Written by Cody Snider
Friday, March 5th, 2010
Google and the other big players in search all hate SEO. This is completely understandable (coming from the Director of Search Engine Optimization at a large web development firm). SEO is riddled with bad advice, grey areas and misinformation to the engines. The problem is not the profession, it’s the approach.
Let’s step into the shoes of Google. Their mission is to organize the information for the entire globe into a single query line. They want to ensure what you type into that box results in what you want to understand. That’s one hell of a goal and I’d like to see it met with quickness. The problem lies in people trying to find an easy out, be it due to pressure from a marketing team or the lack of traffic they expected off their existing “tactics” or any number of other reasons.
We are not here to fight Google. We are here to help. First off, don’t take on a client that isn’t actually an authority in their market. If they are and should be an authority in the engines, then you have something to work with.
The biggest beef I have right now is social media. I talk to who I talk (or “friend”) to for a reason. I know a lot of you talk to 2k people but only do business with 10 and this is not ethical as an internet marketing practice. Additionally, I believe the goal of Google will shut you down. There is no truth in your methodology. If you believe relevance relies in any way on the number of people you connect with, Google has a big surprise waiting for you,
Bottom line is this: The best of the engines will show relevance and a trend when it actually is a trend. Don’t underhand them or try to make it what it isn’t. Play by the rules. By helping the master (Google) understand our world, we help ourselves.
Or…keep being cheap. You won’t last (just like the link farmers of ’97, who boasted big stats 13 years ago)
