Search engines such as Google look at over one hundred factors while ranking a webpage. Also, the algorithms attach different weights to these factors. At every major update, search engines introduce changes in their ranking algorithms. What one needs to realise is that the search engine’s goals are not only to make life difficult for an SEO. The search engine is constantly trying to deliver a better user experience for its users – this means the most relevant results, with informative page snippets, appearing in the shortest possible time.

When we design a website for better user experience, while keeping it accessible, we are actually future-proofing it from repeated search engine algorithm changes.

Google asks webmasters here to design sites for users, not search engine crawlers. The search engine crawler is somewhat like a visually challenged person. It can only read text. It can not see images and stylesheets nor can it understand audio.  It ignores Javascript or Ajax. Its view of  a web page can be very different from that of a user. The goal of a search engine crawler is to close this gap between human web browsing and machine crawling. At the same time, the search engine also tries to rank a website based on its user experience. This is why there are high marks conforming to accessibility standards.

This is why sometimes good SEOs should practise their art with blindfolds.

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