think it’s like designing a website. You go to school to learn it, enter in the right code, and viola! Your site that was once on the bottom of page 3 is now on the top of page 1. If it were that simple, a Google Search wouldn’t know who to put first because everyone would be ranking so high.
SEO is a lot more scientific than that though. Hard science involves quantifiable data, testing, and objectivity. Soft science involves correlation and experimentation. When analyzing SEO results it’s extremely important, and necessary to use a mixture of both. A critical eye is required, and a good SEO Company spends time not just working with what they know, but attempting to figure out what they don’t know.
The X Factor
What you may not realize is how much of an influence a Google Update has on your rankings. This is the elusive X, and what your SEO firm learns from it determines how they carry out SEO practices. Google consistently changes the way their search engine determines which websites rank higher by executing Penguin and Panda Updates. These aren’t just updates to the interface, these are updates to the algorithms Google actually uses to determine your websites ranking. Another important aspect of this you might not know…Google doesn’t tell anyone what these changes are. They only announce that an update has occurred and the potential impact percentage it may have on website queries.
SEO + X = RANKING. Solve for X
So if X is a Google Update, how does your SEO company solve for it? Science of course. You want an SEO company that meticulously tracks your website, and a good one will. They keep detailed records of what changes have occurred and how they impact your ranking. This is so developers can carefully determine what factors a Google Update has affected, and where they need to shift focus. These can involve the back end of your site, like how it is mapped and whether or not it is Static or on WordPress, as well as the front end ‘IE’ content, tag structure and amount, as well as keyword density. Careful notation and experimentation allow developers to identify key changes and correct them to achieve better rankings.
All of these and many, many more things have to be taken into consideration and carefully weeded out. Other factors are out of your SEO companies hands entirely. These include:
- The length a similar company has had a domain name
- The number of chain competitors in the area
- Whether you have SEM Services
Exceptional SEO doesn’t happen without hard work and dedication, and even then Google search parameters can change the game overnight. So no matter how cut and dried it may seem at first, Search Engine Marketing is anything but. With an excellent SEO Marketing Firm on your side composed of top-notch developers, skilled writers, attentive sales reps, and an amazing citation team you can achieve successful rankings in any market. Just remember that every step backwards provides the opportunity to take three steps forward, and a stumble in the rankings will happen at any firm. With a team of SEO scientists backing your business, that stumble can turn into a giant leap forward.