Do the Google Shuffle

I've warned small business owners before about relying too heavily on any one source of traffic to keep their business afloat citing the fact that all it takes is one bad algorithm shift to destroy a Google-dependant site. While Google shuffles still happen every now and then, you generally don't hear about them because they're resolved fairly quickly. Nonetheless, Eric Ward addresses the issue over at Search Engine Land this week.

Eric writes:

I would imagine that one of the hardest things about being a small business owner that's new to the world of search is fighting the obsession to check rankings on a regular basis. I've written in the past about the need to move away from rankings as a symbol of search success and to instead focus on sales and conversion rates.

This instance is a prime example. In fact, I've seen sites suffer temporary drops in rankings with no corresponding drop in sales. On the other hand, I've seen sites experience a drop in sales without any change to their search rankings.

Why? Because the rankings and sales, while related, are not directly tied to each other.

In fact, even if they do shift, chances are good that it's still nothing to lose any sleep over. Eric goes on to explain...

It's good advice.

What to take away? How about these three points:

1.) Diversify your traffic sources
2.) Focus more on sales and conversions than rankings
3.) Don't freak out (or celebrate) the moment that your rank changes

Hat tip to Manoj at Web Analytics World.