Ranking Criteria Is Different Across Topics
Another factor that Mueller touches on is that what’s important for SEO varies according to the topic. Some topics require fresh content, some content requires establishing signals of trustworthiness and authoritativeness, maybe even signals that communicate user brand preference and popularity, signals that indicate that users expect to see a specific brand for certain queries.
There could be a geographic component that prioritizes local signals. It could be an intent thing where a user just wants to read what a person wrote in a forum.
This may be what Mueller is talking about when he says that the best elements of SEO vary across websites.
He answered:
“The most effective elements of SEO will vary across websites, it takes a lot of experience to go from a long checklist of possible items to a short prioritized list of critical items.”
Experience Is Important
The last factor Mueller discussed is the role of experience in making one a better SEO. Here’s an example: I thought I was pretty good at creating content that ranks and then I wrote a couple thousand articles for Search Engine Journal and it opened up a whole new conception of content creation, I discovered levels of understanding that could only come from writing about a couple thousand articles.
Mentorship, is an option that can cut down the amount of time it takes to learn, but experience is still important.
John Mueller recommended experience as an important factor for understanding SEO.
He wrote:
“Your experience here will grow over time as you practice.
I recommend getting input from others, and practicing by helping with challenges that others post in help forums. Good luck!”
Getting input from others is good advice.
Listen to the podcast at the 17:43 minute mark:
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