Google Says Best Practices May Have Little Impact

Google’s John Mueller recently pointed out that even when you follow SEO best practices, they may not significantly improve your search visibility.

When asked how long SEO takes to show results and what it means if rankings don’t change after a year, Mueller explained that sometimes, despite your best efforts, SEO tactics might not work as expected.

What is SEO?

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all definition. What makes for “good” SEO can vary depending on who you ask and where they learnt about it.

• Some people think SEO is all about adding keywords and building links.
• Others focus more on creating content and worry less about links.
• Some are deeply concerned with technical details like site speed and structured data.
• There are also those who believe SEO doesn’t matter much because Google favours ads, big brands, YouTube videos, and more ads, leaving little room for small businesses.

So, when someone asks why their SEO isn’t working, the answer isn’t always straightforward. Even if a group of SEOs agrees on a reason, it might only be the most obvious one. This was the case when John Mueller was asked why a site wasn’t ranking despite following best practices.

Difficult to Answer Without Details

John Mueller shared the question:

It’s tough to answer without seeing the specific details of the webpage. So, Mueller gave a general response and suggested the person seek advice in Google’s help forums.

Mueller began by acknowledging the challenge of addressing the question, saying:

Why SEO Might Fail

Mueller is correct. Even if a website has an excellent layout, fast loading times, accurate structured data, and a well-organised site structure with optimal internal linking, things can still go wrong.

What could be the problem with a well-optimised site?

• The content might be lacking in depth.
• It could be overly detailed.
• The content might be scattered, without a clear focus on the topic.
• It could be too focused on keywords rather than addressing user needs.
• The content might not align with the keywords used in the title and headings.
• Perhaps it’s targeting a highly competitive search term that’s hard to rank for.

No matter how good the SEO firm you contract is, or how strong their SEO knowledge is – it won’t fix these issues—and these are just a few examples of what can go wrong.

Mueller touched on this limitation of SEO, where it may have no impact at all, and continued his explanation:

SEO Ranking Factors Differ by Topic

Mueller also mentioned that SEO priorities can differ based on the topic of a website. For some topics, regularly updated content is key. Others might need to focus on building trust and authority, or even on showing that users prefer a particular brand. Some topics might require emphasising local relevance, while others could be about catering to users who just want personal opinions from forums.

These differences might be what Mueller refers to when he says that the most important aspects of SEO can change depending on the website.

He explained:

Experience Matters

Mueller also highlighted the importance of experience in becoming a better SEO. For example, we used to think we were good at creating content that ranks, but after writing a couple of thousand articles and blogs, we realised there’s so much more to learn. That level of understanding only came from extensive writing.

While mentorship can speed up the learning process, gaining experience is still crucial.

John Mueller emphasised that experience plays a key role in mastering SEO. He stated:

Getting input from others is always good advice.