While some people claim that SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is obsolete, it still significantly impacts web traffic acquisition in 2022. How important is it to be aware of SEO? Let me introduce an example to illustrate this.

This is an example comparing two sites in the same field, using very similar keywords, to see how different their outcomes are based on their SEO efforts. We will compare the commonalities and differences between the two sites and analyze what determined their success or failure.

Two-Year Trends of Two Websites

First, let’s talk about the first website, which we’ll call Site A. It was launched in April 2017 and updates were stopped in June 2020. The trends from June 2019 to June 2021 are shown in the following graph.

Next, let’s consider the second website, which we’ll call Site B. It was launched in March 2019, and updates were stopped in June 2019. The trends from June 2019 to June 2021 are shown in the following graph.

*Note: ‘Updates stopped’ means no new content was added or rewritten, though site maintenance was continued.

Commonalities and Differences 

Both sites operate in the same field and use very similar keywords. However, as can be seen from the number of users, Site A has remained almost unchanged over two years (with a slight decrease), whereas Site B has significantly grown.

Before exploring the reasons for these differences, let me explain the current state of the 

Insights from Comparing Two Websites

Comparing two websites reveals that what is commonly assumed in SEO may not always hold true. Although it is often said that having more pages and more words strengthens SEO, the data clearly shows that this is not necessarily the case depending on the site structure and article composition.

Is the Number of Pages Irrelevant to SEO?

Site A has 240 pages, whereas Site B has only 30, an eightfold difference. Generally, having more pages allows for more keywords to be targeted, which should theoretically increase traffic.

However, looking at the number of users over two years and the ratio of organic search, it is evident that Site B, with fewer pages, has been more successful in SEO.

This suggests that it’s not the number of pages that matters for SEO, but rather how much benefit (value) the entire site provides to users. Even with fewer pages, if the value of each article is high, it can still compete effectively in SEO. A site with fewer but necessary and high-quality pages is better than a site with many unnecessary pages.

*However, it is true that having more pages often provides an SEO advantage.

Is SNS unrelated to SEO?

Social media (SNS) can secure traffic from sources other than search engines, and spreading content through SNS can approach users beyond those using search engines. Successful diffusion can also result in backlinks, so it is worthwhile to use SNS if you are running a site.

Indeed, Site A actively uses SNS, accounting for 10% of its traffic, with direct traffic making up about 40%, indicating a significant portion of traffic comes from sources other than search engines.

On the other hand, Site B barely utilizes SNS. SNS traffic is just about 0.5% of its total, and direct traffic is less than 4%, relying mostly on search engines.

Logically, using SNS should increase exposure opportunities and citations, which should be beneficial. However, this does not necessarily translate to a positive impact on SEO.

Is Word Count Irrelevant to SEO?

It is commonly believed that articles with a higher word count are stronger for SEO. This is because more words can increase the comprehensiveness of the article, which in turn can meet more user needs.

However, having a higher word count does not mean better SEO if the content is not meaningful. It’s essential to have an adequate length that fulfills the necessary information. Ultimately, whether an article contains the information (elements) users are looking for is what matters.

Factors Contributing to the Differences in Numbers

Site A started with about 2,000 users and gradually decreased to slightly less than 2,000 over two years. Site B grew to about 4,000 users in the same period. Although Site A was launched in 2017 and had the advantage of being earlier in the market, Site B, launched in 2019, has shown better performance.

Content Determines Success or Failure

The results in SEO are influenced by the content. Both sites provided good and unique information. However, Site A tended to follow current trends, which worked well with SNS and spread widely, but without continually chasing new trends, it could not maintain traffic.

Site B focused from the start on meeting core user needs with comprehensive and timeless content.

Who is the Author?

Both Site A and Site B have industry experts as authors. However, a significant difference is that Site A had experts sharing unique information, whereas Site B had SEO-knowledgeable experts publishing unique information.

Factors like whether keywords overlap between pages, if titles are appropriate, if there are headings, if the content under each heading is suitable, and if the content fulfills user needs are what search engines evaluate.

[Side Story] Experts Who Can’t Write

Deciding who should write articles is a significant challenge in media management. Common issues include not having in-house writers, difficulty gathering writers, high costs of article outsourcing services, or simply not finding experts who can write. While article outsourcing services are not bad, mediocre articles often emerge from them. Ideally, focusing on finding experts might lead to better content.

While it’s possible to commission writers, ensuring the originality of articles and matching their strengths and weaknesses is challenging. Experts may have the knowledge but often lack writing skills; however, they can still write articles with at least basic knowledge. If an expert truly cannot write, you can ask them to create headings and list the contents in bullet points for you to format and then they can supervise it.

Although writers can pen the articles, only experts can handle unique information. Regardless of whether you commission writing, structure, or supervision, finding experts is a demanding task. This is when one might consider hiring an SEO article writing service, but finding a service that meets budget constraints and delivers satisfactory articles is also a challenging task.

Importance of Being Mindful of SEO

The technical aspects, such as paying attention to titles and tags and preventing keyword overlap, have shown to impact SEO. It is important to clarify that merely focusing on these technical details does not guarantee successful SEO.

The fundamental premise is to deliver unique content that meets user needs. Therefore, even if you create articles with SEO in mind, merely producing summaries of other sites’ content will not sustain growth.

The idea is that if you can pinpoint the needs during the article planning stage, the rest can be resolved technically.

Summary

This was a verification result showing how crucial content is. Following Google’s recommendation that ‘Content is King’ seems to be a shortcut to success. Focus on creating pages with content elements that match user intent (search intent). Enhancing the quality of each piece of content is a direct path to SEO success.

Author Profile

Mr. Takeshi Amano, CEO of Admano Co., Ltd.

Mr. Takeshi Amano is a graduate of the Faculty of Law at Nihon University. With 12 years of experience working in the advertising agency industry, he discovered SEO and began his research during the early days of SEO. He self-taught and conducted experiments and verifications on over 100 websites. Using this expertise, he founded Admano Co., Ltd., which is currently in its 11th year of operation. Mr. Amano handles sales, SEO consulting, web analytics (holding the Google Analytics Individual Qualification certification), coding, and website development. The company has successfully managed SEO strategies for over 2000 websites to date.

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