The fine details of Search Engine Optimization

Isn’t it more fun to focus on the finer details — the fuzzier parts and finishing touches — than to do the heavy lifting? I’ve noticed that many in the SEO world prefer to fine-tune rather than build things from the ground up. Personally, I’m in the middle of renovating a house from the turn of the last century, so here comes a post full of worn-out analogies about construction work.

There are a long list of ranking factors in search results — the number 200 is often mentioned. Of course, not all of them are equally important; some signals carry more weight than others. One example of a strong signal is whether the keyword appears in the title. A weaker signal might be whether the site uses HTTPS (a very minor factor in less than 1% of results). Sure, that weak signal can make a difference, but switching to a secure server on a site without a solid foundation is like putting lipstick on a pig. It might look a little nicer, but it’s still a pig.

SEO can be hard to read

Sometimes it’s difficult to know which signals matter most in SEO or what exactly a site is missing. For example, we’ve assessed that our own site, Brath.se, stands to gain the most from stronger and more extensive content. That’s why we’re currently working hard on improving the site’s content. There are a few structural improvements to make as well — one small example is the breadcrumb trail you see above this post, which we just added.

Writing and improving content on a site — even one as small as this — is a big and sometimes burdensome task. A more easily bored SEO might instead chase “brand signals” instead. The problem is: you shouldn’t choose what to work on based on what’s most fun. If you do, you risk spinning your wheels. Sound obvious? Strangely enough, it’s not. Many opt for the shinier tasks rather than those that actually move the needle.

We’re switching to HTTPS

We are planning to switch this site to HTTPS, even though we agree with Google that it’s a very weak ranking factor — and that there are far more important signals that need attention first. But we’re not doing it for SEO reasons. Google is about to start warning users about sites that aren’t encrypted.

I hope we didn’t push the house analogies too hard — I tried to keep them mostly between the lines.
/Magnus