What Is the Most Important SEO Factor?

Last Friday night when both kids were asleep, including my wife, I was able to catch the tail end of the Washington Wizards versus Atlanta Hawks game. It was a true nail biter that ended when Paul Pierce shot a fade away 3-pointer that tied up the game. That’s right, the game ended despite that shot because unfortunately Paul released the ball a half second after the buzzer. So the shot did not count and the Wizards were eliminated from the NBA Playoffs.

Now that you’re up to speed, would you say Paul’s shot was the most critical point in the game? That’s what the media would lead you to believe. Like the Washington Post article titled, “Buzzer beats Paul Pierce, barely, and Wizards are eliminated by Hawks”

In every game that comes down to the wire, we label the hero or the villain based on one or two plays. But the reality is that games are not won or lost during a single play. As spectators we don’t put much weight into all the “insignificant” shots, missed shots, blocked shots, turnovers, and other plays throughout the game that lead up to that final 3-point, almost buzzer beater shot.

And that brings me to one of the most important, yet misunderstood, facts about search engine optimization (SEO).

The Cumulative Effect of SEO

Like sports games, SEO is not won or lost by a single tactic. Success in SEO is the result of doing all the seemingly insignificant things correctly and consistently.

For example, last week I wrote about the 16-min SEO Audit, which listed 8 key SEO factors that could be preventing your website from ranking high in Google. One of those factors is your Meta Description. Is your Meta Description alone going to determine your ranking? Absolutely not.

Another factor is your H1 Tags. Is the H1 Tag alone on your webpage going to make or break your Google ranking? Again, absolutely not. Just like one play in an NBA Playoff game is not responsible for the win or loss.

SEO factors have a cumulative effect on your rankings. That means all the little tweaks and tactics over time eventually snowball and your website moves up in the rankings.

What’s the Most Important SEO Factor?

I hope at this point you already know the answer to this frequently asked question. Asking what’s the most important SEO factor is no different than asking to pinpoint the single play in a game that led to one team winning or losing. That’s ridiculous!

On Friday there were plenty of opportunities (ex. missed free throws) where the Wizards could have won or tied the game before Paul Pierce made his almost buzzer beater 3-pointer. The game was not determined by that final shot.

And your SEO success will not be determined by a single SEO factor. All the factors play a critical role, which is why you can’t ignore one just because it may seem insignificant.

So what’s the #1 factor? It doesn’t come down to a single tactic. The real answer is consistency.