Question for the Week of June 15th, 2008
Hey guru, there is a lot of controversy over at sphinn about whether or
not SEO is dead. What do you think? Is seo history?
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The first prophecy in the list of 13 was
titled Prophecy #1: Onsite Search Engine Optimization (SEO) will be History.
As to be expected this set off the heated round of posts at Sphinn.
Personally, I enjoy posts such as Asif’s because it was well written,
not your usual seo fodder and obviously he’s a smart man,(assuming he is of the
male persuasion), and had put some thought into the post. Posts like that are
thought provoking and I believe whether I agree or not, it is good to “think”
about things from a different perspective.
{NOTE: I especially enjoyed him stating that SEO's do optimize search engines, the engineers do. I thought I was the only one preaching that sermon.}
That being said I can certainly see how people who have dedicated significant
resources to promoting themselves as SEO’s would feel threatened and take
offense. I don’t blame them for taking up the sword but there is really no need
to worry or feel threatened.
If a list has value someone is willing to pay to
be on top
You can call it serps or organic results but whatever it is
called it is nothing more than a list. A list that has the power to deliver
targeted prospects based on a referrer and that has value.
Anytime there is any kind of list that represents either
tangible or aesthetic value
to more than one person, there will be those willing to sacrifice to be on top
of that list. That means there is an opportunity of profit to all those willing
to apply themselves to learn how the order of that list is determined and how
to at least offer the perception of possessing the ability to influence the
outcome of that list.
So, I believe that the possibility of the components of the
value proposition of online marketing may change dramatically, AND peril may
lay in wait for those that refuse to acknowledge those changes, as long as
there are search engines results delivered, (be it organic or PPC, personalized
or human edited), there will be those willing to pay dearly to those who can
offer an advantage over their competitors of gaining the most benefit from the
value represented by those results.
On site SEO may be history at some point. Maybe the Asif guy
is right. WHO CARES?
What do we care if it is on site, off site, social or astral
physical suppositories?? As long as we continue to study, experiment, discuss
and consider how to manipulate the list to favor our clients and our
objectives, we have jobs. Well paying jobs at that.
We’ve already seen drastic changes in the industry. From on
site, to off site to social media, blended search and now moving into personalized.
Some have prospered while others have
given up and moved on. Some have been right and some have been wrong but
through it all,
THE PRICE JUST KEEPS GOING UP!
PEACE Y’ALL!
G
Boy,
if you’ve sat in my car playin that radio till my batry run down, I’m gonna
bust your behind!