It frustrates many a business owner that their web site does not show up in Google search results. It is even more frustrating for them to spend money on search engine optimization to still see little or no results. There are many factors used by Google and other search engines to determine which content is shown in search results. Content competition is a key factor.
Search results are based on which content the search algorithm determines is most relevant for a search phrase. If there is little good content on the subject, the search results may remain basically the same over time. If search engines regularly find (index) new good quality content, the results may change almost daily. There are some subjects you will see both situations in the results. For many medical subjects, you will see WebMD, Mayo Clinic or other medical authority sites in the top results. While other information below changes over time.
For example: When this article was written, the top results for the Google search ‘coolest marketer in Sacramento’ had remained the same for over a year. During this period the remaining results on the page have changed. Google shows there are over 3 millions competing results for this search. Evidently none of the other content as determined by Google is more relevant than the top results. This has been the case since about November 2012. An interesting side note is a video on YouTube is one of the top results. It’s believed that Google gives YouTube videos extra weight in search results.
In some cases to influence search results can be as easy as just providing better, more relevant content on a subject. This was the situation for the example above. When this is the case, it means there is little good quality competing content for a subject.
What about when a subject has lot of good quality content as rated by the search engines? Then it may take significant effort to produce content that will show in search results that displaces what is already there. For some medical subjects, the effort could be a daunting.
What does this mean to our business owner?
If a business is about a subject with minimal or weak content competition, it will likely take little effort to influence the search results with good quality content. For a subject with a lot of competition, it could take significant work to influence the search results. The work may also need to be sustained over an extended period of time.
How to determine how competitive a subject is? For subjects with very low competition or very high competition are generally obvious (think digital cameras for a competitive market). For many subjects the degree of competition can be estimated. But to really know can only be determined by producing good content on the subject and seeing if and how the search results change.
The ambiguity of not knowing except by doing a program only adds to a business owner’s frustration. But that is the reality of dealing with Google. Another search influence is the content site’s authority ranking. It’s easier to illustrate authority ranking by example. WebMD is recognized as an authority site for medical information. Content about diabetes on WebMD would show in search results above ‘quality’ content by a business site. Such is the authority of a site like WebMD.
To summarize, “It starts with producing and sharing good quality content. Content, Google and the other search engines want to show in search results. And if it’s a competitive market, be prepared to invest effort and time to see results,” adds online media strategist, John Deck.
About the author:
John Deck is an online media strategist with over 25 years in hi-tech. His authority and reputation marketing gets his clients seen as an expert, educator and advocate for their patient’s and client’s success. For more information visit: http://www.DirectMarketResults.com.