How Does Google Do SEO?

Google owns and manages over 7,000 websites worldwide, and according to Google's Sean O'Keefe, each of these websites "receive the same treatment as any other site on the web."

According to O'Keefe, Google must optimize Google websites for SEO to perform well on the Google search engine. So how does Google optimize for...Google?

O'Keefe shared Google's own "cohesive SEO strategy" on Google's blog devoted to the digital marketing community, Think With Google. Beyond the strategy details, the post is intriguing for several reasons.

First, this post puts to rest the misinformed notion that Google and SEO are somehow at odds. Critics cite Google's frequent algorithm changes, which inevitably harm some websites' rankings, the search engines' apparent "silence" about algorithm changes, or the rare (but notable) cases of de-indexing when Google wipes a site or sites from its search engine results.

In reality, the algorithm changes promote good content, and any incidental loss in rankings is usually recovered quickly--that is if your site is relevant for its industry/keywords and optimized with good SEO. The only sites that lose rankings, or suffer de-indexing, are spam sites.

Second, the post implies that Google is an impartial judge of content--after all, its sites do not receive preferential treatment. Of course, Google's impartiality is impossible to confirm, and Google's previous actions, which European anti-trust regulators have fined, seem to undermine this implication. But the very nature of organic search, which defines Google's success, reveals the best content for any given search, so the search engine has an incentive to be as impartial as possible.

Just like Google knows no browser wants a results page full of AdWords, the search engine also knows: To satisfy users, it must provide unbiased organic listings.

Finally, this post confirms the viability of SEO. AS O'Keefe writes, "When done well, SEO can provide an important — and cost-effective — strategy for organic growth."

This is not an SEO firm saying this--it's Google! So, yes, SEO is "important" and, more importantly, "cost-effective."

So how does Google optimize its sites for SEO? We discuss O'Keefe's three main points below...

Read Sean O'Keefe's Article: "Inside Google Marketing: 3 ways we think about SEO"

Start Small

O'Keefe's first bit of advice, to focus on small, "incremental changes," speaks precisely to what Alex Stepman, of SEO Sparta, calls the "X-Factor" of good SEO: small tweaks.

"Most of our new clients want to start big, with splashy content marketing or aggressive AdWords campaigns," Stepman says. "But the best strategy is to focus on the small SEO tweaks. For Local SEO sites, especially, small tweaks can make a big difference."

For Stepman and Google, these tweaks can be described as "best practices."

Google reveals its own best practices on what it calls an "opinionated reference for building amazing web experiences," the Web Fundamentals page. By following these practices, O'Keefe notes, several of Google's sites have seen "strong organic growth."

However, before attending to the fundamentals, O'Keefe (and Stepman) recommend the Search Console's URL Inspection Tool for recognizing potential problems with your site.

Evolve With the Algorithms

Search evolves. To compete, you must evolve with search.

As O'Keefe notes: "It can be easy to get overwhelmed by...changes, but internally we've found that the more we embrace them and experiment with them, the better our SEO results."

In his post, O'Keefe refers to several recent developments in search, including structured data, AMP, and featured snippets, to illustrate how Google applied fixes to sites to increase impression on its sites by up to 200%.

(This is not marketing fluff; it's Google reporting its SEO results).

So how do you evolve with search? In our estimation, the easiest way to keep pace is to read SEO blogs and journals, like the SEO Sparta Blog. 

Read: "SEO 101: Rich Snippets and Structured Data"

Consolidate 

O'Keefe's final bit of advice, to consolidate web properties (when possible), also speaks to the oft-repeated SEO mantra to create "unique content"--or "10x content."

As O'Keefe notes, "It can be tempting to create multiple websites, each containing very similar content, to target different customer profiles or geographic regions."

But this strategy, O'Keefe notes, is akin to duplicate content, "substantive blocks of content within or across domains that either completely match other content or are appreciably similar," according to Google.

A known SEO no-no for years, duplicate content can confuse users and search engines. One great site is better than multiple smaller sites--just as one great page is better than multiple similar pages.

Instead of duplicating properties, focus on differentiation.

Organic SEO with SEO Sparta

Are you looking for an SEO company that understands how to effectively promote websites with content optimized for web, voice, and mobile? Contact SEO Sparta of Bucks County, PA.  

We combine traditional marketing methods and organic SEO--emphasizing natural website optimization--to design thoughtful, inspiring, and effective content marketing campaigns.

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If you are interested in transforming your website into a money-making tool or are interested in exploring opportunities to outperform your competition, we encourage you to contact SEO SPARTA.

We combine traditional marketing methods and organic SEO--emphasizing natural website optimization--to design thoughtful, inspiring, and effective marketing campaigns.

Contact us