The cyclical tide of search engine rankings, positioning & placement
Have you ever noticed that search engines like Google have a tidal cycle that ebbs, ripples and subsides?
What about how some websites rise from the time they are indexed and stabilize in the top 10 or top 20 results? Or how other websites rise quickly to the top quickly then after a week fade away while others are fluid and improve rankings by the day fluctuating from the outskirts of the top 100 to the top 30, top 20 top10?
If this has ever piqued your interest out of curiosity, or out of the necessity to understand this cycle for the sake of search engine positioning, we have provided a few examples that provide further insight to this phenomenon.
The answer to why some website rank and others tank are a derivative of;
Website Design, Content Creation and Links
Website Design: Site design has a hand in how friendly the pages are by way of being accessible to search engines. W3C standards are the hallmark, however it is not always the deciding factor. Every little bit helps but it is more about having the perfect mix of ingredients that determine which pages are elevated others are for lack of better terms ignored.
Content Creation: Is your content themed in the sense that various keywords that have a high occurrence in a specific industry (like search engine & the term internet marketing for example) comprise the pages. If so, you are contributing to the stability of your website over time as each page spirals into the spotlight of scrutiny from user agents. Pages have a tendency to work like the buddy system, if one page in your site gets hit with a ton of press for example, scores a link from an authority site, or has links developed that topple the top 10, over time it pulls other pages with it up in the the SERPs.
Understanding this ranking model and developing content specifically to work in tandem together is part of an intricate optimization tactic which relies primarily on content that is specific and unique in addition to internal linking.
The end result of a tactic such as this would be,five of your pages that rank as strong or stronger in the search engines than the home page as opposed to the home page being the only page with legs in the SERPS.
Strong Off Page SEO: This may not be the magic bullet, but it is the fundamental basis of why websites rank the way they do. If you imagine the millions of pages out there competing for terms on a daily basis, what gives one more precedence than another? Links…Links are like credits in the realm of search engines and have the ability to pull your pages from the depths of parts unknown into the lime light in the top 30 positions organically. Where a page lands is determined by how many factors your website complies with, there is no true one and done method, but rather a unique combination of criteria for each site that determines this, that can range from competition, the nature of the industry and various on and off page factors.
Through proper content creation, i.e. establishing the terms you want to gain a foothold for in search engines, you can assure that they are in some way, shape of form on the page in question, this can align the off page SEO and on page SEO like a beacon or homing signal for search engines. This is done primarily through proper use of the title, description and links.
Once you start link building, you can assess the strength of the initial submission and then from there determine which pivotal phrases to use for consolidating the keywords that comprise your theme.
Websites who chronologically started building links months or years in advance have a strategic and competitive advantage by way of link age and link quantity. Although these odds can be overcome through the proper use of web 2.0 augmentation, blogging or article marketing as an added hybrid of traditional link building, the idea is to solidify your website with keywords that have deep roots for your niche.
For example, a website that ranks in the top 10 for the term search engine optimization (one of the most competitive terms online) is not because it’s a new page that got lucky or necessarily what is on that page. Although it is an attribute, it really boils down to is the power of the links referring to the site. Oftentimes such companies start years in advance forecasting the relevance of certain pivotal terms and start their optimization campaigns in order to capture anticipated high volume search terms.
Although it may seem arduous, the ends justify the means as they benefit from having a piece of one of the most trafficked search terms online. Much in the same way, identifying your strongest keywords that transcend the fad or trend stage, will serve as a solid foundation for keyword that one day will be at the helm of a burgeoning new industry. Identifying such keywords and starting your link building campaign is of the utmost importance for any company seeking long-term search engine positioning.
So, the next time you perform a search, I hope this provides a bit of insight to how rankings are determined behind the scenes in search engines. Although it is not an exact science, much like predicting the weather, probability and trial and error have proven that when you use certain tactics, certain results are produced, so finding elements are fit to assist your website is truly at your own discretion.
So, in order to avoid the proverbial ups and downs, ripples and waves of fluctuating in the SERPs, write unique content to establish your website as an authority, have a healthy link building program and learn to glean the big picture for forecasting hot keywords that are anticipated to rise on the horizon. By managing all of these areas effectively, you will attract the attention and regard of search engines, which inevitably will deliver hordes of traffic in your direction if you follow the guidelines of website optimization, design, content and links.
Excellent blog. I think site Navigation is pivotal in great website design and seo!