High Google Rankings Without SEO – Is It Possible?
Even though the number of websites increases continually, the number of the search results displayed on the first Google page remains the same. Theoretically, these top ten results are supposed to show websites that fully suit the search query entered into the search engine. But what does it look like in practice? Are the top search results really the best or is it only a good SEO strategy?
Why should a website run SEO?
Google strictly guards the secrets of its algorithms but based on the comments of the company’s employees and the way the sites act under the influence of changes in the algorithms, we can presume what are the objectives of Google algorithms and what changes during particular updates.
Is it a website or its SEO strategy that is so splendid?
The world we live in certainly is far from being perfect and even though Google states that a valuable website is able to be ranked high without help of a professional SEO agency, it’s not a piece of cake. Without SEO websites will never be displayed in the top search results for commonly known and popular topics. Sites with content written without being familiar with the rules of SEO won’t appear high in the search results. Obviously, in some cases they’ll be shown as an answer to a specific search query, however, they’ll be barely ever ranked high in the results.
Theoretically speaking, a website may be ranked high in the search results without an individual SEO strategy – algorithm can determine which texts are relevant to a given topic and naturally created links indicate that the content is valuable. On condition that your texts are exhaustive and satisfying, users shall create links to a given website themselves.
Why doesn’t it work like that?
However, life turns out to be different from the theory. Usually Google doesn’t notice valuable content and instead it favors the websites with an excellent SEO strategy. It’s often the case that Google algorithm isn’t able to cope with word plays and certain expressions must appear explicitly in the text in order to be recognized. Thus, it’s crucial that the text is written in accordance with the SEO principles.
Moreover, the readers and those for whom the content is dedicated, don’t create links – they simply don’t share their daisies publically. Very few people tend to provide information about great texts, we’re much more willing to share our negative experiences. And even when someone decides to forward a given entry, they do it in private messages which aren’t taken into account by Google. Links created by bloggers are also far from being perfect – celebrities often share links with the “click” or “check the interesting website” anchors and because of it, they don’t provide Google robots with information what can be found on a given site and which phrases should be assigned to it.
Let’s assume that your readers want to create a link… But how are they supposed to discover you if your website isn’t ranked high in the Google search results. Users won’t notice your site if it’s not on the top of the search results. If they don’t notice you, they won’t create links and this in turn will cause that your content won’t be considered as a quality one by Google.
In such a situation it’s a good idea to invest in advertising that will promote your site – paid search results are a perfect example here. They will attract new potential users and consequently create links to the site. Google Ads, social media, Facebook ads, outdoor advertising – it also costs. If you don’t invest time and money in SEO, you’ll probably need to use other paid channels and in the end the money will be spent one way or another. However, let’s decide whether it’s better to be displayed in the organic or paid search results. The most sensible marketing strategy would be to combine SEO and paid advertising. However, there is one major advantage of SEO over advertising – some people make a conscious decision not to click on an advertisement and you can avoid such a situation by running SEO fot your website for specific phrases.
Does it mean that your website won’t be ranked high in the search results without SEO?
Of course your site can be ranked high in the results without SEO, however it’s much more difficult than hiring a professional agency or performing SEO activities on your own. Probably if no one followed the principles of SEO and Google, the top three search results would indeed be the most appropriate ones. Unfortunately, at the moment the competition on the market is so numerous that even the greatest content needs to be helped by various means such as various SEO strategies.
Natural SEO – why is it less effective?
- Few people know how to write articles in accordance with SEO principles. Each of your texts should be unique, don’t use the ones provided by manufacturers but instead create your own content. Contrary to Google, many people don’t consider copying a description from the producer’s website a plagiarism. Every article should be exhaustive and on an expert-level. Don’t forget about photos and alternative descriptions with keywords.
- Not everyone knows what content to create. Theoretically, everyone should know which keywords are suitable for a given industry. However, it’s also necessary to analyze not only the business but also the competition on the market and typical search queries of the potential customers or readers. In most cases the tools that enable scrutinizing the mentioned aspects are paid, thus they generate costs. To avoid content cannibalization don’t write on the spur of the moment, your content should be thoughtful and it should match particular keywords. A great article doesn’t stand a chance with another optimized and linked great article.
- Being ranked high in Google without SEO requires hard work. Many developers create websites that should be automatically ranked high in the search results. They’re aware of the Google principles and the importance of the loading speed of the website. Thus, already at the stage of designing the website, it’s advisable to consider whether it will be clearly visible for Google robots. The source code should be easily readable for the search engines and all sorts of technical errors will result in the robots being reluctant to visit your site. Moreover, it’ll be difficult for them to navigate through the subpages. Interpreting Google Search Console data on errors isn’t something that you learn at school, therefore many website owners prefer to hire a professional SEO agency that would take care of this particular aspect of their site. A primary school doesn’t let you on the secrets of the sitemap or the robots.txt file and not everyone knows how to solve problems indicated by Google Search Console. Although you may learn how to write in accordance with the SEO rules, technical SEO requires at least basic knowledge of HTML code, the ability to work in CMS and a fluent operation of tools such as Google Analytics or Google Search Console.
- The ability to create correct title and meta description tags isn’t a knee-jerk one. These are some of the most crucial aspects that influence how Google algorithm interprets a given subpage and where it’s ranked. Someone not knowledgeable of the SEO principles won’t be able to instinctively come up with an appropriate website title.
- Acquiring valuable links without help of an SEO specialist can be difficult. Of course you can encourage readers to share your texts but various contests, controversial content or gadgets are also an investment that doesn’t always pay off.
A tangible proof of a much greater increase in the website’s visibility can be noticed on the screenshots below on which we’ve marked the start of an SEO process.
Is it possible to be ranked high in the search results without SEO? To certain extent it is, nevertheless, the competition on the market is so numerous that the person who doesn’t take advantage of SEO isn’t really able to compete with the ones who benefit from services of a professional SEO agency.
