ShoeMoney has apparently run out of ideas and beating the shit out of a dead horse with his SEO is dead shtick. And he is doing it again with another SEO bait post. Apparently he is running out of ideas and he can no longer hype up his ability to rip off unwitting victims with his scammy ringtone garbage.The poor horse has been pummeled so much that a forensic scientist is required to piece the damn thing together again. I understand the reason behind his post and am not going to get into that because frankly it is been done to death.  I want to talk about his new line of reasoning as to why SEO is about to die which honestly makes no sense at all. Basically he claims that since WordPress and other content management systems are SEO friendly out of the box there is no need for SEO anymore. If you don’t think too hard about this it almost makes sense but…

Apparently an SEO Friendly CMS Eliminates Competition?

Either that or search engines are not going to rank sites anymore and will just rotate the top positions randomly. Since neither of those scenarios makes sense it seems that there is probably still a need for professional SEOs. Let’s think about this for a minute, if everyone is using an SEO friendly CMS that means the basic structure is in place. If any of these sites are competing with others they still need to do more than the basics to perform better in the SERPs. The site using the out of the box solution is going to end up losing to the site who decided that base level optimization was just not enough. I suppose it means that there is a need for better and more experienced SEOs but it certainly will not eliminate the need for a professional SEO to do keyword and competitive research, tweak the on-site elements, and provide off-site optimization. All of this is ignoring the fact that a lot of businesses simply do not trust their data to WordPress and other solutions that can be easily hacked.

SEO Will Die When Search Engines Die

As long as  search engines are used to find content on the web there will be SEOs working to improve their clients’ rankings. No matter how search engine friendly the content management systems become out of the box there is still room for improvement and businesses that want to succeed are going to look to SEO to help them with that. Some people will do it themselves but many business owners would rather spend their time running their business and prefer to let specialists take care of things like SEO.  Using anecdotal evidence like conference attendance to claim that SEO is dead is not really compelling.  But it is a good way to generate attention and maybe a few links.

©2012 piloSEO. All Rights Reserved.

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Unless you don’t read, listen to, or watch the news (or talk to anyone at all) you are probably aware that the economy has been in the shitter for a while. Since we are repeatedly reminded of this fact it’s kind of hard to ignore it. Some may argue that the constant focus on the economy by the media is contributing to the continued malaise but that is a discussion for a different article. I am interested in discussing how the economy is affecting search engine marketing. More specifically I want to explore how it is affecting SEO and the way search engine optimization professionals are changing the value associated with the services they offer. For the most part traditional publications as well as digital media and search marketing blogs are extolling the virtues of search engine marketing but there are still issues with some in the industry devaluing their services in an attempt to gain new clients.

SEO is extremely valuable, especially in a recession

I have read countless articles that promote search marketing as an alternative to other online (and offline) marketing initiatives, especially in a recession. While I would argue that search engine optimization should be included in any marketing budget the point is that many marketers are realizing that it can provide positive long term ROI at a fraction of the cost of other digital marketing and traditional media. With SEO there is no media cost, you are simply paying for the knowledge of the search professional. Now some marketers have a hard time wrapping their heads around search engine optimization because of the fact that there is no media to buy. The somewhat abstract nature of SEO is sometimes confusing and even scary. This leads many marketers to devalue the worth of SEO and in turn leads many search professionals to lower their price just to win new clients. In the current economy this ends up hurting all of us and lowering the perceived value of SEO. Search engine optimization is extremely valuable and can benefit all websites in both the short and long term. Unlike other marketing efforts which stop delivering results when the budget is spent, SEO continues to deliver benefits long after the engagement is over.

