Search Engine Marketing Blog: piloSEO

Pavel Datsyuk?

If you are a hockey fan, especially if you are a Detroit Red Wings fan, you know who Pavel Datsyuk is. If you don’t know much about hockey you might not know who I am talking about. Just to provide a little taste of who he is here is a video.

[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=MiDunhlq3h4]

So, what the heck does Pavel Datsyuk have to do with SEO?

Well, nothing really but SEO’s would do well to take some of the attributes that make him a great hockey player and apply them to their SEO efforts. I actually started writing this post prior to the discussion here and here on Sphinn but the discussion that arose pushed me to finish it. I think both authors make good points but the most important lesson to take away from the resulting discussion is that there are different ways to approach SEO. And that is where Datsyuk’s style of play can be applied to SEO.

Datsyuk’s style of play can be defined by the following attributes and SEO’s should try to utilize these attributes in their efforts.

• The Fundamentals: Even though he plays a very unorthodox style Datsyuk has mastered the fundamentals. With his mastery of the fundamentals he is able to do all of things expected of him and his coaches have enough confidence in him to let him do his thing.
  • How to Apply it to SEO: The same applies to SEO’s. You must learn the fundamentals to be successful. Good SEO’s need to understand how to research keywords, analyze the competition, how internal and external links are valued by search engines, how to optimize content, navigation, and code, and how search engines find and crawl pages.
• Be Patient: One of the things that makes Pavel Datsyuk so dangerous is his patience with the puck. Whether he facing a goalie, one player, or a whole team he has the patience to hold onto the puck until the defenders or goalie make their move. Once they do he has the upper hand and they are at his mercy.
  • How to Apply it to SEO: Patience is still important for SEO. Now patience was one of the points in the original article that was hotly contested and in a sense rightfully so. But I still think patience is important in SEO. While Google and the other search engines are able to crawl and index pages very quickly I still think it takes some time for the full effect of changes that have been made to propagate. One situation I see far too often is SEO’s making a change and seeing a drop the next day. They then go back and make 8 other changes and then never know what works and what does not. If you are going to make a change you should give it more than a day or two before you reverse it or make other changes. Having the patience to wait for changes to propagate fully will help SEO’s learn what works and what does not. You have to wait for the engine to finish their move before you make any more of your own.
• Experiment: Another aspect of Datsyuk’s game is his willingness to try things that other players would not. Sometimes they do not work but more often than not they do work. One of the reasons they do work is because nobody expects him to do what he does.
  • How to Apply it to SEO: One of the problems many SEO’s have is they are unwilling to try things that nobody else is doing. When you do what everyone else does you will never know if there is something that can set you apart and move you ahead of your competition. Now I am not suggesting that you should try to hide keywords with a new CSS trick or attempt to create a new cloaking technique. These things will eventually get caught. What I am suggesting is to experiment and test new methods that are acceptable to all of the major search engines. This may be as simple as using new tools and techniques for finding untapped keywords or as involved as developing and creating content or tools that are link friendly. After all if you rely on the same techniques as your competition you will never be able rise above them.
• Be Unselfish: In the past Datsyuk has been criticized for being too unselfish. A lot of times he passes up a shot to try and set up a teammate. Sometimes it works and other times it does not. This reputation has helped him become a better scorer. Now he is shooting more and goalies and defenders are not sure how to play him. In the past they would always play the pass but now they can’t do that because he is shooting more.
  • How to Apply it to SEO: While most advanced SEO’s understand that linking out to relevant sites is a good way help users find relevant content as well as a way to get recognition from the big shots in a particular niche some newer SEO’s and webmasters do not. In many cases novice SEO’s think that links to other sites actually hurts the PageRank of their site. Unless the site being linked to is considered a bad neighborhood outbound links are helpful to users and will help you in the long run. I am not talking about reciprocal links where you ask another site to trade links with you. If you find a site is useful to a particular topic link to them. Link out unselfishly. If you provide quality content and link out to quality resources you will be paid off by attracting more users and you will see that it will help you attract more links.
• Don’t Stop: Like all elite athletes Datsyuk is constantly trying to improve. The best players in every game are invariably the players who work the hardest. They practice harder than everyone else and they are always trying to be better players.
  • How to Apply it to SEO: SEO is no different. To succeed you have to continue to work and learn. Search engines are constantly changing and SEO’s must do the same to keep up. It is important to read about what is going on in the search world and stay involved in the different search communities. Talk to your peers, offer your opinion, and open your ears and eyes when the leaders in the search community speak. Once an SEO stops working and learning they will stop being successful.

Become a better SEO by being more like Pavel Datsyuk

Datsyuk probably does not even know what SEO is but he is a great example to SEO’s. By looking at what makes him stand out from most NHL players and applying it to your work you can become a better and more successful SEO.

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