Innovation. While it’s safe to say that every industry chases this, no one has to stay ahead of it quite like technology. The more sophisticated, the more you want to pay attention. After all, when Motorola launched the Dynatac 800X, the very concept of a mobile phone seemed too impractical to be true. At the time, it was. While certainly a radical advancement in communication, it is something to be seen rather than believed. Google it.
That might come across as a little bit crass, but it’s all for a good cause. Go ahead and look it up; we’ll wait. Any combination of Dynatac, Motorola, or 800x will work, as well as ‘first cell phone’ or a similar idea. However, that’s the crucial part of this; while some parts of that search will lead you to what you want, not all of it will. If you simply look up 800x or Motorola, you won’t find the phone. It seems obvious, of course, but it illustrates a very important asset of SEO; the right words in the right place.
Prospective clients will do the same when looking for your products and services. This is all fine and good when they know what to say, even partially. But what if they don’t know what to search for? Without a way to funnel them towards your business, that new client will never know you exist. Luckily, we can make search algorithms work in your favor. Even if the client doesn’t have the exact combination of words or they just have the premise rather than the magic words, there are ways to get Google to point to you.
There’s a lot of nuance to it, but this is where that above example comes in again. While most of the words when searching for the Motorola Dynatac 800x get you in the right direction, one of them does not. This means we have good SEO, but not great SEO. We want everything to potentially lead us to the thing we’re digging for. So, how do we do that?
While Google’s search system is an incredible engineering marvel, it follows a fairly simple idea; filter in relevant, filter out irrelevant. It checks for both words and phrasing. If you have the words already in place somewhere on your site, great! Step one, and the easy part, is done.
Unfortunately, if it was only that, search engines would become obsolete quick. Step two involves phrasing. Basically, Google checks for the context around those buzz words. If the text fits and seems relevant to the idea behind the search, Google will prioritize that result higher. But, there’s a catch, because that works both ways.
Search engines also check for irrelevant phrasing. For example, if I were to use a bit of gibberish word salad in an attempt to fool the algorithm for the sake of just loading it down with search terms, the system can pick up on this. Using a blog entry to mention the Motorola Dynatac 800x is considered relevant, even if we’re only discussing it for the sake of an example. If, however, I was to just dump out something like “Dynatac Motorola 800x cell phone first” with absolutely no relevant context at all, then it runs the risk of being ignored. Will this always happen? Eventually, yes. It might not be the top of Google’s priority to bump down an SEO blog if it had no other context in an attempt to ‘fish’ the algorithm, but it would go into review.
The question answers itself. Do you want your business to be considered lower priority? We might as well ask if you’d like to stop drinking water. Both questions, as far as any proud business owner can see it, are equally absurd.
Luckily, this blog, and Tycho SEO, are here to provide solutions. Our goal with this series of blogs is to establish a small library of useful information on cybersecurity, SEO, and good practices of each. We believe strongly in staying ahead of the curve, and we’ll happily lead you along the way. You can read about general SEO and how we make it work for you here: [LINK TO SEO]
At the end of the day, algorithms can be your friend as much as your enemy. After all, if you know how something works, you can make it work for you. Intelligent word placement, easy to read and relevant content, and fast, secure web pages all check positive boxes with search engines. Whenever a search provider alters their search terms, we get ahead of it, and adapt. In business, we firmly believe that every innovation must be met with adaptation. We take even small discoveries seriously, as today’s Dynatac could be tomorrow’s Bluetooth.
That leads us into the topic for the next post; couldn’t you fight algorithms with algorithms? Thankfully, no. While we’ll elaborate more on the fine details in the next installment of AOTC, the short version is that AI can detect AI. If the algorithm knows it is being exploited, it will work against it. This is where the human touch, and one of the biggest advantages to boutique development really shines.
But that’s getting ahead of ourselves. We’ll discuss the pros, cons, and best uses of AI, and why you should never rely on them to design your site. For now, thank you for choosing Tycho SEO for your cybersecurity and search engine optimization needs. See you at the next Ahead Of The Curve.
