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March 13, 2007
I've been reading an article at the Wall Street Journal (and the accompanying discussion from a number of other sources) and I've decided to say a few things about it. In short, the article talks about changes in search engine algorithms and the effects they have on websites being indexed. While primarily dealing with Topix.net's move to Topix.com, the article covers a number of situations where a change of some kind at Google caused companies to take a huge hit traffic-wise (and we can assume revenue-wise, as well).
Here are the two things I want to say, briefly:
I'm not the first to say either of these things. Not the first by a long shot. And I hate that both of these ideas have to be rehashed over and over again. Every time some company that doesn't understand how search engines work throws a fit, the story gets picked up. And sometimes, like we see here, people who do know how search engines work make a stink to get some press coverage (you're not going to tell me that Rich Skrenta doesn't understand what's going here).
The importance of search engines shouldn't be downplayed by any means. Whether they want it or not, a lot of websites get a lot of traffic from search engines. Back in the pre-engine and pre-algorithm days, companies were still able to create successful online businesses. I know… you're shocked, right? Search engines have certainly helped spur the growth of online businesses. But they didn't invent that business.
If your company is so reliant on search engine traffic that a change in search engine rankings spells doom for your bottom line… there's a bigger problem than just a changed algorithm. Yes… make sure your site ranks well. Yes… revel in the amount of traffic Google sends you. But don't rely on any one source of traffic for your livelihood. And I'm not just talking about search engines now. Diversify your traffic streams enough that no one source makes or breaks your business.
If you site is well designed and has good, relevant content… it will rank fine, regardless of algorithm changes. Case in point: my personal blog is not optimized for search engines at all. I don't even use keywords on it (which is intentional). I use a sitemap (which is also linked to inside the actual content of the site) to tell the search engines what to index. And that's it. I let the content itself drive traffic. And do you know what? It works.
Now you're probably thinking I couldn't have picked a worse thing to say on a blog that deals with SEO. Could it work better? Probably. Could a good dose of SEO really give it a kick in the pants? Definitely. And I'm quite certain that I could expand my search engine exposure with some well-applied optimization techniques. But I purposefully keep my personal blog this way. It forces me to think about the content of each post instead of relying on META tags or anything else to get ranked. And like I said, it works well for the most part.
So if your site really should rank well for a set of keywords, it probably will. Algorithm changes can't change your content. If you are paying attention to - and thinking about - the content on your site, the search engines will find you and will probably rank you just fine. Your search engine optimization will most certainly help. But any good SEO will tell you that your content should speak for itself… even before their techniques kick in.
See… the way I look at it… SEO is a complimentary product to content. SEO is worthless without good content. SEO can drive traffic to a site with cruddy content. But it can't keep people there… and it can't convince them to spend their time or money on your product. That, my friends, is all about the content.
So the bottom-line-moral-of-the-story is this: build your business around your content and around your product. Not around Google or Yahoo. If your content is sound, the search engines will pick it up. SEO is your friend and it can definitely help you. But an algorithm change or a drop in search engine rank shouldn't kill your business. It can hurt, that's true. But it shouldn't be the determining factor of whether or not your company succeeds or fails.
Comments:
3 Comments posted on "Depending Too Much on Search Engines is Dangerous"
Nick on March 13th, 2007 at 1:39 pm #
Another good method to increase traffic and site visibility is to use free advertising and link exchanges. A lot of bloggers nowadays are so amped up on ‘SEO’ and ‘viral marketing’ that they forget about this simple and efficient method. I have used a couple of these since I have been blogging and found that they bring in a good amount of traffic without requiring much upkeep or money (always an added bonus). One of the better services that I have used is http://adgridwork.com because they allow content targeting and work with both Wordpress and Blogger. I’ve also dabbled with http://bla.st and found it to be a good directory as well. Hope these help. -Nick
Derick on March 14th, 2007 at 1:45 pm #
That’s a very good point. You can’t discount the benefit of a good old-fashioned link. I’ve gotten behind in my monitoring of the directories and advertising networks, but as soon as I get caught up I’ll have to give those two a look. Thanks for the feedback!
Simplify, Analyze, Diversify, and Promote Your Way to Higher Conversions, Repeat Customers, and More Sales on August 2nd, 2007 at 2:50 pm #
[…] diversifying it’s revenue streams, Zappos.com has reached a customer milestone: 6 million customers. Not only that, but the company […] Post a comment
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