The Birth of PageRank: A System Designed to Be Gamed
When Google created PageRank and decided that incoming links indicated a webpage’s value, it set the stage for a system that could be easily gamed.
Anyone with enough money could boost their PageRank and, consequently, their rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs), without offering anything of true value. It left many struggling business owners in the dust, unable to compete with well-financed corporations that could afford to buy their way to the top. And it left blogs and forums littered with spam comments that wasted everyone’s time.
This single decision by Google made the internet worse and ruined the internet’s promise of a level playing ground.
What is PageRank?
PageRank is a link analysis algorithm and it assigns a numerical weighting to each element of a hyperlinked set of documents, such as the World Wide Web, with the purpose of “measuring” its relative importance within the set.1
The Impact on Small Businesses
Ten years ago, we received 2-5 inquiries per month from our website. Now, we’re lucky if we get one inquiry a year. Google tipped the scales in favor of big companies like Thumbtack, which came in, ruined local SEO, and took money away from real local businesses. These companies used their financial muscle to dominate search results, leaving small businesses with fewer and fewer and fewer opportunities to attract customers without paying Google or Facebook.
A New Era: Content is King Again
But now there’s good news: Google’s John Mueller, their Senior Webmaster Trends Analyst and Search Relations team lead, announced that incoming links are no longer a significant factor in rankings.
We don’t count links on a domain level.
— 🐄 John 🐄 (@JohnMu) January 28, 2022
This change frees us to focus on what really matters: creating content that your customers want and need. With the emphasis shifting from backlinks to valuable content, businesses can now compete on a more level playing field.
Pssst – you know which link still matter? Internal links, because they help your visitors find what they’re looking for.
Mastering Local SEO
We can help you with local SEO by performing keyword research to find out what your customers are searching for. By identifying the right keywords, we ensure your content aligns with user intent and addresses their needs. Additionally, we take deep dives into your competitors to see what they are ranking for and identify opportunities they might be missing that you can capitalize on.
Beyond SEO: Leveraging Automation and Direct Mail
However, SEO alone isn’t enough. That’s why we believe in combining automation with an update to old-school direct mail: technologically advanced postcard marketing. Customized, feature-packed postcards are a powerful tool that your customers can’t ignore like they might with an online ad. By integrating these strategies, you can enhance your reach, engagement, and most importantly, conversions.
Is linkbuilding dead? You bet it is.
Any company still insisting that linkbuilding matters is trying to scam you. Don’t fall for it. The SEO landscape has evolved, and clinging to outdated practices will only waste your time and money. Focus on creating valuable content and using modern strategies to attract and engage your audience.
Embracing the Future of SEO
Linkbuilding may be dead, but a new era of genuine, valuable SEO is here. Let’s embrace it and create content that truly serves our customers. By focusing on what really matters and utilizing innovative strategies, we can help your business thrive in this new landscape. Hallelujah!
