We trust Google. Someone asks you something and you answer, let me Google that. Whether it is a historic fact, how to do something, a medical condition or what retail outlet carries a specific product, we ask Google.

Google has become the universal go-to source for knowledge. We depend on Google because we trust that the results we are going to get are the most accurate, most relevant, and the most timely on the internet. We trust them because we know that Google has stringent rules, to keep the playing field even, working against people who are constantly trying to game the system to their benefit. They bet on being smarter than Google, and that is a bad bet. If these people do find a loophole, it’s a safe bet that Google will find it, adjust the algorithm, and punish the offender with lower rankings. And if that somebody is handling your SEO, your site will be punished.

Consistently ranking highly in a Google search is like working to get and maintain a fit body; it has to be worked for holistically and on a daily basis. You can cheat only so much. You have to do weight bearing exercises if you want muscle because no no electric pulse band that guarantees you the abs will give you the results you want. And you have to cross train to create muscle confusion to shake up your routine. If you want cardio health you have to raise your heartbeat on a regular basis, not every once in a while; no, a caffeine heart palpitation doesn’t count. You have to exercise and you have to eat well; no get-skinny-quick pill will keep weight off  if you continue to eat more calories than you burn. You also have to sleep well and care for your mental wellness. Once you have the fit body of your dreams, you have to work to maintain it or it will atrophy.
Just as all these elements lead to a healthy body, to have consistently good SEO results, you  have to work on them daily, you have to put in all the elements and change up your routine to stay in the game, to keep up with Google algorithm changes. It’s a marathon you are training for, not a sprint.