{"id":1211,"date":"2016-08-30T11:52:38","date_gmt":"2016-08-30T18:52:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.canirank.com\/blog\/?p=1211"},"modified":"2020-11-25T10:50:22","modified_gmt":"2020-11-25T18:50:22","slug":"seo-ranking-relative-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.canirank.com\/blog\/seo-ranking-relative-game\/","title":{"rendered":"Why SEO Ranking is a Relative Game (and How to Win It)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many businesses and marketers liken SEO to a game, which is only somewhat<\/em> appropriate when you really think about it.<\/p>\n

Sure, there are rules. Lots<\/em> of rules. Strategy, too. Cheaters get punished and the best players theoretically rise through the rankings and cling for dear life for their place at the top.<\/p>\n

And yeah, there\u2019s fierce competition as millions of players fight tooth and nail for the ultimate prize: the coveted top spot in the SERPs.<\/p>\n

Is SEO a game<\/em>? Sort of.<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s the thing: SEO is not<\/em> a guessing game.<\/p>\n

Ranking for keywords is not<\/em> gambling.<\/p>\n

SEO is not <\/em>your site rolling snake-eyes with your keyword strategy and Google throwing you face-first onto the sidewalk, flat broke.<\/p>\n

Listen: ranking for keywords isn\u2019t a game you play against the house: it\u2019s a game you play against others.<\/p>\n

SEO ranking isn\u2019t a game you play against the house: it\u2019s a game you play against others <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n

It may sometimes feel as if Google is \u201crigging\u201d the playing field when it comes to what we\u2019re supposed to do with our content and keywords. However, search engines have been historically transparent in terms of what they expect from our sites. From natural keyword placement to relevant, original content, Google\u2019s aim is to provide the best user experience possible from site to site. After all, the motto of \u201cDon\u2019t be evil\u201d should be a good indicator of how Google\u2019s company philosophy<\/a> aligns with their search objectives.<\/p>\n

In a sense, SEO is fairly straightforward in terms of what we\u2019re supposed to do on-site: it\u2019s our competitors that complicate the situation.<\/p>\n

\"competitive<\/p>\n

The Odds of Outplaying (and Outranking) the Competition<\/h2>\n

For starters, there are over 200 factors<\/a> that Google\u2019s algorithm considers to determine how well sites rank. Many of these factors, such as domain age and the quality of incoming links, are ultimately out of your control; likewise, trying to wrangle each and every one of these factors is enough to make your head spin.<\/p>\n

Therefore, it\u2019s more prudent for businesses to instead focus on factors that they can<\/em> control, including:<\/p>\n