SEO Blog

Before starting out on this post, I would like to acknowledge that there are exceptions to this rule. Google’s algorithm isn’t perfect and sometimes bad sites do rank above those that offer value; not sure why but hey, it happens.

Anyway, if you want to rank higher for your selected keywords then you had better have a site that is better than your competitors. Search engines reward those sites that people enjoy using. They analyse content and visitor reaction (i.e. bounce rate, time on site etc.) and make informed decisions based on that data.

Of course you can attempt to manipulate that through excessive (blackhat?) SEO practices, like spamming comment boards, getting involved in link farms or exchanging cash for a few inbound gems, but ultimately you can’t blind Google to a bad site.

If you think that search engines are JUST interested in links then you might as well give up now. Google hasn’t spent the last decade or so developing its algorithm just to maintain the same dependence on PageRank and linking.

In 2004 you might have been able to get a site to the top with a few thousand spammy links and very little else, today it’s going to be much more complicated. Google uses more than 200 ranking factors when it comes to index websites, whilst links are absolutely vital, you’d be fooling yourself if you thought that they alone could earn top spot.

If your site is rubbish, your rankings will – more often than not – be equally unimpressive. Even if (and that is a big IF) you can pull the wool over the eyes of Google, visitors won’t be impressed. When there’s no decent content to read, no obvious page to go to next, who’s going to hang around and find out what you have to offer?

Basing an entire website purely around building up ‘SEO strength’ and overlooking the fundamentals of design and content would be disastrous. You’d have thousands of internal links scattering far and wide across the site. Keywords would replace authoritative copy. Your link profile would be bulging with trackbacks from sites of ill-repute. But there would be nothing useful in any of this.

A great site will only become truly great when people are able to find and appreciate it. Whilst Google is clever, it isn’t always that clever. You do have to do some work to make sure your site gets noticed. This might mean a little link building and developing of brand awareness. But this is the right way to approach it.

Give yourself something to promote, don’t just aimlessly chase rankings for a flimsy site. Google won’t reward you because you have an innovative design, but visitors might. In time, this activity will help bring direct traffic to the site and show the search engines that people enjoy interacting with your site.

This isn’t an excuse to give up on your SEO efforts entirely, but you have to be aware that it’s far easier promoting something that’s great than it is working with rubbish links for an awful site.

It’s like having an arena with a 40,000 seat capacity. Selling those seats is probably going to be a great deal easier if you’ve got a great act, let’s say The Rolling Stones, than it is if you have a third rate pop act [apply preferred band's name here].

But you have to sell your website to the search engines and visitors, so have a double problem to contend with. Make your domain the Rolling Stones of websites and ensure that visitors will enjoy their experience and then do your bit by promoting it to the search engines. It might take a while to do properly, but you should be rewarded in time.