Vraag het aan de SEO Guru

Question for the Week of April 20th, 2008

There is a discussion over at WebProWorld about setting standards for SEO.

http://www.webproworld.com/search-engine-optimization-forum/68100-do-we-need-search-engine-optimization-standards.html

What are you views on this, O, Mighty Guru? (I think I know, but could you tell us anyway?)

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There can be no standards set for SEO anymore than there could be standards set for lawyers calling themselves, JO's, (judge optimizers), or mechanics calling themselves RO's (road optimizers), chefs calling themselves TO's (tableware optimizers), or carpenters calling themselves HO's, (hammer optimizers) or ------I could go on for a long time but I think you get the point.   

While lawyers may have all kinds of relationships with judges and know what motivates them, they still would never call themselves judge optimizers because

#1. that is NOT what they do

#2. It is misleading and gives the wrong impression

#3. It has negative connotations.

Mechanics and chefs don't call themselves road and tableware optimizers because

#1.While they could not perform their skills were it not for those things being understood and used well, they still have no direct control over them. They do not optimize roads or plates, they optimize cars that use roads and improve the presentation of gourmet food that gets eaten with tableware.

#2. It is mislading and gives the wrong impression

#3. it seems a little silly to call something you do by the name of something you do NOT do.

Carpenters do not call themselves hammer optimizers because

#1. The hammer is just a tool they use to get their job done. They need to possess the skills necassary to effectively make that tool do what they do better, but it still just a tool.

#2. To call themselves a hammer optimizer glorifies the tool and belittles the carpenters skill and dedication to a craft. It makes the hammer the most important aspect of building a house when the fact is, his skill and ability enables him to use a lot of other tools to accomplish the same objective.

#3. Carpenters do not optimze hammers, they build houses.

SEO does not need standards because it does not exist. No one calling themselves an SEO optimizes a search engine.

You can not get a group of people to ever agree on ethical standards by getting everyone to agree to behave a certain way when they do the thing they really don't do. That is why the term ethical SEO is a classic oxymoron. NOT because there are a lot of ways to accomplish online commerce, but because we are all arguing over something that does not exist.

you -- I'm proud to be an ethical SEO

them -- what does SEO stand for???

you -- search engine optimization!

them -- good for you. which search engines do you optimize?

you -- well I don't actually optimize search engines. I just call it that because everyone else does.

them -- doesn't that make you kind of an  honest liar????

There are a lot of ways to practice law.

There are a lot of ways to approach auto repair.

Every chef has their own personality injected into the preparation of food

And there must be as many ways to get a house built as there are carpenters

Yet each of these professions have organizations that establish and encourage their membership to follow a set of ethcial standards. 

In the Guru's mind, the online marketing industry desparately needs a professional organization but it needs to be open to

website optimizers

PPC experts

usability consultants

copywriters

people who can effectively decipher analytics

mobile phone and wireless marketing specialists

ad jockeys

public relations consultants

split testing experts

php, joomla, drupal, java developers that can enhance navigation and tracking

affiliate marketers

anyone that sells online promotional services

link builders

advertising agencies

and search engine companies.

Then you could set a code of ethics that included things like

Honesty with clients, employees, vendors and shareholders is our foremost responsibility

Always strive to do the most good for the most stakeholders. You, the client, the industry and the web at large

Do what we say we will do

Pay our dues on time

I think that would pretty much cover the basics. From there you could make it as detailed, complex, convuluted, confusing and contradictory as you like, keeping in mind that with each detail comes increased difficulty in majority agreement but as long as 51 out of 100 voted yes, it flies and of course all that really matters is that the code enhances the image of the industry and secures that part about paying the dues on time.

Call it something that welcomes all those different skill sets, stop calling it SEO and call it something that all of those skill sets actually do, like Online Marketing Professionals, and there could be a professional organization for the betterment of the online marketing industry within a matter of a few months.

From there, sub groups could easily be formed,(and separate dues charged), like the PPC Specialists of America, Greater Northern European Lesbian Link Builders Association, the STDW, (split testing dudes of the World) or the Iluminaughty. It would work as long as the PSA really did PPC in America and the GNELLBA really were lesbians and the Iluminaughty really were naughty.

My biggest pet peeve about calling the online marketing industry search engine optimization is that if gives this mystical power to search engines limiting the scope of the services and the marketing results we could all be producing. It somehow makes us all feel that search engines have too much control over us and often abuse that power when it is we ourselves that hand that power to them on a silver platter. We do NOT optimze search engines. Do you think the search engines don't understand that? The only people that seem to not understand that is our potential prospects which I personally believe would be many, MANY times larger if we just called what we do by something that actually reflected the value propositon we offer.

As the SEO community, we can do a LOT of things for a LOT people. All of them highly value driven with very good profits margins. But instead we limit our market, we confuse our prospects and we hand the power of our skills, intelligence, education and research right into the hands of the search engines invalidating ourselves and our industry.

Search enignes are important BUT they don't control design, navigation, effective copy and contrary to popular misconception, they don't control what or how we perform professional online marketing of which search engines are a part, but ONLY a part.

Stop calling it what it isn't and call what it is, (trying to be as inclusive as possible), and a professional industry organization, complete with ethical standards, will soon be upon us and you could at least count on the Guru talking it up big time.


 Peace Y'all

G

You're gonna to have quit playin superman. You're ruinin all my good towels!

