SEO. To laypeople, three random letters. To many business administrators, a fundamental element in the routine of their businesses.
An acronym for Search Engine Optimization, SEO is a set of techniques and practices that aim to ensure a page ranks well in search engine results, such as good old Google, for example.
In times when digital is just as important as (and sometimes even more important than) traditional business channels, an SEO strategy becomes more than an investment: it becomes a necessity. And of all the ways you can learn more about the subject, one may surprise you: playing StarCraft 2.
Using games as a learning tool is not exactly new. It is estimated that the Chinese and Indians who lived more than 3,000 years ago already used board games similar to modern chess to develop critical thinking, strategy, and long-term planning skills.
Real-time strategy (RTS) games, such as StarCraft 2, are the modern equivalent of the chess board of centuries ago. And this is not something we are simply assuming: scientific studies show that playing strategy video games is an exercise for the brain.
Credit: Artur Piszek
But after all, what does all of this have to do with SEO? It’s simple: RTS players develop several important skills, such as critical thinking, information management, and the ability to handle multiple tasks. These abilities are exactly the same ones expected of a professional capable of executing an efficient SEO strategy.
Contents
- SEO and StarCraft 2: different businesses, parallel worlds
- In the SEO game, strategy is the watchword
- Pioneering, quick results, or long-term preparation: which path to follow?
- In the SEO game, there is no game over screen
SEO and StarCraft 2: different businesses, parallel worlds
StarCraft 2 and other RTS games bombard their players with data all the time. All of this information is useful for game strategy, but not all of it should be used right away. The player needs a keen nose to filter it and define what matters most at that particular moment. In addition, they must also be prepared for abrupt changes of focus and activity.
An SEO professional’s routine is also marked by an intense volume of data and tasks. Having to handle a dozen tools at the same time, such as spreadsheets, analytics tools, dashboards, and ranking data, is not an unusual situation.
To avoid losing focus and to handle all of this while staying productive, you need to draw up a strategy (plus a certain dose of instinct) to define what should be prioritized at each moment.
When we analyze the two situations, we soon see the parallel: those who play StarCraft 2 train their minds to manage a large amount of data, in addition to developing the ability to deal with several tasks at the same time. These are hard skills that are extremely valued in the SEO universe.
What can someone who wants to build a career in SEO take from this? Along with studies and courses, a few matches of StarCraft 2 (or another RTS game) can be extremely useful in your training.
In the SEO game, strategy is the watchword
Of all the lessons StarCraft 2 can offer, perhaps the most important for the SEO field is this: trying a bunch of things to “see what works afterward” is not an option for those who aim for solid results. Getting a good ranking on a search engine is, above all, something strategic.
Developing smart strategic planning is one of the cornerstones of SEO. And the favorite strategies of StarCraft 2 players can be great examples for marketers in the field:
Rushing
Credit: IGN
In the mythology of the StarCraft franchise, the Zergs are a race of alien monsters notable for their ability to plan and execute massive attacks in a short period of time, using an army that is less developed but far larger in number than the opponent’s. This strategy is called the Zerg Rush, or rushing*.*
In business terms, this strategy can be compared to that of companies that are not yet very large or well known, but that use massive marketing tactics (handing out flyers, door-to-door promotion, etc.) to win their first customers.
SEO practices that resemble this kind of tactic include, for example, the fast, massive registration of pages in search directories, link profiles (a set of external links that point to a site), and comments. There is also link spam, a practice that consists of creating countless low-quality or irrelevant links that point to a given site.
These practices can be effective at first, but in the long run they can backfire. Just as the underdeveloped army of the StarCraft 2 Zerg Rush needs to be constantly replaced, irrelevant links are quickly deindexed from search engines, making their replacement frequent.
Turtling
Credit: Play Professor
In a game, it is common to say that when a player decides to focus on defensive tactics and pull back from attacks, they are “turtling,” closing themselves in, that is, seeking protection in their own base (shell).
In the business world, something similar would be to withdraw completely from the outside world to work on your business’s internal operations, setting aside the search for new customers to focus on other projects, such as optimizing your site’s SEO.
Unlike Rushing*,* this is a strategy of the human race called Terran, considered slow, long- and very-long-term, and even riskier. You may lose opportunities to more aggressive competitors, and costs will definitely need to be reduced.
On the other hand, turtling can help build a more solid foundation for when the business (or the game) is in a more advanced phase and you have to rethink your strategies. Your processes will already be defined and many operations will be automatic. That way, you will be able to dedicate yourself 100% to using all the resources you have already developed to duel against the new competitors that will come.
Teching
Credit: IGN
When a StarCraft 2 player starts building more advanced structures or seeking new technologies and upgrades, we say they are adopting the teching strategy. This is a medium- to long-term strategy most common among the alien race known as the Protoss.
This tactic focuses on investing resources in structure upgrades (production units), as well as in the quality attributes (resistance, strength, experience) of combat units (products and employees), and it is necessary because many of the game’s resources are not available right at the start.
To unlock them, you need to prioritize technological evolution and carry out all kinds of tactics in parallel to avoid confrontations in the very short and short term, since this is a moment when you are vulnerable.
Pioneering, quick results, or long-term preparation: which path to follow?
In the SEO world, the equivalent of players who use teching are the professionals who, before everyone else, noticed the connection between link building and ranking; those who understood Google’s algorithm formula; the first to integrate widgets and social media platforms into SEO actions; and the first to adopt HTML5 microdata before a specific plug-in even existed for it.
Those who adopt this kind of tactic need to watch their internal processes closely to keep their resources from running out. However, they must also be constantly expanding to keep their gears running and, above all, doing all of this under the competition’s radar. After all, it is possible to run campaigns and rank while avoiding as much as possible exposing your links and content to market rivals.
Another thing that can be said about this strategy is that it is a kind of middle ground between the other two presented earlier. Although its results are slower than those of Rushing, they are faster than those of Turtling.
While Rushing adherents aim to expand quickly and cheaply, Teching is characterized by more cautious planning and costlier development, which ends up being its main disadvantage: the high cost.
In the SEO game, there is no game over screen
As we have seen, working with SEO is like playing a strategy game that you never truly finish.
Having a well-ranked site demands continuous work. Just as StarCraft 2 offers nearly unlimited paths for a player to follow, the universe of site optimization is like a chess board in which each piece moves in its own unique way, with different results and consequences.
The journey to becoming a refined strategist is not quick, but there are shortcuts that can help. Like gamers, SEO professionals have a solid online community built on the exchange of information and experiences. There are countless sites, videos, and posts in which experts share their knowledge and views, inspiring and helping the journeys of many people.
Finally, it is important to remember that, unless you are a Zerg Rush enthusiast, results do not come overnight. You need to be patient, embrace your game, train, experiment, analyze your own scenario, and dedicate yourself body, soul, and, above all, mind.