SEO Whores devalue the worth of all SEOs

Too many SEOs are looking at the current economic environment and lowering the price of their service in an attempt ton win more clients. In doing so they lower the perceived value of their services and this hurts everyone in the industry. Quality search engine optimization requires deep specialized knowledge and a significant amount of time consuming research. Each engagement is going to be different so it’s not something that can be replicated from client to client. By lowering their prices these SEOs are saying that their specialized knowledge and time is not worthwhile and in a sense whoring themselves out to anyone with a few bucks. Search engine optimization is a knowledge based industry and that knowledge can provide a significant positive impact on businesses who utilize it. If you are a shitty SEO by all means be an whore because your services are not useful. Quality SEOs need to understand the value of the services they offer and price them accordingly. Don’t be a whore to compete with the bottom feeders or to combat the battered economy, charge what you are worth and prove your value to your clients. If you are good at what you do your clients will see the value of your service for a long time.

©2012 piloSEO. All Rights Reserved.

Related posts:

1. Fight the recession with SEO

My latest post, Good SEO Means Good Client Communication,  is over at SearchViews. Go check it out.

©2012 piloSEO. All Rights Reserved.

Related posts:

1. New Post at SearchViews
2. New Post About Twitter Spam in Bing and Google at Searchviews
3. New Blog Post is over at Search Engine People

Check out my latest post, SEO: Missing Out on Value by Obsessing About Cost, over at SearchViews.

©2012 piloSEO. All Rights Reserved.

Related posts:

1. SEO Client Communication Guest Post at SearchViews
2. New Post About Twitter Spam in Bing and Google at Searchviews
3. New Blog Post is over at Search Engine People

After spending a lot of time at various  SEO forums and groups I am struck by how many beleaguered webmasters come for advice about why their site is penalized or not ranking well and simply dismiss the advice they get out of hand. It is especially prevalent in the Google Webmaster Help Forum. It has become almost comical in in some situations when EVERYONE in the forum is telling a webmaster the same damn thing and he/she refuses to believe what they are being told. I have resigned myself to the fact that they can’t be convinced so I just let them wallow in their own crapulence and continue to enjoy their crappy search engine presence. Others are more persistent but I refuse to exert any more effort for someone who refuses to accept reality.

This is how it usually goes

Clueless Webmaster: My website was ranking well for some obscure but semi-competitive keywords but they have disappeared and I can’t even rank for my own name.

SEO Guy #1: What is the URL? Have you made any changes to your site recently?

Clueless Webmaster: URL is mfa-spam.info. I have not made many changes to the site besides trying to build some links. I heard that you need a lot of links to rank well so I have spent a lot of time doing that.

SEO Guy #1: OK, I took a look at your site. Looks like you have a huge link exchange scheme. All you seem to have is a bunch of reciprocal links from questionable websites.

SEO Guy #2: Yeah, SEO Guy #1 is right. Also, it looks like you have some keyword stuffed hidden text in your footer. You should clean up the hidden text and get rid of the link scheme.

Clueless Webmaster: Well, that hidden text has been there for a while so that is not the problem. As far as the link exchange goes I have heard that you need links to rank well in Google and I see all kinds of  sites with link exchanges ranking for other semi-competitive terms. So I don’t think that is why I am having issues.

SEO Guy #2: Well Google updates their algorithms all the time and they may have just found the hidden text. It has always violated their guidelines but they have just caught you. I would clean it up right away and file a request for reconsideration.

SEO Guy #1: Yeah, and as far as the link exchange goes that may have also just been discovered. As far as other sites with reciprocal links still ranking well it could be a case where they have enough strong links outside of the exchange to keep their rankings for the semi-competitive terms they are targeting or Google simply has not discovered it yet. I would clean the links and the hidden text right away and file a request for reconsideration.

SEO Guy #3: I agree with SEO Guy#1 and SEO Guy #2. Clean that stuff up and file a request for reconsideration.

Clueless Webmaster: I don’t think that any of you know what you are talking about. I see that stuff all the time. I think that Google has it in for me and they downgraded my site manually to get back at me.

Google Employee: No, Google does not have it in for you. The advice you have been given is good. Please take the advice and clean up the hidden text and the link scheme and file a request for reconsideration.

Clueless Webmaster: No Google hates me and wants to ruin my business.

