Matt Cutts, the head of Google’s Webspam Team, is known for having an open dialogue with the public. Recently, he used one of his Webmaster YouTube videos to debunk a common myth: that smaller sites cannot acquire as much online traffic as bigger and better-known sites. Cutts immediately stated that he disagrees with this assessment, and explains that smaller sites don’t need to be intimidated by larger sites, and it’s true. While it may be harder to gain the same type of online recognition that larger sites receive, it is not impossible. If you want to have an impressive search ranking and rack up as much web traffic as a larger site, there are a few things to remember:
Quality Comes First
Cutts wants to assure us that search rankings are less about size than it is about content. If you want your site to be at the top of the search rankings, your content needs to be smart, innovative, and high-quality. What value are you bringing to the consumer? Cutts uses sites like Facebook and Google as examples of sites that began when they were small, that appealed and connected to the user, and proved to perform the best in their field. Whatever content you want to focus on, make sure you do it well!
Use Your Size to Your Benefit
If you’re starting small, try to specialize in a specific subject. Find an area that you’re passionate about and continue to post quality information that will result in you being considered reputable. “Make sure you cover (your niche) really well, and then you can build out of that smaller area until you become larger and larger,” says Cutts. A smaller site is easier to control, so take advantage of it! Make sure you are a dependable source that viewers know they can trust.
Don’t get discouraged
“If you have a 1-person website taking on a 200-person website, it’s going to be hard at first,” says Cutts. Keep in mind that most large successful sites started small, and proved themselves worthy of viewership over time. Try to be creative and think outside the box, and prove that your content can stand out amongst others. Give yourself time to grow and don’t expect it to happen overnight.
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