Why SEO Is Like a Seed
SEO is not something that happens right away. For most people they have learned to understand that search engine optimization takes time and you need apply good quality approach in order to make an impact on your targeted industry search results.
Here are some reasons why SEO takes time for those who are not so convinced:
Limited Space: For every keyword and phrase there are only ten parking spaces in the search results which means that you need to put in the leg work to be visible in these areas. If everyone did a little SEO wouldn’t it be impossible to have everyone rank in the search results for a specific word or phrase?
Competition: You really don’t know what your competition is doing as far as marketing to be ranking in those search results. You can search around and take a look but ultimately you don’t really know what types of link building activities they are performing for them to show up in those areas.
Ranking Factors: There are close to 200 different ranking factors that determine where a website ranks. It takes time for a website to cover many of these factors which is why SEO is a long term effort.
Age: If you are in an industry where the majority of the websites that rank on page one or two are aged, meaning they have been live online for a much greater time than yours it will require even more patience and time. Age is a very important ranking factor in the search engines so if you have just recently launched your website it is going to take some time to really catch up to your competition.
Volume of Business: The internet has allowed people to start businesses relatively easy which means that content and websites are being dumped into the web space at much higher rate than ever before. The volume of content that exists in the internet is astonishing and it is not slowing down any time soon.
Don’t compare the rankings you might have achieved years ago to now because the game has shifted and changed quite a bit.
SEO was once a much different effort. Several years ago, before social media marketing was effective, a company had to rely solely on SEO for their marketing efforts. The effort has changed and forced businesses to take a much stronger SEO marketing and branding approach in order to stand out from the crowd.
13 Responses to “Why SEO Is Like a Seed”
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those long tail keyword terms do they help you rank for the short tail
ex: horses for sale in New York
will that help horses for sale?
Hi Jason,
Thanks for reading and your question!
If you are selling horses in New York, then that type of long tail keyword phrase might be a great fit for your site…
Thanks again!
Nick
Nick,
I love using analogies to break your explanation down to anyone’s understanding. It is a good way to “punch home” your point. It is stories like this that I always enjoy passing on to my clients.
Mike J.
As usual Nick, great article. It would be great if all of our clients understood the ranking issues. No matter how we try to create the proper expectation…they keep thinking their site will rank at the top in just a short time. Keep spreading the word!
Alton j.
My site is 18 months old so I suppose I am hoping that other small online retailers give up because it is too hard or taking too long. although visits have increased, sales are virtually nil, but I have been at it and put in too many hours to give up now.
It would be great to get a comment from you – I am not spamming you or anything.
Susann
Everybody wants to be on Page 1 of Google. The competition is great and there’re lots of SEO “holy grail” out there.
Some offering high PR links for sale. Is it worth the investiment?
Hi Susann,
Thanks for reading!
I would say that if your site is generating a good amount of visitors and you are not seeing much business then your website might need to be improved. Specifically I would look at the conversion aspects of your sites and data within your analytics to start…
Hope this helps
Nick
I remember when our website first went up, we had great expectations and very limited knowledge of how things work. But like a small business, over time you build it. I guess the position our page first appeared in search listings was extremely dissapointing, to the point where my parter thought it wasn’t even worthwhile.
The best advice I found was to do a little bit every day, and build it slowly. Again, it can be dissapointing when it takes time for your activities to have any result at all. But then the site began a slow climb. First page 16, then page 8, then page 2.
Each little link and comment pushes the site higher and higher. We are now following Nick’s advice and getting some of our students to blog about their singing lessons. It’s not just good for ranking, it actually ads value to the site, and makes it more than just what is essentially an advertisement.
Excellent article, Nick…
You hit the nail right on the head, Alton. Clients think results will be immediate.
Susann,
Girlfriend, those shoes are SHARP!!!! If I weren’t so clumsy (I trip over my own two feet), I would buy a pair right now. They look well made, classy, verrrrry stylish and sturdy. I love them! Now if I would only start looking where I am going I could buy a pair…or two…or three.
Hi Nick,
Everything you’ve said is absolutely true. I’ve brought my company’s website to the first page of google(malaysia) (fifth spot) for bulk email marketing.
But the thing many don’t seem to understand is it really does need a concerted effort, especially when its an internal project.
There simply isn’t a set road map (a basic one does exist) that can create a sustainable effect.
While my play is totally organic, I find that using Adwords bolsters organic search efforts too.
What do you think of the relationship between ppc and organic seo strategies?
Hi Naveen,
Thanks for reading and your question.
I have never seen conclusive evidence that SEO positioning increases based on PPC media spend. Any time that happens, I would just say its a coincidence unless of course I see actual proof.
Age is definitely a factor and many days I just want to hang it up, I have 4 sites that I market and it seems the products you market make a difference. I have been working on a casino site for over 4 years and it is just barely beginning to give me a ROI , however I have an acne site that after a year starting earning me some money.
So I guess you just have to make an honest commitment, there are no get rich quick schemes, Internet marketing is like any other business, work hard at it and after time it will produce.
Hi Rod,
Thanks very much for your comment!
So very true! This is a great type of case study how website age, helps build SEO trust and it is completely different based on the competition for the industry, etc.
Thanks again!
Nick