Internet Marketing Blog

The following tidbit comes from Zarry, over at the Webmaster Weekly Forums ...

Google Dance Revisited

A member posted a question about the Florida google algorithm
changes at the WebMaster Weekly Forums this past week..

Here was my reply.....

There is a lot of speculation - as to the algorithm change.

I've heard that a lot of the seo experts got killed in the
last couple of dances. It would seem to me that they set
themselves up as targets by "showing off" and getting top
listings for seo related keyword phrases on google.

If seo is your business model, it's a double edged sword.
You want to prove that you can get top listings for those
seo keyword phrases so that you can attract potential
clients, but you also attract the eyes of the search engine
programming staff. Surely that can't help.

On many forums, webmasters that "over optimize" their sites
to get top listings are considered "spammers".

My opinion is - if you target keyword phrases that DO NOT
pertain to your site, then the label of search engine
spammer applies. If you create multiple sites to take all of
the top 10 listings that point to the same site, you've
spammed the search results.

However if you only target relevant keyword phrases and
don't spam the results (by taking every top spot for one
site), in my opinion... by optimizing or "over optimizing",
and getting the desired results ... you've done well.

Here's one for you....

If one million webmasters all have websites that sell the
exact same product or service.... let's call it "green
widgets", no matter how you look at it, there are only TEN
top 10 spots to be had for the search phrase "green
widgets".

Let's take location out of the equation... i.e., "New York
green widgets".

If you are ranked 100,000 out of 1 million for the search
phrase "green widgets", and you offer the EXACT SAME green
widgets as the site that is ranked #1 out of 1 million, and
your site has as much relevant content, etc., the only thing
that separates your #100,000 ranked site from the #1 ranked
site is what?

Relevancy per the algorithm used by the search engine.

The #1 ranked site happens to be set up (optimized) in a
manner that falls in line with the relevancy algorithm used by
the search engine.

Does it mean that the #1 ranked "green widgets" site is
really more relevant than your #100,000 ranked "green
widgets" site given the fact that both sites sell the exact
same "green widgets" ??

As far as non algorithm relevancy is concerned, both sites are
relevant when it comes to the subject of "green widgets".
They both offer the exact same product!

So then the search engine has to rely on its algorithm to decide
which sites are more relevant than others.

If a site that sells just ONE TYPE of "green widget" has
1000 incoming links from other sites thus boosting its PR
and ranking, significantly... is it really more relevant
than a site that sells many versions, models, brands, of
"green widgets" but doesn't have any incoming links to boost
its PR and ranking?

So let's say you build a great looking site with awesome
content that totally pertains to "green widgets". If it
doesn't meet the criteria of the relevancy algorithm used by the
search engines, it won't be found in the top. In the end...
no matter how you look at it, it's all about the algorithm
used by the search engines, hence the want and or need for
SEO.

Quote: al·go·rithm ( P ) Pronunciation Key (lg-rthm) n. A
step-by-step problem-solving procedure, especially an
established, recursive computational procedure for solving a
problem in a finite number of steps.

rel·e·vant ( P ) Pronunciation Key (rl-vnt) adj. Having a
bearing on or connection with the matter at hand.

It's not a matter of being fair. It's not a matter of what
you or I think is fair or not fair. SEO has been around for
as long as the search engines have been around, and began
when people figured out that they could optimize their sites
to get listed towards the top of the search results.

From what I've seen... those that can... DO. They do get the
top spots. They DO get the traffic, the leads, the sales.

Those that can't... yell FOUL, NOT FAIR, BLAH BLAH BLAH, or
simply hire someone that CAN generate the desired results.

This is only the opinion of one webmaster... ME.

****** about the author ******

Zarry is the head muk muk moderator at the WebMaster
Weekly Forums at http://thewebmasterweekly.com/forums.htm

Join us and discuss topics important to all webmasters, such as
code development, web dev, search engines, site promotions,
Janet Jackson's half time performance during the SuperBowl. 8-)

What's your opinion?

Feel free to add your comments ..;)

Mike