Common Sense Marketing
(Marketing 101)
Who To Blame - Google Or You?
Every time Google sneezes, webmasters and search engine experts catch pneumonia or so it seems from the amount of articles and
conspiracy theories. There is an old adage that still applies: "Never but
all your eggs in one basket." This common sense advice is just as true for
the web as for any other area of business marketing. So why do people
still complain when Google changes its search algorithm?
The answer is simple yet complex. Google drives a lot of customers to
web-based businesses. Google's traffic equates to money. What I don’t
understand is why people who rely on over 50% of their business from
Google don’t develop a backup or some other alternative. Now, I’m not
referring to 50% of only your web business but 50% of your total business.
Yes, it may be cheaper to keep your Google top 10 listing than to hire
salespeople but why you keep depending on that much business from any one
unpredictable source is beyond my understanding?
If this were the first time Google had upset its rankings and caused
ulcers among the Google dependent crowd, then I could understand the cries
of concern. Google has done this many times before. Why haven’t you
adapted to Google's dance? Why do you still insist on allowing Google
to lead, to control your business by default?
It’s as if people just don’t understand that Google isn’t in the
business of making webmasters, site owners, or SEO experts happy. Google’s
business is to provide a searcher with the best possible sites based on
their query string or at least Google’s opinion of the best sites.
Google isn’t concerned with your page or site ranking, that is merely a byproduct
of trying to achieve relevancy for its searchers. Google will continue to
perform its minute waltz or three-month tango as it sees fit to keep their
searchers satisfied and their search counts from dropping.
So what if Google is trying to make way for more advertisements or even
charge for listing sites as some theorists have suggested. Google is a
business much like yours. They have the right and the obligation to make
their business profitable for their investors and for their owners. Google
even has the right to destroy their business by making poor decisions.
If you are unwilling to adopt an alternative marketing plan, then you
must continue to live with Google’s changes. Is it really cheaper to hire
a SEO expert every time Google changes its page ranking algorithm? If
Google only did its dance once every couple of years, perhaps; however,
Google seems to dance every few months and the experts are expensive.
What’s your business plan if Google were to close shop tomorrow?
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