Google and SEO. What You Need To Know

This is a few paragraphs from an article titled, "Google's search formula faces scrutiny"

"The three major Google ranking criteria are key words, fresh content and how many other sites link to yours, Treacy said. But it's more complicated than that.

About 200 different measures go into determining Google search rankings, and the company said it changed its formula about 500 times in 2010. To protect its strategic interests, Google rarely announces changes to its ranking process and never discusses the fine points of those changes. The company insists it uses the adjustments only to make rankings more user-friendly.

"We can't divulge the actual ranking signals or details about each change we make because we don't want to give people a way to game our search results and worsen the experience for all users," said a Google official who did not want to be named. "We built Google for consumers, not websites. Not every website can come out on top, or even appear on the first page of our results, so there will almost always be website owners who are unhappy about their rankings. The most important thing is that we satisfy our users."

Read the full article here.

Why? One reason is that there are many people touting SEO services. Being aware of the nature of the work they do will help you manage your own expectations and gauge their success. Another reason? Content matters. It continues to be true that in marketing and communications efforts fresh, relevant content rules.

Reporter information (From the Star Tribune website):

Jim Spencer, Star Tribune Business Reporter
Phone: 202-408-2752
Email: jim.spencer@startribune.com
Jim Spencer works in the Star Tribune’s Washington D.C. Bureau. He covers the intersection of Minnesota businesses and industry with national politics, legislation, and regulation.