While the vast majority of the more popular websites will be at or around about the number one spot on Google in their chosen fields / keywords, is it safe to depend upon natural search engine traffic, or is this a flawed business model?

The beauty and the ugly side of the internet is the fact that nothing ever stays still for long, search engine listings change constantly, keywords come and go, and your traffic can be flying high one day only to collapse the next on the back of an algorithm change. So what is a safe business model to use for the future? Do you concentrate on paid links, natural link or search engine traffic?

The truth is that there is no one answer to this question, and like many things on the internet it is probably sensible to hedge your bets and try to cover all angles, search engine traffic, paid links and natural links. If one were to drop or fall back for a while, then while disappointing, it would not close down your business with traffic still coming in from other sources.

The internet is an ever changing creature and what is hot today may be gone tomorrow, and you need to be aware of this. While chasing trends is risky in the fact that you may end up with nothing, it is not a bad strategy to run along with the ones mentioned above. If you are able to push yourself to the top of the list for even a short time, it can have a massive effect on traffic and sales, with the possibility of creating a few long term links into your site.

Nothing is ever set in stone on the internet, and the quicker you realise that the better. Businesses which sit back and think they have cracked the market will no doubt receive a shock at some stage, it costs money to keep your name out there, but it is something which is vital to the long term viability of any business.