Worthless Shady Criminals: A Defense Of SEO
searchenginewatch.com: "Worthless Shady Criminals: A Defense Of SEO By Danny Sullivan,Sullivan takes to task the widespread opinion that "Worthless. Shady. Criminals. Do SEO"
"This means you. That's how you're being described. Those characterizing search engine optimization this way are unfairly defining an entire industry, often ignorant of SEO issues, definitely stereotyping and shortsighted in not realizing the value SEO offers to every site.
I hope this article will educate some about why SEO is not all bad. At the very least, I want to examine how we've ended up in this sorry state of affairs and why it isn't helpful to critics and those doing SEO alike."
Sullivan runs through "good SEO tips that anyone should consider. They are specifically about ensuring that your existing content has no barriers preventing it from doing well with search engines."
And examines why SEO turned "into a synonym for many people to mean tricking search engines through bogus links, comment spam, and other unsavory tactics? It's happened because there are other flavors of SEO that have developed and dominated the impression of the industry."
Good practices he lists include the staples:
"Relevant content in HTML text that can be read by search engines. An all-image or Flash page is like showing a picture to a blind person. Search engines can't see the words in your images.
Relevant and unique HTML title tags on each page. Even in today's link-obsessed world, I still have people telling me that fixing their page title problem brought in better traffic.
Removing barriers to indexing. Sites constructed in frames, using dynamic delivery systems, session IDs and other issues can in some cases prevent search engines from reading their content. What you can't read, you can't show to others."
On negatives, Sullivan is particularly vexed by "Trackback link spam" and that "Emerging design standards mean that people are contemplating all new ways to lose sight of the main focus of CSEO, ensuring that good content on the page is made friendly to search engines by eliminating barriers and making use of particular page elements appropriately."
He offers further reading and concludes: "it also behooves everyone not to tar the entire industry with the same brush. For all the bad things that people want to lump under the umbrella of SEO (and really search engine marketing, of which SEO is just a part), there's also plenty of good. Decry a particular SEO tactic, if you want -- but don't decry the entire SEM industry as being rotten. If you want to do that, then here are some other stereotypes you'd also better buy into:
All car salesmen are crooks
All lawyers are crooks
Teachers teach because they can't do
Bloggers don't check facts
[Insert Race/Culture/Nationality Here] is [Insert Derogatory Comment/Stereotype Here]
Realistically, I don't expect the SEM reputation problem will go away. Could the industry do anything itself to help improve it? Pushing that there's "good SEO" or "ethical SEO" has been raised in the past and is a difficult issue for many reasons."
Over at High Rankings Search Engine Optimization Forum lyn makes the point that: "hyped up e-mails are their first or only exposure to SEO.....Imagine if the reputation of pharmacists was based on Viagra spam!"
posted by Jen @ 4:24 AM
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