{"id":3048,"date":"2012-06-19T17:03:23","date_gmt":"2012-06-19T15:03:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aleydasolis.com\/?p=3048"},"modified":"2012-06-19T22:54:22","modified_gmt":"2012-06-19T20:54:22","slug":"tennis-seo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aleydasolis.com\/en\/search-engine-optimization\/tennis-seo\/","title":{"rendered":"13 things Tennis has in common with SEO by David Wiseman"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"DavidThis guest post came about from a mutual love of tennis and the result of a wager for the Ronald Garros final match, in which Rafael Nadal won over Novak Djokovic.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

David Wiseman works at Kahena Digital<\/a>, a Jerusalem online marketing and SEO Company\u00a0and can be found on twitter at @daw1975<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s bring the worlds of tennis and SEO together again: Here are the 13 things the game of tennis has in common with SEO.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Rankings<\/h2>\n

Just as in SEO, ranking are everything in tennis. As a tennis player, not a day goes by where you aren\u2019t aware of your ranking. It defines you.<\/p>\n

With any rankings there can be quirks, such as Danish player Caroline Wozniacki. There was much consternation<\/a> that she got to Number One without having won a grand slam title.<\/p>\n

Similarly, occasionally there is much angst and dismay<\/a> as to the inequality and illogic of Google\u2019s rankings. Ranking highly shouldn\u2019t be the sole focus but a happy by-product. People should look at the rankings as part of the journey and not just the destination. If you don\u2019t, things are finished once you get to #1 as opposed to only just beginning.<\/p>\n

2. Numbers<\/h2>\n

A tennis match can be broken down into hundreds of different statistical categories \u2013 first serve %, unforced errors, break point converted, winners, etc.<\/p>\n

SEO has so many numbers rankings, visits, conversions, time on site, bounce rate, et al<\/em> that it comes down to which ones you look at and show the client and \u00a0which ones you don\u2019t\u00a0 show the client.<\/p>\n

As a player your main objective is to win matches and ultimately trophies. Should you do that, your ranking will take care of itself. Similarly, an inbound marketer shouldn\u2019t be obsessed with rankings; rather he or she should be trying to create the best site and user experience possible \u2013 this is beginning to get a bit repetitive \ud83d\ude09 The rankings and traffic is moot if the conversions aren\u2019t there<\/p>\n

In SEO, it\u2019s not as black and white. Some SEO folk say that conversions have nothing to do with them. That once the traffic comes to the site, their job is done. I am not of that opinion but if a person is, it\u2019s hard to argue with them. That\u2019s like arguing Bjorn Borg is the best clay court tennis player of all time<\/a>. You will go back and forth on this for hours and not get anywhere.<\/p>\n

3. All Round Game<\/h2>\n

In tennis, if there are any weaknesses in your game, quickly they are going to be found out. Whether it\u2019s your second serve, backhand or volleying, opponents are going to identify these weaknesses and then start hammering away at them \u2013 forcing you into positions where your weaknesses are exposed.<\/p>\n

The more all-round player you are, the harder it will be to defeat you. It\u2019s human nature to stick to what we\u2019re good at and what we like to do and eschew the rest, but the more kinks we eliminate from our game the more versatile and stronger we become.<\/p>\n

Some people can\u2019t stand analytics and do everything they can to avoid it, some hate outreach, interacting with clients, presenting & public speaking, programming, working to deadlines, pivot tables, punctuality, etc. The more strings we add to our racquet, the more valuable we become.<\/p>\n

4. Love<\/h2>\n

This is relevant to tennis as you want to prevent your opponent from scoring any points.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a different kind of love in SEO. The Beatles weren\u2019t lying when they sang, \u201cThe love you take is equal to the love you make.\u201d SEO is a world filled with different opinions and ways of doing things but there is nothing to gain by taking the high moral ground or a holier than thou attitude.<\/p>\n

5. Practice<\/h2>\n

Tennis player spend hundreds of hours practicing.<\/p>\n

How much time do you spend on your SEO game? Do you put in the hours reading and commenting on blogs, following tweets and staying abreast of other industry news? You have to make it part of your schedule otherwise you are going to lose your edge.<\/p>\n

6. Equipment<\/h2>\n

In tennis, the racquet you use is of critical importance. It is the tool of your trade and it needs to feel comfortable in your hand. While you may stay wedded to your current make and model, it behooves you to know what else is out there, try it out and possibly even switch.<\/p>\n

In SEO, the technology changes so quickly that it is almost impossible to keep track of. There are tools coming out all the time for every aspect of the industry. It\u2019s important to find balance between always changing the way you work to be blindly loyal to it. Find that middle ground.<\/p>\n

7. Really No I in Team<\/h2>\n

It is common for players to climb in to the stands following a win and share the moment with their entourage. Similarly while one or two people may be the figureheads of a campaign or pitch, there is a whole team responsible for its success.<\/p>\n