Search Engines
SEARCH ENGINES: WHAT THEY WANT?
All over the Internet, you hear (or read) about someone that have cracked the Google system and made thousands of dollars in just a few days. And strangely, they also sell an e-book to tell you how to do it. STOP HERE.
Do you think they really cracked the system? Do you really think that a single guy can beat a monster like Google? Be realistic, stop seeing Google as simple search engine. It is thousands of clever (real clever) technicians.
It is a mountain of algorithms that a single person just can’t understand. Google is a multi-billion dollars enterprise with the biggest expertise on search engines. Do you still believe that Joe The Terrible still can beat this monster?
The fact is that Google and all other search engines do not need you, you need them. Example, ”home success” as keywords. Google: 355,000,000 results. Alta Vista: 1,300,000,000 results. Now, do you think search engines will run after you to add your page?
If you are interested in getting free targeted traffic from search engines, please, play by the rules. Follow the rules and think about the long term. Fast ranking means ephemeral success. You might succeed once or twice, but you will have to start from scratch over and over again.
If, in the contrary, you play by the rules, you will start from scratch once. Which style do you prefer? Now that you are aware of what search engines are, what do they really want?
Think about it for a while. Ask yourself, as an entrepreneur, what do you want? You want customers, customers that come back. You want the satisfaction of your customers except if you are a crook, a bugler, a thief, a spammer or a scammer.
Other wise, you want happy customers. I repeat the question: What Google wants? The logical answer is Happy Customers. Google is not a search engine, it is a business. The search box is just one of the tools it offers to their ”satisfied” customers.
As read online, you may think Google sucks, but do you think other search engines are different? Yes Google changes the rules on a regular basis and here an example that will show you that, sometimes, it is good for you.
Just a few years ago, the number of pages was a criteria to the high ranking. That places affiliate, MLM programs on the first line. There was so many of them (and still are) that it was impossible for any normal marketer to get ranked at all.
All search engines (not only Google) change their rules and make a change in the algorithms to stop the number of pages being a criteria. Search engines realize that, on the other side, the searchers were not happy.
While they were looking for something specific, many results were affiliate or MLM pages. The Customer was not happy. A change was a must.
OK, this is only one example, but search engines creators learn with time. All the move they do is not to give marketers more visibility, but to give satisfaction to their searchers. That means, if you want to stay in the top 10 as long as possible, you need to play by the rules.
If you try to cheat, you will get caught. If you use a software, SE know it. What ever techniques you use, SE know it. Stop fooling around and do things the way it should be. Make you site being an answer, a solution to the search engines customers.
Have you ever ask yourself why, in 2010, you still have, as number 1 result, a 2006 (or any other previous years)? Because the page still give an answer to your query or the site is 100% related to your search.
Here are a few basic steps to follow when you build a site or a blog:
- The domain name must be composed with your primary keywords. Search engine associate the domain name and keywords.
- Enter keywords that are related to your site. You do not have to enter a large range keyword (money, dog, watch, etc)
- Enter a description of your site using your primary keywords and have it in your first page paragraph if possible.
- Creating a blog rather than a site will help you rank high faster. It is well known that search engines love blogs
- Back links, create them manually, do not buy them. It is proven that 1 good back link is better dozens of software or bought back links.
- Make your site relevant, give real info and, every time possible, give a solution.
- Make your site easy to navigate for the visitors
- Always have the visitors in mind. Do not create a site for you, create it for others.
There are the basics, you can learn about SE by reading Google or any other search engines rules. This will assure you a long term relationship with search engines.
Just be careful when you see a guy claiming he cracked Google or that he found a whole in the spider algorithms that brought him unlimited automated targeted traffic. The only ”unlimited targeted traffic” I’ve ever saw was through search engines.
Now, it doesn’t mean not to use some tools found online. If you use PPC to advertise your products, you get real good tools like Traffic Travis or SEO Elite. Knowing how to generate good keywords for your site is a plus.
Also, if you have a WordPress blog, you have very good plug-ins you can use as XML Sitemap, All In One SEO, Keywords optimizer, etc. Search engines have nothing against tools, they just don’t like people that are not totally telling you the truth.
Conclusion
If you read about a SEO tool and would like to know if it is good, do a search adding the word ”review” in your search. You will find a lot of people that have already tested it. Read more than one or two, select 8 to 10 or more.
If you happen to land on a site that tells you to hurry because it is offered for only a short period of time, do not rush to join. Wait till you can have a review. And if it ever happens that it is close or sold out, do not panic, usually within 4 to 5 weeks, another site will offer something similar.
Example: Facebook PPC, e-book on how to generate thousands of dollars daily with Facebook. I saw one, than about 3 weeks later a second one. Now you can find 5 or 6 easily that will tell you haw to make money using Facebook. Maybe there are more, but I didn’t try to find out. Not to say all other e-books about social marketing.
