SEO on the beach is a lovely keyword I found and I thought – I realized that I really needed to rank for it because I have an important message to share. To me, SEO is a competitive industry on a competitive scale. And all websites competing in this game have the same rules. What is super interesting is that SEO is slowly federating out into cults. SEOs are increasingly not just self-appointing themselves with absolutely no portfolio, but doubling down on very, very contested SEO strategies. These strategies are sideline strategies – that Google has poured cold water on, yet it’s so exciting that an entire cottage sub-industry.
Doing SEO at the Beach
Firstly, SEO is really easy. Google’s algorithm is data-driven – and trying to force subjective ideas into objective computational systems is impossible. But, it’s a computational system, and because AI isn’t random, we can test and reverse engineer Google without inventing external ideas and hoping that Google adopts them. And there’s no need to – Google’s current SEO system works just fine. But, like a car (or a boat, a bicycle, a plane, an elevator) – it can’t do anything without the required inputs. But once it has those, it’s amazing. While SEO isn’t difficult, its also not free of work. there’s a lot of work that goes into building ANY marketing strategy but Google, with Ad Revenues of over $200bn and the largest generator of sales online, is the most important and one of the most competitive places to compete. But it’s also, I truly believe, the most democratic. Almost ALL other marketing campaigns require ongoing money for both the marketing AND the consulting. SEO doesn’t. And I want to protect that democratic attitude.
SEO is so Easy – you can do it at the beach
Why at the beach? Why not? Maybe, I need to insert this and show that opposing ideas have merits and shouldn’t be dismissed. But also showing that I can understand Google EAT and SEO and prove it. And that’s why I’m doing this. On a Sunday morning.
Terrible vs Good content
Google isn’t and cannot be a content appreciation engine – that’s why I’ve purposefully left mistakes ALL over this document. Because I know Google cannot validate ANY of the points I’ve made – because they ARE MY thoughts 🙂 And if you’re grammar yahtzee telling people to Google doesn’t like typos – see if you can find ALL of the mistakes in this page and this site and Reddit and Quora.
EAT SEO becomes a Cult
And this industry is on god-cult-mode. There is NO dissuading EAT enthusiasts that even Google says it doesn’t work – its become dogma.
And, like all theistic faiths that rely on faith, the Google SEO EAT cultists are extremely emphatic about how important EAT is to a successful SEO campaign and claim to root his in their data.
Unfortunately, anyone with access to SEMrush can see how impactful that religious zealousness has earned them. To date, I’ve shared the SEMRush analysis of 5 of those experts and the traffic value is astoundingly terrible.
If you don’t have evidence – and cherry-picking isn’t evidence – then you have faith. Faith without evidence requires delusion. If you believe in something without evidence AND while acknowledging that there is overwhelming evidence against it, that is delusion + cognitive dissonance. That is what a cult membership requires.
Google EAT vs Google SEO
Content marketing =/=SEO. Content Marketing implies that content has its channel. I don’t think that content can market itself – that’s why we have advertising. I guess you can make the argument that global thought leaders don’t need advertising (yet they do) – but how did they get there? Did people just show up to listen when they were born? No, of course not. but that’s what content marketing strives to create – and to defend itself – that it’s amazing and people love the creator. Essentially, EAT SEO is a fictional story created by copywriters using the Google EAT document as its bible
Dont agree, here’s the receipts
This blog post clearly states EAT is a ranking factor and points to the Google page, where the Google page CONFLICTS WITH THE INBOUND LINK:
Here is the page on Google that says this IS NOT RANKING INFLUENCER:
Source: Google
So, why isn’t EAT SEO working for EAT SEOs?
Imagine creating a conspiracy theory about how Google evaluates, reads, and enjoys “certain bloggers”, creating a personality around it, writing to its effect, speaking at public engagements, and then this is your web traffic – this is all of your top generic positions and they are all on page 2. How is that SEO?
The EAT SEO Cult-like Origins
EAST SEO are often Copywriters. EAT SEOs hate link building – because link building is hard, rare, and valuable. Which makes it currency. That is how currency works. Instead, I feel displaced that SEOs have more of a level playing field. to my mind.
How do you avoid snake oil and find a Proper SEO Expert?
If you want to hire an SEO agency, then they MUST rank. If they don’t, why are you trusting in the hope that they will rank you? SEO theories are nice and EVERYONE has one. But SEO isn’t about theory, it’s about results. And that’s all folks!
