In elite sports, there are two measures of success. One is personal performance, measured by seconds, centimetres, or goals; the other is the position on the medal table. In a weak field, one can be a winner with a weak performance; in a strong field, even a world record might not guarantee a gold medal. The only thing elite athletes can do is do their best for excellence, which, if lucky, might be rewarded with a podium finish. But there is no guarantee for the latter. That’s how SEO works.
How does SEO work?
SEO (search engine optimisation) is a never-ending race to reach the top Google results. Unlike a 10,000 m track and field race, it has no finish line at the end of the 25th lap. To gain a business advantage, it’s not enough to be in the lead at the last second; you must maintain your position at the front and can’t stop. This requires constant adaptation and effort. Anyone who has seen coverage of world athletics competitions knows that the camera and reporter always focus on the front-runners and rarely, if ever, show the runners who are left behind during the race. The latter do not gain any popularity. The positions constantly change, but it doesn’t matter because the runners concentrate on the finish line, adjusting their tactics and power distribution accordingly.
Differences between SEO and track and field events
In SEO, there is no finish line or a home straight. The goal is to stay in the lead by constantly circling in never-ending laps. However, all the competitors want the best spots, so the best you can do is do your best as long as possible. Every moment in the race will be different, and the amount of effort required at specific points is impossible to predict, let alone guarantee. Even an ‘SEO guru’ cannot influence the preparedness of your competitors, Google’s algorithms, the speed at which pages load, or the momentary interest of visitors. It’s unrealistic to think you will definitely be on the first page if you reach an imaginary Google score maximum.
Firstly, there is no such thing as an absolute maximum score, but rather a relative competition. Secondly, nobody knows Google’s constantly changing ranking algorithms with 100% accuracy. Thirdly, there may be a hundred other competitors who can do what you can or even more. However, Google’s first page does not have space for a hundred. To guarantee that you will get there and stay there, and to advertise SEO services with guaranteed success, is a complete misunderstanding or misrepresentation of the Google competition.
Yet, countless marketing and website design companies advertise themselves with SEO guarantees. What do they guarantee? That no competing website will ever be better than yours? Or will Google’s scoring algorithms never change? It’s as if a high jumper who can jump 230 cm would guarantee he will be a podium finisher in every competition. His and his fans’ hearts will be broken if they believe that. Because even if he can jump 230 cm at any time, it is not guaranteed that he will always be on the podium!
The example of the fake expert
If a “guru” promises every 10,000 participants of a road running race that they are guaranteed to finish in the top ten, he will be laughed at. It’s because the participants have seen a race before and know from experience that there’s not enough space for 10,000 in the top ten. However, SEO is not visible, so in the customer’s mind, knowledge about it is replaced by a wish-driven desire. The desire to get on the first page of Google. The ‘guru’ promising SEO guarantees helps this belief overcome common sense. However, common sense would be much needed in the real world. One must do a lot and do it consistently to reach the first page of Google. It’s fortunate if one can do this occasionally, but expecting a guarantee for it is foolish, and giving one is a cheat.
The best advice against those offering SEO guarantees is to keep fit and run as far as possible when you meet them.
