Are you one of the millions currently mourning the loss of the mega-hit show, Game of Thrones? Avidly watching such an intense, and addictive, show as GoT has me seeing it everywhere I go, and not just in the official GoT Oreos now sold at nearly any grocery store. I’m finding parallels to GoT everywhere, even in web development, which is not as far apart as one might initially assume, although web development is quite a bit safer I must say.
In the mystical land of Westeros and beyond, where GoT takes place, anyone with any semblance of power or birthright battles with each other for the Iron Throne: the position of King or Queen of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. In the web world — Websteros if I may — the Iron Throne we are all engaged in a fierce competition for is the most trafficked site. High trafficked sites have wide-reaching power and influence over users and lesser trafficked sites. Currently, Google sits atop the Iron Throne of Websteros, as the most visited site in the world in 2019 (source: Lifewire), and it’s safe to say that Google has an immeasurable amount of power in the web world today.
Of course no King is anything without their Hand of the King, or in this case, UX, user experience. No website can be the best without a careful knowledge and implementation of UX design principles; a site that is simply not user-friendly will never be the most visited or revered. Just like no King can maintain the Iron Throne without a dutiful and clever Hand of the King.
Everyone vying for the coveted position of ruler of the realm has a secret weapon. In Daenerys Targaryen’s case, her secret weapons were dragons. Her dragons are virtually all powerful, and no one expected them initially. Who can forget the dramatic final scene of season one where she is miraculously alive, and cradling three dragons? Our secret weapon is search engine optimization. SEO improves the ability for search engines to index your website and webpages, making it much easier for users to discover your webpage, thus increasing your web traffic, and chance to sit atop the Iron Throne and hold the title of most trafficked site. Despite its high level of importance, and advantages, it still remains a secret weapon because web developers are largely the only people that have knowledge of it, and utilize it; SEO is simply not on the user’s radar, they might not even know it exists yet, but its results are far-reaching and unmatched.
Game of Thrones may take place in a fantastical, fictional land with magic and dragons, but like any good story, it showcases universal themes where anyone can find something to relate to. Just as we can relate to the competitive nature, and battle of wits of the fight for the Iron Throne. Everyday web developers and web marketers compete for a high trafficked site, and users just like you play a huge role. Thank goodness that web development is far less bloody than the fight for the Iron Throne of Westeros.