 

 

I know there are those who have had bad experiences with outsourcing. I’ve read horror stories in blogs and forums and I completely empathize with the narrators. Few people understand better than I do what a let down it is to go into a relationship with such high hopes only to be left feeling disappointed.

There are two things I feel it is important to remember when considering negative experience posts about outsourcing.

#1. Experience is what you get when you are expecting something else.

#2. It takes at least two people to make a deal go bad.

For the purposes of this blog, when it comes to discussion of the economy, I don’t see the issue of a recession as being the challenge for the seo community. I see the biggest issue the industry faces, (and the best argument for outsourcing), is the fact that the industry is an increasingly more difficult and more competitive environment of which to attempt to maintain profit margins in.

It is taking more and more time, effort and resources almost daily to satisfy marketing objectives in this every expanding tech world. Each aspect of electronic  marketing takes a pretty hefty investment of educational capital. So when you consider having to be proficient in on site optimization, then off site, then analytics, then writing good copy, social media marketing, branding, conversions, PPC, pod casts, videos, mobile apps, etc. etc. etc. AND, online marketing is just now starting to come of age. It ain’t gonna get any easier kids.

There is real money online and that brings real companies with real assets who don’t give a damn that you are just a 5 man company. They see your market share as theirs and they kind of have a point.

So, you are left facing an ever dwindling list of choices.

Specialize on just one or two aspects and become an expert at those.

 I believe this is the best option for most small SME's. Especially those not comfortable with the concept of outsourcing or expanding their labor force in-house.

Allocate more of your time to read, study and learn to become good enough at more areas of online marketing to expand your offerings.

The problem here is you have to keep spending the time you are spending now to maintain the level of profits you have PLUS spend more time on education. Doesn’t leave a lot of time for enjoying the fruits of your labors.  Puts a new spin on the old adage, "you can't take it with you".  Spending all your time working AND going to cyber school begs the question to be re-phrased to "why have it in the first place if you don't have time to spend it ?"

Recruit, hire, train, supply and manage new employees.  

The problem here is not in the hourly wage or salary with benefits. The problem here is the expense in time and capital. You have a sizeable investment for each aspect of this process and you have to cover the risk for quite some time before you can expect a reasonable return. Then if they have to be let go, they quit or they get stolen by a competitor with deeper pockets, you lose!

There is no question that outsourcing can be a good solution to two of those problems that could limit growth. So, if you are considering outsourcing as an option, let me offer the benefit of my experience in the form of a couple of tips.

 

It’s not about the cost, it is about the quality.

There is nothing in this world that another can not produce cheaper with less quality. Those who consider price alone are this man’s legal prey.

There are a lot of smart people in India working at running outsourcing and BPO companies. Smart you want. You want someone who has the resources to recruit, hire, train and most importantly, MONITOR FOR QUALITY CONTROL.

No matter what you pay, if the quality is not there your profits will suffer. Value is the only commodity that will maintain profits. Quality is value whereas cheap is not. This is why I have never had any sympathy for those who buy 1000 links for $39 and then complain they got screwed.

 

Know What You Want.

If you could not hire a new person and provide a detailed job description, then you are likely going to be disappointed in your outsourcing company. They can not read your mind and can only provide what they understand you want.

In spite of popular misconception, India is not a country full of people who set up companies just to rip you off. The vast majority of outsourcing, BPO and KPO, (knowledge process outsourcing), are hard-working, honest businessmen who want nothing more than to provide you with the kind of service that keeps your business coming to them. They WANT to do a good job and will as long as you define what that job is.

 

Communication and Patience is the Key

If you can write a job description that a new hire could effectively execute, then you can find an outsourcing company that will do the same. The trick is in being able to communicate exactly what it is you want and if you are not getting what you want then accept that not only have THEY failed to provide what you were looking for, but also YOU failed to effectively communicate what you were wanting.

There are a lot of very well educated people in India and educated people speak and write English. However it is still a second language to them and there is also the issue of accents and culture. BUT in my experience it is not that different than hiring people in America.

I have had a lot of difficulties over the years with getting poor performance out of employees and blaming myself for not being clear as to what I had expected of them. That is certainly a problem because I always seem to have 15 things on my mind at any given time.

But I don’t have nearly as much of a problem with performance from employees here yet I explain myself in pretty much the same way as I always have. What is the difference?

Then difference is that even though English is a second language, they listen because they WANT to understand and perform above my expectations. That is a part of the culture here. Doing a good job is an honor and to do poorly reflects badly not only on you but on your family as well.

In India, the majority of people who have a college degree got that degree through the sacrifices made by their parents and family. Often those sacrifices can be extreme. To earn a degree and then perform poorly is a kind of slap in the face to all the people who worked very hard to give you the opportunity in the first place.

Of course there are exception and people are people all over the world. But the point is simply that if you know what you want and can communicate that honestly and clearly you can expect to get quality results.

There are a LOT of good reasons that most of the largest corporations on the planet use outsourcing to grow their business, and so can you by using outsourcing as a way to keep up with the ever changing face of online marketing.

SME's are now in a position to capitalize on the same things the big boys have been getting for a long time now. And that thing is not just cost savings. It is quality that can only be gained by recruiting, training and managing smart people who can produce superior results.

 

 

Peace Y’all

G

 

It seems we’re all so busy trying to give our kids all the things we DIDN’T have that we forget to give them the things we did.