In the present day world, top leading companies of every industry are leaving no stone unturned to rank at the top in search engines like Google, Yahoo, etc. The key force required in this task of maintaining the high ranking is done by Search Engine Optimization (SEO) team. Although every search engine optimizer require specific technical qualification like Google certification, Off-page optimization, etc. to optimize the company sites but they also need to be acquainted with ever-changing Google updates and technological changes. Hence, winning in SEO is similar to winning in Poker. In other words, a poker player needs to study his opponents and analyze the cards on the table to win more money, while in SEO a person needs to play with every piece of content created to get more traffic and better search engine rankings. Following are some points that show how SEO is similar to the game of Poker:
Ever Changing Game Play
Poker is a skill game that is easy to understand but takes a lifetime to master. You will find poker players who are good at poker but it doesn’t necessarily mean that they know it all. Poker requires constant practical learning which is ongoing as the games always offer something new to learn. The same thing applies to SEO. With so many blogs on the SEO niche, there is never ending supply of content which means there are always new things to learn. Hence, in SEO and Poker, there are always new tactics available to try, test, and implement.
No-One Knows Google’s Cards
In poker world, you will find very few players who can confidently identify the hand you probably hold every time. It means 90% of the players can never know what cards you hold at all times. Hence, as a poker player you need to try weird tricks with the hand you hold to confuse you opponents and win the game. Similarly, trying weird tricks while implementing SEO strategies may confuse the greatest SEO player- Google, and you might start to rank at the top earning more visitors and money. However, don’t forget Google can anytime play the strongest hands with its new updates like amateurs play in poker.
Turn of Mind
From organization’s perception, Psychology in SEO refers to reading your rival companies strategies, and in poker it is about reading opponent’s mind. So, the concept of ‘I know that they know and They know that I know’ follows here. In simple words, you should make the most of what you know even if visitors know they know you know it. Thus, you should keep on trying different SEO strategies – to keep page visitors for longer time on your pages longer to reduce bounce rate. For instance, usage of pop-up for newsletter subscriptions helps in increasing the time visitor is on that page and also increases newsletter subscriptions if visitors are really interested and opt for it there and then. Similarly in poker, you have been dealt medium cards and planned to bet after the flop. While you check on pre-flop your opponent will know about your further moves. Hence, you are only left with an option to go with the plan or fold the cards if flop is not in your favor.
Go Fishing Go
In every industry there exist rotten companies, and same applies to SEO industry as well. Such SEO companies charge a monthly fee and do low-quality work such as directory submissions, and still earn decent money each month. This short-term gain makes them a long-term loser in the industry. Similarly, in online poker there exist players who are nicknamed ‘Fish’ because they have limited knowledge of the game and earn money with their unplanned bad moves. They never stand out to be long-term winning players because they hardly dedicate time or money to improve their fortunes, and just like to stick around for the ride. On the flip side, there also exist top companies who are like sharks in poker. These companies never shout about their top rankings, and never let everyone know about their excellent search engine marketing techniques. Likewise, in poker you will find poker pros nicknamed as Sharks because of their ability to play right at right time which allow them to maximize their edge in each and every situation.
Work Out Your Bankroll
Optimizing a site is a long term process, and whatever you invest in for SEO purpose will not give immediate returns. Hence, it is necessary to plan your investments smartly on SEO tools and techniques. To start with, you should target for smaller wins keeping aside the target of a big win. Moreover, don’t invest money that you cannot afford to lose as your SEO investments come with a late dividend package. As a SEO company, you should invest in long-tail keywords that provide smaller returns over a longer period. Correspondingly in poker, players tend to play only those games that match their comfort level. If a poker player play on a table that is above his ‘skill’ level, then he will not sustain for long in the game because of higher level of competition.
