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SEO seems to be an example of a zero-sum game. If everyone adopts the same strategy that "works", wouldn't it stop working?

by lkozma 16y ago

InfinityX0 16y ago
Something like ~60% of searches are unique. So there's plenty of content opportunities out there. But definitely there seems to be a "winner and loser", although it is incredibly hard to define. The high volume, monetizable keywords are more easily defined, and within that sector, the game may be more "zero-sum". Outside in this vague "new search" sector, any person who throws thousands of content pages and gets links will be able to drive a decent amount of traffic. How much, though, is up for debate.
rgrieselhuber 16y ago
It seems that way at first, but there is so much new content being created now that there are new opportunities opening up all the time.
powrtoch 16y ago
It sort of depends how you look at it. From Google's point of view, good (white hat) SEO is more of an "everyone wins" game, because the more sites that do it, the better the search results get. Your site is returned only when it is relevant, and sites get the attention (ranking) that they actually deserve. Of course, a lot of SEO is more focused on "get my ranking up, no matter what". In a world where everyone uses black hat techniques, it's AT BEST a zero sum game (more realistically, everyone loses, because search engines become useless and then everyone stops using them).
webwright 16y ago
Isn't that true for all sales/marketing techniques? If it is, should you not use them? Of course not. It's a moving target, but if you don't keep taking shots at it, you better have a product that is HEAD AND SHOULDERS above your competition on some other level.
byrneseyeview 16y ago
No, because SEO can create rankable pages for terms that previously had no useful results. Also, SEO tends to subsidize the creation of entertaining content (see, e.g., the Huffpo or Business Insider).
chopsueyar 16y ago
The really good SEO strategies are not blasted across blogs and such. And yes, the more people that know a particular SEO strategy make it less effective, or in certain cases, your site can be "google slapped". I recommend using a small PPC budget to determine your actual keywords that convert for you, then optimize for the search engines based on those results. It can take several months to gain momentum through SEO, so you should pay a few dollars to determine where best to put your keyword efforts.

SEO seems to be an example of a zero-sum game. If everyone adopts the same strategy that "works", wouldn't it stop working?

by lkozma 16y ago

SEO seems to be an example of a zero-sum game. If everyone adopts the same strategy that "works", wouldn't it stop working?

InfinityX0 16y ago

Something like ~60% of searches are unique. So there's plenty of content opportunities out there. But definitely there seems to be a "winner and loser", although it is incredibly hard to define. The high volume, monetizable keywords are more easily defined, and within that sector, the game may be more "zero-sum". Outside in this vague "new search" sector, any person who throws thousands of content pages and gets links will be able to drive a decent amount of traffic. How much, though, is up for debate.

rgrieselhuber 16y ago

It seems that way at first, but there is so much new content being created now that there are new opportunities opening up all the time.

powrtoch 16y ago

It sort of depends how you look at it. From Google's point of view, good (white hat) SEO is more of an "everyone wins" game, because the more sites that do it, the better the search results get. Your site is returned only when it is relevant, and sites get the attention (ranking) that they actually deserve. Of course, a lot of SEO is more focused on "get my ranking up, no matter what". In a world where everyone uses black hat techniques, it's AT BEST a zero sum game (more realistically, everyone loses, because search engines become useless and then everyone stops using them).

webwright 16y ago

Isn't that true for all sales/marketing techniques? If it is, should you not use them? Of course not. It's a moving target, but if you don't keep taking shots at it, you better have a product that is HEAD AND SHOULDERS above your competition on some other level.

byrneseyeview 16y ago

No, because SEO can create rankable pages for terms that previously had no useful results. Also, SEO tends to subsidize the creation of entertaining content (see, e.g., the Huffpo or Business Insider).

chopsueyar 16y ago

The really good SEO strategies are not blasted across blogs and such. And yes, the more people that know a particular SEO strategy make it less effective, or in certain cases, your site can be "google slapped". I recommend using a small PPC budget to determine your actual keywords that convert for you, then optimize for the search engines based on those results. It can take several months to gain momentum through SEO, so you should pay a few dollars to determine where best to put your keyword efforts.