The SEO Hare &Tortoise

In Aesop’s Fable, The Hare and the Tortoise, the Hare boasts of his speed before other animals.

“I have never yet been beaten”, said he, “when I put forth my full speed. I challenge anyone here to race with me.”

The Tortoise meekly accepts the challenge, baited continually by the Hare. Whilst the Hare dashes to the finishing line, the long-suffering Tortoise plods and plods. The Hare triumphantly decides to rest, so convinced he is of his success. When he awakes from his nap, the Tortoise is limbering up to the wining-post. And it’s too late for the conceited Hare.

This tale can be interpreted as a metaphor for the different strategies employed in attempting to be ahead of the competition in respect of a Search Engine Optimisation strategy.

Loosely, if the Tortoise represents a route to achieving rankings within Google achieved through Organic listings, then the Hare can embody, quick to the finish, bought links and black hat SEO tactics, .

The case for Organic

Unorthodox SEO methodology, such as paying for excessive, low quality bought links, over optimisation of anchor text and keyword stuffing is an insidious path to follow. It can not only be detrimental to your business, but can result in a painful drop in profits, following the severe likelihood of being hit by Google’s Penguin algorithm. In addition, engaging in other short cuts to achieve rapid results quickly, such as content farming or using low quality content can result in being hit by Google’s Panda algorithm updates.

Organic, or natural SEO employs techniques that are generally more time consuming and involves manual processes. Achieving organic listings  requires consistency, tenacity and time to allow for Natural SEO to take shape and to ensure rankings that reach the top, but that are sustainable rather than precarious.

Whilst quick, race to the finish, faceless link building/purchasing may ensure short-term results there is no guarantee that such tactics will warrant a long-term return.

In reality, following Google’s fast evolving algorithms, such techniques can be detrimental to the health of your online business and even jeopardise stability, growth and profits.

Natural SEO offers secure link building and strategies that will help your ranking continuously increase. The orthodox White Hat SEO methods that Google endorses, focus on the creation of unique content and the slow acquisition of natural links to real websites.