Don’t ask for advice if you don’t want it

In the end some of the agrieved webmasters look like they just come to forums to rant against Google and refuse to believe anything anybody tells them. No matter how many other SEOs and Googlers agree with the advice given. They simply refuse to believe that they are at fault for their shitty rankings and traffic. I simply refuse to participate in it anymore. If you want advice it makes sense to at least be open to the advice you are given, especially when everyone tells you the same thing. If you want to rant start a blog or hop on Twitter and rant away otherwise STFU and listen. You may actually learn something.

©2012 piloSEO. All Rights Reserved.

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My latest blog post, Twitter is killing my blog, is available over at Search Engine People.

©2012 piloSEO. All Rights Reserved.

Related posts:

1. New Post at SearchViews
2. SEO Client Communication Guest Post at SearchViews
3. New Post About Twitter Spam in Bing and Google at Searchviews

I have had a few discussions recently about the need for automation when it comes to SEO. There are some who believe that SEO should be almost fully automated. And while there are some steps and processes that can be automated the bulk of effective SEO is a manual process. Now I am not talking about blackhat SEO, which can rely on the use of automation to achieve the volume that may be required. Blackhat automation still requires a LOT of manual work to create the tools needed to automate the tasks they are performing. No matter what color the hat effective SEO requires customized manual processes to achieve optimal success.

Until AI arrives SEO will be a manual process

Automated programs can’t think. They can only do what you tell them to do. They are not able to understand how people are searching for your site, they can’t gain insights into your competition, they don’t understand how users interact with your site. Now there are tools available to help with much of the SEO process but the real work requires a customized manual implementation strategy. To get the most out of an SEO campaign a qualified SEO professional must take the time to understand your business and machines can’t do this.

SEO is not a quick fix

SEO takes time. It requires a detailed understanding both the nature of the business but also the search universe of the industry in which the site is competing. From there it requires a lot of custom and manual work on the site. The kind of work that can’t be automated. A cookie cutter approach to SEO might get some OK results but those sites will be dominated by the sites that utilize a customized manual approach to SEO. It may take more time but the results will make the time commitment worthwhile.

©2012 piloSEO. All Rights Reserved.

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I have had a few interesting experiences with clients recently and I decided that we  need to bring on an SEO enforcer, a Bob Probert of SEO. Bob Probert was the ultimate NHL enforcer of his era. His job was to make sure that the star players on his team were able to do their thing. He created room for them and meted out payback when someone tried to take liberties with his teammates. We need an SEO version of Bob Probert. Someone who can make clients understand the importance of implementing SEO recommendations. It might just take some intimidation but he may need to drop the gloves on occasion. Some of you hockey deprived readers out there may not know who Bob Probert is so here is a nice video to get you acquainted with his work.

The SEO Enforcer’s Time Has Come

It’s gotten to a point where we need to bring the enforcer in and make sure our clients understand that SEO magic dust does not exist. If they want to increase their organic search presence they need to take action on the recommendations we provide. A few roundhouse rights and an uppercut delivered at the right time can go a long way. Apparently just showing the potential benefits of SEO (and in some cases the negative consequences of that “user friendly” all flash site) does not work for everyone. Some business owners need a little more encouragement. And what would be better than good old Bob Probert showing up to give them the extra push they need. The SEO enforcer would give us SEOs more freedom to develop SEO strategies and keep our clients focused on the importance of implementing the recommendations we provide. It’s a win win.

* Disclaimer: I do not advocate violence but sometimes it is just necessary to get things done as Probie proved over and over again.

©2012 piloSEO. All Rights Reserved.

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The more things change the more they stay the same. This seems to be especially true when it comes to SEO. No matter how many times you tell a client that SEO will take some time and require some effort on their end many still don’t get it. 5-10 years ago this was somewhat understandable because SEO was still fairly new and not really understood by most organizations. Many really did not understand how important a well optimized site was to their overall marketing plan. Now it seems that more and more businesses understand the importance of SEO but far too many still believe we SEOs can just sprinkle some magic pixie dust on their servers and watch the traffic roll in.

