In a recent conversation on Reddit’s r/SEO forum, Google’s Search Advocate, John Mueller, warned against depending too much on SEO metrics from third-party tools.
The discussion started when a website owner shared concerns about changes in their website’s metrics:
- A 50% drop in their Domain Authority (DA) score.
- A rise in spam backlinks, with 75% of the links gained this year.
- An increase in spam comments, averaging 30 per day.
The owner worried that these issues would hurt their search ranking, even though they never bought any links.
Mueller’s Advice On SEO Tool Metrics
Mueller pointed out that SEO tools create their own metrics, which don’t always match how search engines like Google evaluate websites. He said these metrics can be tempting to focus on, but they don’t give a true picture. For example, using a disavow file won’t change a tool’s metrics because these tools don’t have access to Google’s data.
Focus On Value, Not Numbers
Instead of chasing high scores in SEO tools, Mueller recommended focusing on creating valuable content that stands out. He said it’s important to offer something unique that people want and that can’t be easily copied. This takes time and effort but leads to long-term success.
Key Points
- Don’t rely too much on third-party SEO metrics.
- Big changes in these metrics don’t reflect search engine rankings.
- Focus on providing real value and unique content, not just improving scores.
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