Think of it this way:

A website is a bricks and mortar storefront, (Really it is the new store front of today but that’s entirely another post). How easy the door swings open is how easy it is for search engines to index. But here’s the kicker, (and a big giant ass kicker to some), if there is nothing inside your store worth going in for, then no one will go in, including search engines. It’s not that simple but close.

More and more people who understand this concept are winning the SEO battle. They treat their websites like a real store on a real street. They make it look good, inviting, social and interesting to the niche they want to attract. They change it up, keep it clean and easy to get around. The more people who visit the website, or should I say: The more crowded the inside of that store becomes the more popular it becomes – to search engines too. Go figure: it’s just . like . real . life.

If you see a crowd of people in a store, you go in, even if the door is a little hard to open. You are going to find your way in.

Not a believer yet?

Why then do I come up 2nd or third on a Google Search typing in the words BC Ferries Assured Boarding? Because it’s more interesting than the boring static government regulated website. People comment here creating more activity. You go there because you have to, you come here because you want to.

I found a great article that lists the importance of SEO techniques and other factors considered when everyone else is trying to shoehorn a site into search engine existence. The highest ranking factor is popularity among other things. but here are some of the things I found listed low on the SEO importance list that you may find interesting.

HTML Validation to W3C Standards is of minimal importance (a good thing for this site – let me tell you)
Server/Hosting Uptime minimal importance
Use of XML Sitemap(s) 29% minimal importance
Social Media/Social Graph Based Ranking Factors minimal importance

Surprisingly

Geographic Location of the Host IP Address of the Domain 57% high importance (wouldn’t have thunk it)

Check it out yourself at http://www.seomoz.org/article/search-ranking-factors/

It’s been my experience that the average person has little understanding of who their domain registrar actually is and how it all works and I am guessing that this is what The DRoC people are hoping for.
As a domain name registrar reseller myself receiving this notice stood out to me like a red flag. They are using the word “renewal” as if this is coming from YOUR current domain registrar but what they are really trying to do is TRANSFER your domain name to their services.

Normally, a succesful transfer relies on the person clicking “yes” in a confirmation email from the current registrar but what the fine print on the back of these DRoC mail-outs say is that in the event a transfer doesn’t take place they will keep trying daily until it becomes available for transfer. Not only that but “You agree to pay prior to the effectiveness of the desired services.” In otherwards, if your transfer to them fails, you still pay.
I don’t know of any domain registrar who does that except for DRoC.