On the subject of the search, Google has a near-monopoly. Comshare, an Internet measuring company, and Rand Fishkin, a notable SEO specialist and founder of Moz, a Seattle-based inbound marketing and SEO firm, estimate that it controls 65-85% of the industry. SEO businesses that perform a good job can make a big difference in a company’s success, particularly for start-ups.
Today, every company must have a strong internet presence, a distinct identity, and a strong brand. Regrettably, some business owners are dissatisfied with their selected SEO firm. There are several key aspects to consider while selecting the correct team to run your SEO strategy. In terms of search, Google enjoys a near-monopoly. According to estimates from Comshare, an Internet measurement firm, it controls 65-85% of the market.
You have an issue if you don’t rank well on Google. Today, around 3.1 billion individuals, or 40% of the world’s population, have access to the Internet. Every day, Google handles over 3.5 billion search inquiries. Without an Internet and Google presence, it’s quite improbable that the firm will be taken seriously or generate enough cash in this day and age.
Frustrated By SEO
“I’m so frustrated by SEO!” I heard it again this week. A marketing manager who was looking for a new SEO firm remarked. He had spent a lot of money on two different enterprises in the previous few years with no discernible outcomes. He was under pressure from senior management and wanted to make sure that the counsel he was receiving would result in demonstrable outcomes.
Words like “mystery,” “black box,” “dark magic,” and even “scam” and “rip-off” were murmured. The truth is that SEO is neither a mystery nor a black art. However, the idea that SEO is a dark box that makes it difficult for SEOs to match expectations with their clients has some merit. Let’s start with why we (SEOs) concentrate on Google, how it works, and why anticipating results can be such a difficult and frustrating endeavor.
Focus on Google
If you own a small business, the first thing you should know is that Google is the only search engine you should be concerned with. Although there are hundreds of search engines throughout the world, each with its system of determining who ranks where in search results, Google has a near-monopoly in the United States, so you should focus your limited time and resources there. Then you’ll need to know how Google operates at a high level.
How Google Ranks Content
To determine who ranks first, Google employs an artificial ranking system. It does not publish its ranking algorithm and has no intentions to do so in the future. In September 2010, Google’s CEO (Eric Schmidt) stated flatly that “it’s a business secret” that he has no plans to reveal.
To be fair, Google does provide a high-level description of how search works via a Youtube video. While informative, the movie is not a diagnostic tool and does not reveal why you aren’t ranking. It is devoid of information about how any of these items are related or measured and weighed. There is also no information on how to do anything.
Even Google engineers are baffled as to how Google uses all of these elements to conclude. This is because machine learning algorithms aren’t transparent about which signals they use. Even the programmers who originally coded the AI are unable to peek inside the black box. So, how do SEOs figure out how the algorithm works exactly?
How Do SEOs Interpret The Algorithm?
Some SEOs devote their entire careers to studying Google’s rules, publications, and patent filings. They track Google’s algorithm changes over time, execute experiments, conduct correlation studies, and monitor trends. They polled several of the world’s top search marketers for their thoughts. All of this research is shared, and we make conclusions, recommend, and publish best practices based on our findings.
To summarise, SEOs have no precise or verifiable understanding of how Google ranks web pages. While not completely opaque, the details of what happens behind the scenes are reliant on jointly assembled best guesses based on third-party research, experimentation, and opinion. Although there isn’t always agreement and perspectives differ, most experts agree that following best practices can help you achieve meaningful, measurable outcomes while also avoiding Google penalties and bans.
Google’s Ranking Algorithm is Constantly Changing
The Google ranking system isn’t set in stone, either. It is always changing, thus you should expect your ranks to fluctuate as well. Google claims to update its ranking algorithm between 350 and 550 times per year. Google’s algorithm is estimated to change 500-600 times every year, according to Moz, a well-respected SEO toolmaker, and thought-leader. It maintains track of all the changes (that we are aware of) since the year 2000.
Even with all of the study, consensus, and lack of consensus that the SEO community conducts around the ranking algorithm, some of the findings reached may become obsolete rapidly. There is a lot of competition. Small business owners have found it increasingly difficult to compete in recent years due to increased competition. It used to be relatively simple. You’d simply add some keywords to your website and call it a day. The issue was that because it was so simple, everyone took advantage of it, and the quality of search results began to reflect this.
When Google realized this, it began to expand the number and types of variables it used when ranking websites and web pages. Nowadays, there are few, if any, opportunities to game the system. You might be able to rank well with little work if you’re in a tiny, non-competitive area. Otherwise, it’ll be an expensive, a long process, and a creative challenge. There is one more exception to this rule. It is possible to pay to be at the top. Google’s Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising platform, Adwords, has traditionally been the quickest road to the top.
