Quiddity! - the SEO Blog

How do you perceive SEO? 

Do you see it as an arcane dark art, practised behind closed doors by shadowy figures that whisper cabalistic aphorisms regarding “link-juice”, “keyword density”, “internal and external linkage”, “anchor-text weight”, “cloaking pages”, “doorway pages”, and “301 redirects”? Or immerse themselves in a swirling pool of sorcerous acronyms with devilish intent such as “SERPs”, “IBLs”,  “PPC”, “ROI”, “CTR”, “CPC”,and “CPM”?

Maybe you think I've actually left my SEO cave, stepped out into the real world, and purchased a new thesaurus. One that I'm determined to use even if it damn well kills me.

Well you'd be wrong on all counts. (I never leave the SEO cave, for fear of public ostracization and melting in the daylight)

Believe it or not, we are actually normal people doing a normal job that unfortunately has an air of mystery surrounding it, and a glancing association with that much maligned of industries, marketing.

The Fly-by-Nighter and the Snake Oil Seller
It's true that in the majority of commerce you'll cross paths with the Flash Harry type. You know them, the fly-by-nighters that would've sold you black market meat and cigarettes from the back of a Morris Z van during the second world war. And it might have something to do with perhaps a disproportionate number of wideboys that have bought themselves a wide-awake suit, a turbo-charged sports car, and somehow oozed their way into an executive role at an advertising agency. But don't tar the Internet marketer nor the humble SEO with the same brush, for he or she are fashioned from finer stuff.

Contrary to popular belief we do have feelings, and it often hurts when somebody unfortunate enough to have gotten their fingers burnt by one of the afore-mentioned 'fly-by-nighters' – or snake-oil sellers, a popular American term that has its genesis in the travelling conmen that toured the old West selling bottles of snake-oil, marketing them as the cure for ills, though in reality they had no effect – dismisses the entire industry as evil.

The trouble is that the implementation of SEO rarely yields instantaneous results and in a culture and climate that demands everything now, now, NOW! this can prove a problem to explain, let alone justify. In fact, it is this 'everything now' climate that gets a lot of fingers burnt in the first place, for they use the services of alledged SEO's that offer 'Guaranteed number 1 rankings', or 'Top ten within 24 hours', or that old chestnut of claiming to have 'the inside knowledge of the Google algortihm'.

Most true SEO's will make no such promise, nor will they claim to be an 'Expert' or a 'Guru'. We're a modest bunch at heart, though if anybody wishes to bestow said title upon us, the adulation would be gratefully received. Ahem... 

SEO's Love Dogs
Anyway. Don't fear the SEO, our witchcra- I mean techniques, won't transform you into a frog, nor will they curse you and your first-born for the rest of your natural days. We're here to help. A failing website to us is like a doe-eyed puppy left out in the snow on Boxing Day morning. It needs care and attention. It needs the benefaction of a loving family to take it in, dry it down, feed it well, and let it fall asleep in front of an open log fire. We don't then roast said puppy on said fire, we'll leave it to mature into a fully-grown dog, providing the nurture we all need to become well-rounded and successful adults. That is what we do. We're not out to fleece nor to baffle. Those that are belong in the 'snake-oil seller' bracket. They are the enemy, soiling the name of search engine optimisation and spreading FUD amongst business and honest webmasters the world over. They are taking the food from our mouths with their lies and deceit. We won't give in to them and their low-rent services, we are built of a stronger fibre than that.

And so, with this firmly in mind I present a short list of why the real SEO is the most honourable of breeds:

1. We are not a Witches' coven. SEO's do not gather beneath the cover of darkness to concoct new ways of gaming the SERP's and destroying rival sites with nefarious linking practices or scraping tactics.
2. We are neither Warlocks nor Sorcerers. SEO's deal in transparent, workable strategies, not unfathomable hoodoo.
3. We are not Fight Club. The first rule of SEO is not 'You don't talk about SEO', it is 'You do talk about SEO'. Awareness, particularly in the UK, needs to be raised as to SEO and what it can do for you and your site. Incidentally, the second rule of SEO is 'You do talk about SEO'. Strange that.
4. We are not the Illuminati. SEO's do not operate behind the scenes, manipulating content and hiding links to benefit our own ends. We are not the shadowy hand that holds sway over the internet, employing clandestine tactics with intent to pursue an ulterior agenda to that which is stated. That's Google's job (Only joking).
5. We are not the Cosa Nostra. SEO's do not have a strict code of silence,  or omerta, to which each is sworn before being handed their copy of 'Search Engine Optimization for Dummies'. Transparency is as good for us as it is for the client as it instills confidence and trust, which incidentally is what there needs to be more of for this industry to thrive and continue growing. BTW, SEO's tend not to be involved in the running of protection, gambling, and prostitution rackets. (Not during the working week, anyway)
6. We are not Freemasons. SEO's do not follow bizarre, convoluted rituals nor greet one another with complex handshakes. As stated previously, transparency is what's needed to wrestle the ball away from those that seek to sully the optimisation name. SEO's will provide a full report of what action they're taking or have taken on a site.
7. We are not Freemasons. I think it needs saying again. SEO's don't feel the need to ride around on the back of a pig.
8. We are not magicians. An SEO won't promise to increase traffic to your site for a one-off fee of £100 ($200). Those that do are either sporting a repertoire of cunning tricks and illiusions that would make Paul Daniels (Bewigged British magician) green with envy, or they're pulling a stroke and should be approached with caution then punched firmly on the nose (as should Paul Daniels).

So there you have it. A short yet unassuming manifesto of why the SEO is not the cabalistic figure employing Delphian techniques that many might assume them to be. Web developers however... 

Remember. SEO isn't just for Christmas - It's for life*

*With reference to a UK RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) campaign.