Skip to content

Archive for September 18th, 2008

18
Sep

3 Reasons You Need SEO: An Argument

The Dissolution of SEO Misinformation

Scouring the blogs lately, I’ve seen a couple get frank with the SEO community about respecting one another and “SEO haters” and misinformation. So a special thanks to Graywolf’s SEO Blog and Search Engine Roundtable and for leading the way with two good posts on the subject.

Myself, I’ve never really been accused of “ruining search” or manipulating search engines for my own gain (or my clients’). In fact, I’ve never really heard anything but thanks for helping to stave off a massive decline in leads and sales with the work I do.

A SEOs mission, at least it should be, is to make, like Google and other SEs, the best possible information available to users. I don’t consider it “manipulation” or “spamming” by following the rules set in place in order to give you, the user, the most relevant information available.

We’re not saintly, none of us can claim to be, but we are Good Samaritans. There isn’t an industry I can think of that is virginal and doesn’t have the “smudge” they’d rather not talk about. I’ve dropped the holier-than-thou act, and you, as a “hater” or whatever negative attitude you bring to the SEO party, should as well. We all have dirt under our fingernails.

Here’s why you want SEOs to continue doing SEO for you:

SEOs clarify and refine page information in SERPs

  • Look at a website that hasn’t seen the touch of an SEO. It’s a cluster of directionless, cluttered information. Users have a hard time discerning anything meaningful from the jumbles of gobbly-gook we fix.
  • When we do what we do, you get to look at search engine results pages (SERPs) that quite clear what that page is about and can make an informed decision about whether you want to click-through to it.

    • SEOs make the web a better experience for you:

  • Many SEOs are dedicated to page information and keywords. But, there are just as many of us dedicated to web usability. Of course it’s self-serving, but what act of goodness isn’t? You want a better experience on the web, and I want to aid you. I want you to be able to get to where I want you to go without any troubles. You want to get to where you want to go too.
  • If you didn’t have us, you still be stumbling around the web, looking for what it is you need/want. And when you got there, you’d never find your way to what you want. We help make your choice easier and your experience better.

    • SEOs help Mom and Pop level the playing field:

  • Think of SEO as a way to level the playing field for “Mom and Pop” shops that ordinarily would get crushed under their significantly larger corporate partners. SEOs can help to build brand recognition, to make the consumers aware of (in most cases) better service than you’d find at the larger corporate chains.
  • If you play the logic all the way, we help stabilize the economy and keep it diverse. We help create jobs because we keep Mom and Pop in the game and help them expand their burgeoning (in some cases “suffering”) business. And, as a consumer/user, you have just discovered a place that could become your next favorite.

    • So, the next time you’re about to bash, hate, or be disrespectful to an SEO, think about these three reasons above, and think about your own industry.

    « Older Entries
    Newer Entries »
    Follow

    Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.