Published:
by Wayne Smith
Solution Smith tests SEO and guided AI search like it tests software. If a feature is claimed, it gets tested. Observations begin as anecdotal data points. Solution Smith doesn’t rely on Google to confirm or deny findings -- in fact, it’s expected that Google and other search engines won’t publicly share their algorithms.
Best SEO Practices
SEO best practices evolve over time and are based on what has worked in the past. While they can be considered a form of peer review, they often represent a blend of marketing strategies aimed at optimizing conversion rates and tenured SEO techniques.
As search continues to evolve, both features and best practices develop nuances that require ongoing testing and validation.
Tenured SEO Techniques
Tenured factors are those that have been consistently recognized as relevant ranking signals -- either because they are being used by multiple search engines or through validation by credible, independent sources over time.
Many of these factors have stood the test of time because they represent efficient and scalable ways for document retrieval systems, like search engines, to identify relevant content. As the web has grown, these tenured signals have proven to be reliable methods for surfacing high-quality results at scale.
Testing of tenured SEO factors focuses on what advancements may have been made and how effective they are today.
Clues from Patents
Reviewing patents can offer valuable insights -- but they don’t tell the whole story.
A patent grants its owner exclusive rights over a novel invention or algorithm that goes beyond existing technology, in exchange for publicly disclosing the concept through the patent office.
However, owning a patent doesn’t necessarily mean the invention is being used. And if it is in use, it doesn’t mean the owner is using only the patent for implementation.
Anecdotal Observations
Anecdotal observations often seem small or incidental, but they can lead to meaningful discoveries. Take Thomas Edison, for example. While preparing to install a long-distance telegraph line, he decided to test the system in advance. To keep things simple, he left the wire coiled on its spool. What he didn’t realize was that the coiled wire had effectively become an inductor. When the telegraph didn’t behave as expected, the cause wasn’t immediately clear.
But Edison didn’t dismiss the anomaly -- he observed it, studied it, and learned from it. That one unexpected result challenged assumptions and led to deeper understanding.
In much the same way, many discoveries in SEO and software begin with a small, curious moment -- a result that doesn’t fit, a detail that stands out. These anecdotal observations offer real insights into how search engines actually work.
Emergent SEO Factors
An emergent factor is a pattern or outcome that arises naturally from a system’s design -- even if it wasn’t explicitly programmed or intended.
Intended Content Relevance
Content relevance is an example of an emergent SEO factor. Search engines do not actually "read" or understand content in the way humans do.
Search Engines Cannot Read Content
However, relevant documents tend to share identifiable patterns and structural signals. Based on these patterns, relevance can emerge naturally within search results.
Relevancy is an Emergent Ranking Factor
... Solution Smith tests SEO tactics so you don't have to ...
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