Clients Ask About Google; I Answer.
October 11th, 2007
“I want to be #1 on Google,” says client.
“Okay,” says me.
“What do I need to do?” client asks.
That is the question, isn’t it? What must one do to be numero uno on a Google search for your keywords? Well, the answer is simple, yay! And it is two-fold. That is do-able, right? Are you ready for these two things? All that one needs to do is work and wait. Before we get into those two things, I want to talk about what Google isn’t.
What Google Isn’t
Many people believe that being #1 on Google will make their site popular. Not only is this not true, it shows a complete lack of understanding of what Google is. Google is NOT a tool for making your site popular. Google IS a tool for finding sites that are ALREADY popular. ‘Popular’ is perhaps not the right word to be using here. Google isn’t really a popularity contest. Google is a relevance contest. Google is the worlds greatest search engine because it has the ability to sort out how relevant a site is.
So, what makes a site relevant? I will have to save that topic for another article. That is, after all, the holy grail. I mean, what makes anything relevant? I digress. Lets get to our the topic at hand.
Work and Wait
Lets talk about these things, shall we. If that is all it takes to be #1 on Google, then why haven’t you heard that before? Everyone out there has a “Quick and Easy” way to get ahead in search engines. Think rationally for a minute. If someone is trying to sell you a solution for getting incredible results on Google the fast and easy way, then why would they want to admit that it takes a tremendous amount of effort and time. We all know that if there are two things that people would rather not do they are a) work and b) wait.
Work
Work is just what it sounds like. Its work. If you want to be number one you have to excel at what you do. If you are good at what you do, people will recognize you for it. When people recognize you they reference you. When people on the web reference you then, guess what, Google finds you. When people on the web like your stuff enough to reference you, Google finds out. Be good at what you do and people will know. And, Google will follow.
Wait
Being good at what you do takes time. Being recognized for being good at what you do takes even longer. But the rewards are never-ceasing. You know I’m not blowing smoke now because this method has withstood the test of every generation and every philosophy ever put forth on the planet. Have patience, my friend, the reward is in the end.
Its not magic, its not science; its life. Google is just like life. Becoming #1 on Google is just like becoming famous. You can be famous because you are brilliant and inspiring, like Albert Einstein. Or you can become infamous because you are Paris Hilton. Either way, Goolge will always benefit the sites that stick out in the crowd.
Now for the Good News
Be honest. Your site, right off-the-bat, is going to have to compete against one million other sites offering the same thing as you. So, do you have a chance to stick out? Yes! but you have to start small. Unless your business is already world-wide, you are starting out just trying to establish yourself in your local market. Chances are, there are far less than a million sites competing against you in your town. If you are willing to do what it takes, you can be number one in your area pretty quickly.
Case Study
Simply Flowers, Inc. - www.simplyflowersinc.com
My friend Jenny came to me back in 2004 to develop her web site and her brand online. Her seasonal color (outdoor floral landscaping) company had no web site and did no advertising in a market with probably a hundred other local companies offering that service. But, there were things in place working for Jenny already. Her company had an established reputation and she herself is well-known in her industry in the Atlanta area. She wanted to be number one in a Google search for ’seasonal color.’ She is not number one for ’seasonal color’ in all of the world, however, after just six months she did become number one for ’seasonal color atlanta’. And guess how much money she spent on Google optimization. $0. Thats right! What she did was work and wait, and most of the work she did was before she ever had a web site.
Conclusion
If you have taken the time to read this article, chances are good that you could be number one on google, too. Getting through this took effort and patience. Of course there is a mighty list of little technical things will help your site on Google in the long run but, honestly, if you offer a service and other people value what you do, you will be number one.