Google’s algorithm is always being changed, revised & reworked by the very best programmers at their HQ. Because of that, it should be obvious that no SEO can claim to truly know that ranking formula from top to bottom. That seems like bad news for businesses who must get real results from their search engine optimization if they’re going to last. There’s good news, though.

The good news is that there are 2 factors you can truly rely on to produce SEO rankings. Tested and true, they will always bring results. Because of that rock solid reliability you need to have them working for your business. What are they? Let’s start with the first one…

SEO Foundation #1: One-Way Backlinks To Your Website

Too many websites are still going after link exchanges instead of working to get one-way links to their sites. It’s not that link exchanges don’t still have some small value. It’s just that the bang for your SEO buck is much higher with 1 way links. For those who don’t know, a 1 Way Link is when another site links to you, but you don’t link to them from your site. Wouldn’t you spend your time and effort on what produces the greatest benefit? If so, working on one-way links is how to do it.

Another factor you should understand is the need for that link to be from a site that carries some level of Google PageRank. A site whose PageRank is 0, or non-existent, means that a link from there gives you nothing in SEO value. How do you know what a site’s PR is? Easy – just download the Google Toolbar for your browser. Then the current page’s PR will be displayed automatically on your browser. It doesn’t get much easier than that.

SEO Foundation #2: Relevant Content

Lots of sites have content. That doesn’t mean it’s all relevant content. What does that mean? It means there are millions of sites out there that have content that lacks real substance or has little to say. Think about the websites you’ve visited over the last week. How many had pages that either didn’t give enough information or strayed from the subject at hand? Probably a lot, right?

Your content must stay on topic and on target for that page’s focus. It also must contain content that is long enough, and with enough of a message to either convince the reader of what you want or to go further toward that goal. If you do that, utilizing the right keyphrases, you will plant the 2nd SEO Cornerstone you need.

These 2 SEO Cornerstones won’t guarantee a #1 Ranking on Google. They will, though, go a long way to establishing a competitive presence in the search engines. These 2 factors will ALWAYS be important to rankings, not matter what other changes may come and go in Google. Count on it and you can count on search engine relevancy – and that means search success.