Being Number One on Google means NOTHING - Unless . . .
77BEWARE: TOP OF GOOGLE reality check ahead.
Seems like every couple of days there's a Hub published, or forum thread started about someone achieving the miraculous feat of being listed on Google's Number One position for some keyword phrase.
The writer then usually goes on to say that this is especially miraculous, since there are several million other pages competing for that keyword phrase - and THEIRS is at the TOP!
Then come lots of comments from other people, congratulating them on this marvellous achievement.
Or you'll see some dodgy Search Engine Optimisation company promising to "Get you to the top of Google in 7 days for only $99"
And the scary thing is that they CAN.
WOW! Order the champagne and dancing girls, it's party time - because huge amounts of money will surely start flowing from Adsense earnings.
Well Sorry guys, but I'm going to pee on your parade.
Just the fact that you are on top of the Google listings is USELESS. Unless it's for a term that a lot of people are searching for.
And because they say "Number 1 out of millions of pages" can also be misleading - because they will be giving you the number of pages in a broad match search, instead of an exact match search (Google these terms if you don't know the difference.)
Now where was I before I started raving on - oh yes! -
Getting number one position on Google is DEAD EASY.
And so is getting all positions from 1 to 7!
I'll even go further than saying "Number 1 is easy": Getting the top 7 positions on Google is EASY.
I've done this myself, by just making some posts on a few websites.
Go on - check it out if you don't believe me. Do a search on Google for:
rex the performing ferret.
At the time of writing, all the top 7 positions for that term are MINE !!! MINE !!!! MINE !!!!
So that must make me a search engine champion, who is about to make a squillion dollars !!!
Sadly, No. Because being on the top of Google doesn't mean anything in this case. Because nobody but me - and those who read my articles - will ever search for that term.
I've written a short report about keywords and how they work. It's easy to understand, and will give you a good basic grounding in the topic.
You can download it at TheInternetBloke.com/Keywords.pdf
( There's no email address, pint of blood, or anything required.. Just download it and read it. And you'll never be conned by those dodgy SEO messages ever again.)
Cheers,
Eric Graudins.
There's lots more info for website owners at TheInternetBloke.com
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Comments
good read. I have one of those phrases two and it isn't doing diddly for me when it comes to money.
I search for rex the performing ferret all of the time. This is why you do word searches.
Keep on hubbing!
I search for rex the performing ferret all of the time. This is why you do word searches.
Keep on hubbing!
Thanks for making it all clear and answering some of my own long held questions and confirming my suspions. Very useful hub!
Eric, I understand that Google actually personalizes the search, so if you are logged in, and they know you are interested in rex the performing ferret, they'll make your rex hubs come up first even if you're just searching for ferrets in general. To see where you stand, you have to log out and log in as someone else!
So you are the expert?
Thanks for the hub and report Eric, very useful.
lol,oh so true so true. Wonderful reporting, Eric. Thanks for passing on the info.
Wonderful hub and thanks for the info! It was really nice to see someone have the balls to pop some bubbles around here =]
Have to say you are quite right...Number 1 on Google is simple and strait forward even if their is a good deal of competition...But I still get Internet experts ???? telling me they can put on the first page. My reply Is just for one term. Thanks Eric
Your report on keywords is really helpful. Easy even for me to follow. Thanks.
Your hub useful and helpful ,thank you.
I enjoyed your pdf. I clicke on the link for micro niche finder an got an err message. Maybe it is in your autosponder?
Eric - SEO, as you know, is more than just keywords. Even though that is correct, keywords make up a great part of the art and science of getting your stuff high (1st page) on a search engine's listing. Your article was most excellent, factually useful, and fun to read. Thanks. Gus
Thanks for the hub and report.
You are correct that being number one on Google does not matter under there are a myriad of people searching for the topic of your writing. For the beginners, it is still a feel good moment when you see your article listed as number one. Hubpages is more of a social website instead of one for monetizing so a many writers are happy to get publish and have their written work read. Your purpose for writing greatly determines how placing number one on the Google Search Engine is considered by the writer.
This is a very interesting article, Eric. Thanks for providing clarity on this misunderstanding.
Well said. It depends what you want. The glory of being number 1 on Google or monetizing that achievement or both!
Well said and "mostly" true. Speaking for myself though, I found that it made for a nice little pat on the back (so to speak), for all the months and hours I worked my A__ off learning how to get one's name out there a bit more. I also found that It makes it a whole lot easier for others to find me and my book now. Making more money was not my main intention or goal at that time, so that didn't bother me any.It truly does depend on what someone is trying to accomplish, when it comes to being listed first with Google search. S o I agree with some of the other authors here, it (totally) depends on what each individual wants.
Google does an auto-complete/keyword suggestion as you type your search term. You can quickly see which terms are most popular by paying attention as you type each letter.
For instance, type in the letters 'gu' and you should see the keyword 'guitar tabs' suggested. Now, if you can make my WebGuitarTabs.com come up as number one for 'guitar tabs', then I will be very happy :) As it is, I am on page three or four and it doesn't help very much.
Hehehe I know what you mean about the number one spot! I am the Queen of having the number one spot on topic people don't search for!! Pretty Spiders..Famous Dragons, the Best Bra Debate!
Spot on. Excellent tips and great report too.
you raise some important points here! good work :)
Eric, buddy, I'm so disappointed. In paragraph 7 you promised to pee on somebody's parade so I eagerly devoured the entire article to get your take on that important point. Sadly, I din't find a single mention of "pee" or "parade" anywhere from paragraph 8 onwards. In your defence, I did find the keyword "on" a few times. A worthy effort but still not up to the standard I've come to expect from you.
By the way, a Google search reveals the there are about 116,000 page results for the phrase "pee on your parade". If you don't jump on this opportunity within three days, I will.
Cheers!!
rex the performing ferret is one of the most popular terms in . . . uh, well I guess it's not. Good point, Eric, it's not just being number one . . . but it's being number one in a competitive niche. However, your example also shows how it's important to choose a niche and dominate it . . . seriously . . . training small pets, etc.
very well said, you need traffic and a hungry starving crowd to buy your products. The key like you stated, is highly searched with low competition. And a product that people actually want to buy doesn't hurt either!
Great post Eric, couldn’t agree more. The simple fact is that no one buys from a search engine and those rankings are simply a means to an end. If you are targeting terms that are never searched, or have no commercial value (and therefore little competition) rankings are easy to achieve, but to what end... none.
Search engine optimisation for me is not just rankings; it’s about ranking for specific terms that drive the correct kind of traffic to the most appropriate page on a website. But even then you are only half way home, you still have to convince the visitor that buying from you, or whatever your goal might be, is the best option for them and their circumstances. That involves the skills of the copywriter and an effective call to action.
SEO is a vital aspect of online marketing but it only leads the horse to the water.
Andrew0208 says:
2 months ago
Google wonders! In fact I do enjoy same 1 position on Google on some keywords. Still learning their religion of clicks. Thanks for sharing and the free ebook.