It began on a Reddit thread about search rankings when a user asked if a page could rank on content alone.
“If I didn’t know what technical SEO was, but had consistent, high-quality CONTENT, could I rank #1?” the question reads.
In response, Google advocate, John Mueller, stated that “ranking isn’t always the goal.” In other words, site owners should not focus so much on ranking that they lose sight of creating useful content.
In theory, a page can rank well on search engine results based on content alone. This is especially true if the keyword you optimized for has a meager search volume and difficulty.
However, ranking #1 on the SERP is not useful if no one is searching for your article.
Instead, create content that’s useful and relevant to search engine users. That way, you can attain the essential goal of SEO, which is increasing your search traffic.
Here’s Mueller’s full statement:
“Ranking isn’t always the goal, your site can rank well, but if nobody searches for it, that’s not really useful. From that, great content alone, even if it’s world-class, does not mean you’ll get great traffic. And, understanding computers doesn’t change that part either.”
With that said, technical SEO also matter.
A Technical SEO Issue that can Influence Search Ranking
According to Mueller, there are limits to what can go wrong when you build a page with no regard for technical SEO.
You could accidentally block a page using robot.txt, and it would still rank first on SERP. However, a page with noindex or one that’s not reachable with a URL cannot rank at all, says the Google advocate.
Mueller said:
“A page blocked by robots.txt can still rank first, a page with a noindex (misunderstood CMS setting, perhaps) or one that’s not immediately reachable with a URL can’t rank at all.”
To avoid the risks that come with being unfamiliar with technical SEO, Mueller recommends learning the basics. Alternatively, you could use a modern Content Management System to help handle the fundamentals.
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