Fudgies

I have a recipe for no bake cookies (we call them Fudgies) that I have used since childhood. It has seven ingredients: margarine, milk, sugar, cocoa, peanut butter, oats, and vanilla. Fudgies turn out best when the ingredients are added in a specific order. The margarine and milk are melted together, sugar and cocoa are added and that mixture is brought to a boil. Oats, vanilla, and peanut butter are added last. Cookies are spooned out onto parchment paper and left to cool. They are very yummy.

As it turns out, Search Engine Optimization also uses recipes, also known as algorithms. The key to making a website successful—found by Google search engines—is to make sure it has the ingredients for the recipe that Google is using. Google may occasionally change their recipe, but it basically stays the same. The right ingredients in Search Engine Optimization include the right words in body copy, the right words in titles, links as well as the words in those links, and site reputation.

I knew someone who knew someone who substituted ingredients that LOOKED similar to whatever ingredient she was missing, like mayonnaise for whipped cream. Can you image!?  Her website would NEVER get ANY traffic.