All The Magic Pixie Dust in The World Won’t Help

SEO is not like paid search. SEO requires a total buy in from everyone within an organization and the commitment to implement all recommendations to achieve success. You can’t just hand your SEO some money and sit back and watch the customers roll in. You are going to need to make changes to your site. Implementing SEO recommendations is the only way to achieve the fantastic results that an optimized site can provide. And in the current economy it makes no sense waste your marketing dollars on a bunch of recommendations that will never be implemented.

Forget the Pixie Dust and get to work

I have been doing this for a while and I have been involved in too many engagements where we provided detailed recommendations with explicit instructions that are never acted upon. We have had discussions with IT departments, writers, editors, marketing teams, usability experts, designers, and developers and explained what needs to be done, how to incorporate the recommendations, and how the change will help the site perform better. Everyone was excited about SEO and supposedly ready to get to work but as time went on it became apparent that nothing was ever going to be done. Back in the day we would even be asked why a site was not improving even though none of the recommendations were implemented. Now it has gotten better but there are still businesses out there that plunk down a significant amount of money and expect miraculous results without any effort on their end.

Get the most out of your SEO

We have gotten better at qualifying SEO clients and only take clients who understand that they need to take action to achieve results. Businesses in search of an SEO need to understand that we can’t just sprinkle some sparkly dust on their server. It is a collaborative effort and everyone involved needs to do their part. If you want your SEO budget to achieve the desired ROI you must make the effort to understand and implement the recommendations provided by your SEO. Don’t rely on Tinkerbell to sprinkle her magic dust and herd traffic to your site.

©2012 piloSEO. All Rights Reserved.

Related posts:

1. The Bob Probert of SEO

There has been a lot of talk about the recent economic meltdown and how many large organizations are cutting back spending in all areas including marketing in many cases. In the past the opposite has held true. In past recessions the logic has been to increase marketing budgets in order to reach reluctant consumers. In many cases this has worked but only for organizations with a solid foundation and the capital to weather the financial downturn. In this recession many companies are dialing back their marketing budgets but many of the smart companies are moving more of their traditional marketing dollars into search.

Why would you spend more on search during a recession?

There are quite a few reasons to move more of your traditional marketing budget into search but two of the biggest include the the fact that search simply costs less when compared to traditional media and the fact that the effective of search is easier to measure. On top of that changes can be made quickly to improve performance. Unlike traditional media you only pay when a user clicks on your ad so instead of paying per impression you pay only when some actively seeks to learn more about your offering. Of course this pay per click model only refers to paid search. While paid search is inherently more valuable than traditional media SEO provides an even better value to businesses.

SEO is the ultimate marketing strategy during a recession

SEO offers the ability to target potential customers who are actively seeking your product or service through search like paid search but you don’t have to pay each time that user clicks on your listing. SEO may be a large up-front investment and take a bit longer to provide measurable results but once those efforts begin to propagate the pay off can be huge. More users click on the organic results so with SEO you are targeting a larger cross section of the search universe. And unlike paid search you don’t have to keep paying for every user who comes to your site. Many smart businesses are beginning to shift their money into search and the real forward thinking businesses are moving more of that spend into SEO. Instead of paying agency fees along with the monthly media budget these businesses are paying for the optimization of their websites and getting the media for free through the natural search engine results.

Moving budget to search just makes sense

IMO it is important to cover all aspects of search, both paid and SEO. Studies have shown that sites who have a presence in both the paid and organic results tend to be more trusted and achieve a much better return on their investment than just being in one or the other. Both paid search and SEO can be tracked and optimized for best results. It makes sense to do both but putting some of that money toward SEO during tough economic times is an easy way to get more bang for your buck right now and in the long run.

©2012 piloSEO. All Rights Reserved.

Related posts:

1. Don’t be an SEO Whore