You’re the #1 SEO Loser

I was struggling to think of a blog topic that would relate to my job in digital marketing. What could I say that would be interesting and compelling? I decided to do what any normal person would do; I would hit up Google for the answer.

It has become a social norm to “Google It” – so much so that even urbandictionary.com has a few dozen entries on the topic. For example: “Google it: An answer to a question that you are too lazy to answer.” We’re a culture that needs instant gratification. If we don’t know the answer to something we just want someone (or something) else to do the work.

All of this nonsense got me thinking about the purpose of this blog post and how it relates to digital marketing: to ensure that your site show up on the first page of search results. As one wise, unknown marketer once said – “If it’s not on the first page of Google, it doesn’t exist.” This boils down to having a good SEO strategy.

Moz recently published a Search Engine Ranking Correlation Study that showed topical relevance of links, social signals (shares, likes, +1’s) and URL structures play a large role in where your site ranks within search results. It was emphasized that mobile-friendly websites associated with popular apps and those with high usability will factor into future iterations of Google’s algorithm. It’s not enough to just be on the internet anymore.

Google’s complicated search algorithms change, on average, 500-600 times a year. While most of these changes go undetected, a few are meant to cause some disruption. Why? To keep things equal. Google wants to ensure fairness in its search results.

In the field of digital marketing, we as marketers need to constantly be on top of where keywords are landing. It is not good enough to do it once and expect to stay on top. This means that you must be constantly researching, analyzing and modifying keyword strategies. When it comes to SEO, you absolutely cannot rest on your marketing laurels.

“There is no such thing as second place. Either you’re first or you’re nothing.” – Gabe Paul