In less than a day, you may have your website at the top of sponsored search results thanks to a sophisticated bidding and auctioning procedure. The problem is that it’s a really difficult procedure, and unless you’re knowledgeable and diligent, you could end up spending a lot of money on terrible outcomes. Small business entrepreneurs are thus at a disadvantage. They can’t afford to devote the time necessary to master PPC. They can’t usually afford to engage or contract for such services, either. Many small business owners dabble to make a profit, but this typically leads to bad outcomes and even more dissatisfaction.
Google Doesn’t Share Everything
Google has never publicly disclosed its ranking algorithm, but it used to provide a lot more data to business owners – data that helped us better understand how prospects and consumers looked for our products and services. Google has been tapering – no, ratcheting – back on the quantity of data it shares in recent years as well.
Google Planner is Google’s keyword research tool
One of the keys to SEO success is determining how people search for you on the Internet and then adding that language into your website so you can rank. Given Google’s near-monopoly on search, it’s only natural that you’d go to Google to discover out what people are searching for when they’re looking for your products and/or services. And it was to the Google Keyword Planner tool that the vast majority of keyword researchers used to go.
The problem is that Google has been reducing the volume and specificity of data it shares in recent years. For example, Google lies through omission. Google decides to suppress part of its keyword information until you actively ask for it, as Moz’s Rand Fishkin revealed in February 2012. Then, in August 2016, Google decided to no longer provide particular search volumes for keyword terms, instead of providing ranges.
When you used to be able to see that 720 individuals searched for “a certain keyword phrase” every month, Google now reports something like 100-1,000 searches per month for that phrase and all semantic equivalents. That means the tool is no longer usable unless you pay for an Adwords account or subscribe to one of the numerous 3rd-party keyword research programs that have popped up on the market, many of which are more expensive than a small business owner would prefer.
Google Analytics allows you to track your website’s performance
There’s also Google Analytics to consider. Google declared in September 2013 that information about unpaid (non-PPC) terms would no longer be shared in their Google Analytics software, the most widely used analytics tool on the Internet. This data was crucial in determining how people found and searched for your products and services on the Internet. Small business owners are at a major disadvantage because non-PPC keyword data is no longer available.
Big business owners don’t have access to this information either, but they do have bigger pockets, which allow you to play the PPC game and discover what works and what doesn’t through trial and error. You still have access to keyword data if you’re a PPC advertiser. If you aren’t, you’ll only see a small portion of the terms people use to discover your website, and the vast majority of them will be branded. Small business owners have every right to be annoyed by SEO.
For the inner workings of Google’s ranking algorithm, there is no one, fact-based, and provable explanation. We do have information based on research, experimentation, consensus, and personal opinion. Google has not validated it. In terms of search, Google enjoys a near-monopoly. The rules it utilizes to determine who ranks first are “trade secrets” that are continuously changing.
Competition is much tougher now than it was a few years ago, and it’s only going to get tougher in the future. Big brands and paid ads appear to be favored by Google (and the market). Because Google chooses to withhold keyword information, small company owners frequently lack access to detailed keyword information – the phrases consumers use to search for your products and/or services.
Summary
You know as a business owner that the evidence is in the pudding. People can chat all day long, but are they truly generating new leads? Are your online visitors turning into customers? Because SEO is such a lengthy process, you must be confident that it will be profitable. This is when case studies come in handy. We’re pleased with the outcomes we’ve gotten for our clients, and we can’t wait to show you what’s possible.
The best aspect is that the entire process is handled by the best SEO Company in Bangalore. You simply concentrate on doing what you do best, which is serving consumers and growing your company. We’ll create and implement an SEO strategy that generates new leads and converts them into sales. The inner workings of Google’s ranking algorithm have no single, fact-based, and provable explanation. We have knowledge based on a study, experimentation, and personal opinion. Google has not validated it, and opinions differ.
In terms of search, Google enjoys a near-monopoly. Its rules for determining who ranks first are “trade secrets” that are continually changing. Competition is much tougher now than it was a few years ago, and it will only get tougher in the future. Big companies and paid advertising appear to be favored by Google (and the market). Because Google decides to withhold comprehensive keyword information — the phrases people use to search for your products and/or services – small business owners typically don’t have access to it.
Small business owners, therefore, have every right to be upset by SEO. SEO businesses who execute their job well can make a big difference in a company’s success, especially for startups. Today, every company must have a strong internet presence, a distinct identity, and a strong brand value. Unfortunately, some business owners are dissatisfied with their selected SEO firm. There are certain key aspects to consider while selecting the correct team to run your SEO strategy.
