Is Search Engine Optimization All That Important to Google?
Dominating Google is a goal that most webmasters and marketers share. Why wouldn't they? After all, Google represents the single largest source of traffic on the planet and anyone who is able to tap into that is bound to be also able to make a killing - so long as they can find some way to monetize all that traffic!
Due to this simple fact, the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) craze is hard to avoid. It is tough to not want to do everything humanly possible to get higher up on Google's rankings, and therefore get more traffic. However, the question that few people pause to ask is: Is SEO really all that important to Google anyway?
If you were to pause and look at it from Google's point of view for a second, you'd see that it is just as mixed a view as any other. On one hand, what Google wants is to be able to provide the people using their search engine with the most relevant results to their search, i.e. it wants to help them find what they want to find.
But on the other hand, certain aspects of SEO are necessary for Google to identify websites and categorize them properly.
Still, the fact of the matter is that search algorithms can change, and have changed, fairly often. There's nothing to say that tomorrow keywords will be a thing of the past and there'll be some new algorithm that doesn't use them in the same way as they're currently used. Already things such as 'LSI' exist, and it's only a matter of time until technology provides a more adequate solution.
For now, SEO is important, yes, but what is more important is the fact that if you build a website that truly deserves to be on search engine results, it is probably going to be there regardless of any algorithm change. However, if you just take advantage of the latest SEO craze to rocket your website to the top, it may not last very long at all.
There's no harm in using SEO properly, to ensure that your website gets ranked decently. However, it would be wise to stay away from the 'frowned upon' aspects of SEO (such as link farms and so on) just because they're simply temporary measures that aren't going to provide you with any clear cut benefits.
Keep providing good content and you'll find that search engines actually want you to be listed on their results - which is the best possible position for you to be in, honestly. As long as search engines want your website around, it is going to be around.
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