You hear all the time about the tricks some companies employ to gain higher Google rankings: link farms, white text, and so on. But it’s clear that the bright folks at Google are working overtime those who are trying to beat the system.

Some people thus criticize Google for the influence (some might say, “control”) the Googleplex exercises over what happens on the Internet.

I, on the other hand, believe they have made a major contribution in one very important regard. Because of their unswerving dedication to the accuracy and success of a user’s search, they have forced marketers to pay attention to content.

They’ve made search engine optimization a very simple proposition: content is the one “trick” that will always work. And, because it can stay on your site forever (or at least until it’s overtaken by new developments), content is the gift that keeps on giving.

That means that when you identify a word or phrase where you believe you deserve high ranking, you should avoid the tricksters and go straight to your site and ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you have content on that topic? Surprisingly, many companies do not. In fact, they hardly mention it. 
• Is there a page on the topic? If it’s an important part of your business, it deserves a page, for sure. At least, that’s the way Google sees it.
• Does that page have a prominent place in your navigation? Once again, that’s how Google tells if a subject is really important to you . . . or if you’re just fishin’.

Clearly, Google has done marketers a big favor.