Why exactly is relying on free Google SEO for traffic dumb? Isn't Google the king of all the search engines? Isn't it supposed to handle all the traffic on the internet and bring it to the appropriate search results?
Kevin you've got to be out of your mind…SEO technique is second nature to me.
Stop and think for a moment about those questions you just read. I'm positive at least one of those questions just flew through your mind because of what you've learned so far. Google is the biggest search engine that handles ALL the organic traffic , a TON of paid ads and delivers highly relevant content to its users.
The further you read, you'll begin to understand why I think you shouldn't focus all your efforts on Google's traffic.
- Google updates. By far the biggest reason why I don't recommend going all-in on Google is because of the updates. There was the Panda update, which slapped the crap out of a lot of marketers out there and more recently the Penguin update which I'm sure is kicking more people's butts. Now, I understand why Google is doing this in the first place. We as marketers like exposing loopholes and we found a big one until the updates came along. EzineArticles.com took a hard hit in traffic, spammy blog posts with garbage backlinks were tossed out the backdoor with no hesitation and sites that held the #1 spot were downgraded big time.
- Poor keyword research. People new to the whole SEO arena actually do some pretty poor research. For starters, it's usually WAY too competitive and they end up being discouraged altogether. Secondly, they use keywords that don't bring in targeted buyers. If this is you, this could be a big reason why you're not making any money so far.
- Other marketing methods. There are a ton of marketing strategies out there. Social media, classifieds, forum marketing, Web 2.0, and a lot more. Just because SEO is talked about a lot doesn't mean it's the only way to get leads for your business. I use to rely nearly 100% on Google traffic but I decided to get more creative and bring in traffic through different avenues.
Now I'm not saying to completely eliminate Google from your arsenal…far from it. I mean, my blog is bringing in Google traffic for crying out loud. The thing that's killing most people right now is that they put all of their eggs in one basket and that's a huge mistake.
I generate a ton of leads using organic traffic from Google using this tool. However, as the Boy Scouts of America always say…Be Prepared because you never know what the next update is going to do to your traffic flow.
Yup, Google has us all in the palm of their hand, wrapped around their little fingers and I hate it but..Google is king and so for as long as they reign, we hang on their every word and update! Unfortunately it is the way it is, and though there are other methods of online marketing and other search engines, Google organic results will always be the most powerful driver of traffic in my opinion.
Thanks for the post, definitely something to think about.
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Kevin Tan Reply:
June 14th, 2012 at 1:32 pm
You’re right Melanie. I remember when there were so many loopholes to funnel traffic off Google but they’ve really tied things down. And I agree it’s hard to find an alternative that’s more powerful, scaled as big and free like Google’s organic traffic.
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I think Penguin was the updated that really got people to realize that marketing online has changed as we know it as far as getting traffic and leads. Even more so than Panda.
It can still be done but it has become ridiculously hard.
Marketers need to start focusing on getting traffic through social media and offline marketing methods.
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Kevin Tan Reply:
June 16th, 2012 at 12:19 am
Balance is absolutely key when it comes to marketing these days. And content that the user finds useful definitely weighs more heavily it seems in the Google algorithm.
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