Stop Googling Yourself or You’ll Go Blind!
I read an interesting article this week about a study done during a 7 day period tracking three different keywords. The idea behind it was to try to measure the SERP (search engine results page) and attempt to determine why rankings move up and down so much within a given amount of time. We’ve all experienced a day to day shift in our rankings and it can be puzzling as to why one day you are #2 on page one of Google and the next day you are #7 and the next #3.
What ultimately came out of the test was that Google isn’t moving the target, the target is moving around Google. In other words, competition is what is making your rankings move up or down. You can work very hard to reach page one of Google but keep in mind once you are there; it’s a battle to stay on top. You and every one of your competitors want that same real estate on page one and every day more of your competitors are adding more to their site and their online marketing in the hopes of knocking you from your coveted rankings. It’s why we continually tell clients that getting ranked on Google isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon, and once you are there, you have to continually prove to Google why you deserve to stay.
Now, what I am about to say will be difficult for some of you to hear. If you have hired a good Search Engine Persuasion team and you trust them and the work they do for you, STOP GOOGLING YOURSELF! The daily ups and downs of your rankings are only going to make you want to bang your head against the wall. So let your search marketer do their work while you stay focued on your customers. Your team should be giving you a monthly analysis of your search rankings and that is the time to evaluate how things are going.
The Bottom Line: The best way to be #1 in Google is to be #1 in your business. Google’s job is to rank highly the sites that will make its own customers the happiest they can be. Focus on your business, not your rankings.
