First things first: can Google even see your page?
Picture Googlebot as a gigantic spider in hiking boots, tramping across the web. When it stumbles onto your shiny new blog post, it runs through a mental checklist:
“Is this original? Is it helpful? Does the author sound like they know their onions? And—super-important—does it feel trustworthy?”
If the answers are mostly yes, congratulations! You pass the E-E-A-T vibe-check (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust). If the bot sniffs out spun fluff or keyword stuffing, you’re punted out of the index faster than you can say “Panda penalty.”
Now the ranking game begins
Once you’re in, Google sifts through 200-plus signals to decide who lands where. Think of it like a bake-off:
On-page goodies – Clear headings, logical internal links, sentences that read like an actual human wrote them.
Off-page applause – Backlinks are the cheers from respected food critics (a single nod from a heavyweight site can trump a dozen weak claps).
User love – High dwell time and low bounce tell Google people are sticking around for dessert.
My “John Lewis” rule of thumb
Early in my career I worked retail during Christmas madness at John Lewis, where the mantra was simple: blow the customer away with service. I’ve carried that into SEO. Fast load times, a site that snaps into place on mobile, and content that actually answers questions—that’s customer service online. Nail those basics and fancy hacks become secondary.
But wait, updates happen!
Remember 2011’s Panda update? Overnight, thin-content sites tanked harder than my attempt at sourdough. Google keeps rolling “Core Updates,” big and small, every year, so the goalposts never stay put. Instead of chasing loopholes, focus on quality that would impress a real human today and tomorrow.
Quick takeaways before you go refill your mug
Always be indexing: No E-E-A-T, no entry.
Backlinks > blather: Earn links from places you’d actually brag about at dinner.
UX is SEO: Speed, mobile-friendliness, clear navigation—it’s all one big customer-service loop.
Quality > tricks: Google rewards value; shortcuts age like warm milk.
So the next time someone tells you they’ve cracked the ranking code forever, smile, sip your latte, and remember: good SEO is simply great service dressed in digital clothes.