Golf and SEO – Similarities

The golf season is just around the corner here in Chicago. I was thinking about golf and about SEO, and found quite a few similarities. Here are 10, but I’m sure there are many more. Feel free to add yours in the comments.

1. Accept that you don’t know everything.
I’ve been doing SEO for >10 years and golfing for >15, and I’m amazed at how much there still is to learn about both. I don’t know if I’ll ever feel that I know everything, and that’s a good thing. Life-long learning and continuous improvement are the keys to success in both fields.

2. Learn by doing.
You can talk about SEO until you’re blue in the face (and lots of “gurus” do just that), but until you start doing it, nothing’s going to happen. The only advice is that before you start doing, follow my next tip.

3. Measure often and pay attention to the numbers.
How many GIR are you getting in a round? What’s your average putts/round? Which natural search terms are generating the most leads? What’s the most successful path through your site? If you’re only tracking your handicap or your “hits”, you’re missing out on the stuff that really matters.

4. Be prepared for the worst-case scenario.
Sometimes your golf game just goes south for no reason. Sometimes Google shifts their algorithm that may not be beneficial to your site. Neither may have anything to do with you; it just happens. If it does, review your fundamentals, and return to your go-to shot. Did you try some new tip prior to the downturn? Consider removing the change and returning to where you were.

5. Learn from your mistakes.
You may try new things on the range, or try some new tip you read about on an SEO blog or forum. Sometimes, these may not prove to be valuable. If you don’t try new things, you may never be able to get to the next level, so don’t be afraid to try them. Just make sure that you give them enough time to prove themselves one way or the other and move on.

6. Stick with it, even during the bad times.
It’s easy to give up. It’s easy to get frustrated. SEO and golf are both very difficult to do well. Only after making mistakes (and you will) and learning from those mistakes will you move forward.

7. Seek out good advice.
Taking golf lessons from a reputable PGA Pro was the best decision I ever made to help my golf swing. The only hard part was finding the right one. The same happens in the world of SEO. Ask your friends, use your network, etc., but definitely reach out to someone who has a track record of success. They may see things that you’ve never even considered.

8. Luck is just that. Realize it, and accept it.
Sometimes you can change a few TITLE tags and have some success. Sometimes people hit a hole-in-one (like me!) Celebrate and be thankful, but don’t think that you’ve reached the end of the rainbow.

9. Use the right tools.
If you’ve never been fitted for a new set of irons, or a driver, you don’t know what you’re missing. The confidence you gain from trying 10 drivers and finding the one that fits your swing best cannot be understated. Along the same lines, if you’re using SEO tools that aren’t adding any real benefit (like Google’s link: command) you may not be getting any value from them. Try all the tools you can find. Some will be great, and some not so much but unless you try them, you won’t know. Here are a few SEO tools to get you started:

10. Be patient and think long term (my personal favorite)
SEO isn’t something you do overnight, and you don’t learn a golf swing overnight either. Both require dedication, patience, attention to detail and the willingness to learn. If you’re looking for a quick fix, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.

So what did I forget?

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