SEO Strikes Back

Quick, everyone off the SEO boat! It’s sinking, again. Oh wait. False alarm. As the latest to throw their hat into the “death of SEO ring” Did-it President David Pasternack, earlier this week, brought us his insightful article, Troubled times for SEO firms in which he explains the rudimentary tactics, skill set and processes for optimizing a web site.

Profound and penetrating, Pasternack cuts right to heart of SEO with his compelling SEO isn’t rocket science argument in which he likens those in the SEO industry to Sci-Fi convention groupies playing Star Wars. Don’t get me wrong, I like Star Wars, but at no point have I ever put on a robe, brandished a light saber and run through the office yelling “The force is strong with you!”

I’m not going to sit here and tell you that the SEO community is comprised strictly of summa cum laude Princeton graduates who sit around on Friday nights analyzing search engine algorithms until the wee hours of the morning when the coffee and Mountain Dew wear off, but those that I know in the industry are not what I would call slouches either.

In his next point, the fix it once theory, Pasternack bestows upon us the wisdom that SEO is a one and done solution. Apparently, after your site has been optimized, you can sit back and just watch your positions grow. I wonder if I can apply this logic to other facets of life as well? I did just get the oil in my car changed, I guess I don’t need to worry about that ever again.

Now, before I continue, let me clear the air. Although I work primarily on the organic side of the fence, I have a great deal of respect for those who effectively manage paid search campaigns. With that said, I would like to offer back to Pasternack PPC is not rocket science either. Thousands of small businesses create PPC campaigns every day. Many of these people have absolutely no experience with PPC, and yet they manage to get their ads displayed, get click-throughs, and even sales. Speaking of a once and done program, both Google and Yahoo! give you the option to submit a keyword list, provide a budget, and forget about it. In fact, if you want, they will even build out the keyword list for you.

Bottom line, neither organic or paid search programs need to be rocket science, and both can be a one and done solution. Here is the difference. To be done effectively, both paid and organic search require a great deal of work and skill. They both need to be dynamic and be able to anticipate a constantly changing and evolving market.

So, instead of belittling one another, and trying to claim supremacy, let’s agree that both can be important elements of a successful online marketing plan, and both require a unique skill set that is developed and honed over time.