There Are “No Shortcuts To The Top” – In Mountaineering Or In SEO

If you are looking for a good read this summer, I recommend picking up a copy of “No Shortcuts To The Top,” by Ed Viesturs. Ed has the distinction of being the FIRST and ONLY American to scale all 14 of the world’s tallest peaks … without using supplemental oxygen. To do this amazing feat takes strategic planning and purposeful action. YOU CANNOT CHEAT. The same is true about winning online in search and SEO.

To Win in SEO: FOCUS ON THE RIGHT GOAL.

Ed points out in his book, that many climbers failed their aim because they focused on the wrong goal. Ed’s goal in mountaineering was NOT – to get to the top. His clear goal, that he focused on, that he planned for, that he obsessed over was – to get to the top … AND GET BACK DOWN. To win in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), is the same thing.

To get to the top of the Search Engine Results Pages (SERP) results. It takes a sound SEO strategy and purposeful hard work that is laser focused on the right goal. And the goal in search is NOT to get to the top. The clear goal of SEO is to get to the top … AND STAY THERE. To achieve this goal, you cannot cheat.

To Win in SEO: THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS TO THE TOP.

According to Ed, another reason for failure in mountaineering is climbers tried taking shortcuts. They either cut corners in preparation or in the way they executed the climb. The same is true for winning online in search and SEO. There are no shortcuts and you cannot cheat.

In fact, the search engines have gotten very good at catching cheaters. One of the reasons that search engines evolved is because some practitioners choose to take shortcuts instead of doing it the right way, the long way.

The Three Steps To Win In SEO.

First, you must establish the technical foundations on your website to succeed in search. The search engines only scan your site every three to six weeks. And often they don’t scan it in its entirety. Make sure your HTML is up to the latest standards so that each scan is as productive as possible.

Second, Pinpoint terms that your audience is actually using. Having content that is entertaining and engaging, is important for your human audience. But to succeed in SEO, your content must also contain those terms that are being searched online.

Third, with this wisdom, give the search engines exactly what they need for you to rank. Tell your story to Google.

To Win in SEO – Do It The Right Way

What worked on day one with Google for SEO, still works today. In fact, as Google continues to get better about understanding content and natural language, the better your honest content will work. Google’s job is to give the best user experience it can. To ensure this great user experience, Google promotes sites to the front page that have earned it. It promotes sites that provide quality unique content and that do things by the book – without taking shortcuts.