In many ways, I view Search Engine Optimization and its “experts” as modern day snake oil and snake oil salesman, respectively. There are far too many people out there that express that they are experts that end up duping gullible clients into thinking that they will score the world for them.
Clients should know that there are practical steps that can be taken to potentially help their site rank better but there aren’t any guarantees and should never be signed up for if guarantees are offered. There are practical things that can be done to make your site look its best for search engines and users alike but they aren’t anything that a client couldn’t research and/or do themselves. I offer my clients the service of SEO but never at a price that many “experts” claim to get and never any guarantees of positioning.
My services include: helping to draft quality content, searching and targeting good keywords, educating the client on the positive aspects of quality inbound/outbound links and helping them to understand how to use social media for positive results and not just wasting time or spamming potential clients.
Other than that, there’s not too much more that Google or any other search engine cares to see. There as open about it as they can be without giving too much away for people to figure out ways to scam them into high rankings.
Which leads me to this, a nice little infographic from SEOmoz today portraying most of what I already thought and outlined above. This SEO oil is a cure all.
You may or may not know that John Hughes died yesterday. While I didn’t shed any tears, its a bummer to think that there won’t be anymore originals like:
The Breakfast Club
Home Alone
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Mr. Mom
Planes, Trains & Automobiles
He had a good sense of what was funny, a sharp contrast to many in the business today.
Alison, however, has a different take. She was pen pals with John and while he made an impact on her life, it looks as though she might have made one on his as well.
If we’ve ever talked business, you’ve probably heard me talk about not wanting to work for clients. I have a pretty love/hate relationship with clients. I love working with people. But usually only when we’re working together with common goals. I dislike working “for” people. I have the ability to take direction and be led, but I don’t enjoy the situation of just putting your vision down on paper/computer. I’m hard-headed, I know that.
I think Jim Coudal of Coudal Partners is probably the same type of guy. Although we can push pixels, it isn’t our ultimate passion. In an interview with Design Glut (some nsfw language) he reinforces my desire to find a way to make myself the client.
If it’s a good idea and it gets you excited, try it, and if it bursts into flames, that’s going to be exciting too. People always ask, “What is your greatest failure?” I always have the same answer, “We’re working on it right now, it’s gonna be awesome!”
Now is as good of time as any to push forward with ideas. Giving it another 18-months just publicizes the fact I am afraid to give it a shot.
