Marketing Pilgrim

By Andy Beard

When you set out to climb a mountain, or rank for a competitive keyword term, some methods are effective.

This is a simplistic look at climbing the heights of Mount Google.

Human Pyramid

A human pyramid might be suitable for those low hanging fruit, but this method is unlikely to help you scale great heights. Not only is it hard to gain great height, but the weak construction is easily eroded by competitors.

Photo credit: >S@TS<

Belay or Blogroll

Whilst exchanging blogroll links can help lift you up to a certain level, they can effectively anchor you to your peers. From an SEO point of view they are more about securing your position than lifting you higher.
If you have achieved a certain height, there is nothing wrong with pulling up a few team mates. They can then aid in a push for the summit, which can be a very lonely solo trek.

Photo credit: dfinnecy

Grappling Hook

This is the “gizmo” mindset, that specific tools can blast your website or blog to prominence, maybe as a clown from a circus cannon, or to scale the walls of the Vatican in Mission Impossible.

Whilst I am a fan of some forms of automation, and it can achieve significant results, those results are often short-lived.
Whether it is trackback and referrer spam, automated social bookmarking, directory submission software, or other quick fix, the writing is on the wall before you even start, only many are too blind to see it.

Not everyone gets a safety net, or is Ethan Hunt.

Photo credit: Wikipedia

Teamwork

Teamwork is often the most effective method, especially if one member of the team is already at the top of the mountain, and can pull you up.

Photo credit: JasonRogers

V.I.P. Ticket

It might not convey the same bragging rights, or sense of achievement, but if you are a “big hitter” working for a major corporation, or have plenty of funds to grease the wheels, there are faster ways to the top.

Photo credit: Photo Monkey

Highest Mountain

Don’t try to climb the highest mountain from the start, it will always end in failure. Start on lower slopes, build experience, and if possible gather together a solid team to help you scale the higher slopes of Mount Google.

Then again, who wants to be top of the mountain, and why am I writing a guest post Pull me up Andy!

If you enjoyed this post, please make sure you check out the winning article from last year by Jeff Horsager.

This is an entry to Marketing Pilgrim’s 3rd Annual SEM Scholarship contest.

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