Seo optimization article: SEO: The State of the Industry

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It has been a year since I published my article, “Breaking SEO Myths Part One: The SEO Expert.” My perspective has changed since this time last year. I realize that everyone out there with an SEO blog is just trying to shoulder their own way into the industry, and I won’t begrudge them that. Everyone is just looking for their own way to make it big.

Take Rand and SEOMoz, for example. As popular as the guy’s blog is, you’d think he was Danny Sullivan’s firstborn. You’d also think that he must be raking in the dough. Well, if he is, he’s doing it elsewhere. The whole “no secrets” motto kind of backfires when you post an estimate of annual earnings everyone sees how little you make. Someone out there is going to kiss some butt over how wonderfully transparent SEOMoz has been, but to those of us not posturing ourselves to advance through his good graces, it’s just a clever marketing ploy. Disclosure is his niche. It’s how he’s going to make a name for himself in the space. Politicians do the same thing. Everyone has an angle.

Half of the responses I read to my article last year were extremely defensive, and the other half found it in themselves to admit to at least some level of agreement. The article was misunderstood, however, if it was taken to mean that I disapprove of all SEO firms. In order to be “fair and biased” (quote from Randy Galloway), let’s divide SEOs into four primary categories:

• the SEO Blogaholic – this person has dedicated his or her life to blogging about SEO in order to establish street cred within the industry. They build a community of such blogaholics where they regurgitate each other’s thoughts to death. You can fill your feed reader with 50-100 worthless SEO blogs. Or, you can save yourself some time and subscribe only to the top 12 and simply read the endless train of comments people post in response to each one.
• the SEO Worker Bee – this person has dedicated his or her life to building a business by results to each client and finding innovative ways to improve accessibility and visibility. The Worker Bee flies under the radar. They may become well known, but they don’t devote their lives to being famous SEO bloggers. Company examples would include iCrossing and iProspect on a large scale and our own beloved Vizion Interactive on a smaller scale.
• the SEO BlogBee Hybrid – this person has dedicated his or her life to building a legitimate SEO business, with the added intention of drawing new business through a successful SEO blog. Rand Fishkin was definitely one of these until he recently announced a major shift in the way his company will do business. WeBuildPages is another example of the BlogBee Hybrid, though one might argue that his SEO reputation preceded his blogging success. Each case is unique. It’s a chicken/egg dilemma that must be answered on an individual basis.
• the SEO Scam Artist – this is a very broad category for the people who throw up smokescreens to hide the mysterious ways they really make their money. Black Hats of all shapes and sizes fall under this category. They may have a popular and innocent blog, but the money really comes from MySpace marketing, AdSense websites, and all sorts of back alley deals.

Notice that yet again, I have not placed anyone under negative scrutiny. I’m one of those people who hold a severe dislike for negative political campaigning. An honorable person should try to make a name for himself by slandering another.

When considering the state of the industry, it appears quite healthy and full of opportunity for the SEO Worker Bee. There continue to be plenty of websites and companies in need of real assistance. And though I couldn’t say for certain, it would appear that the SEO Scam Artists are enjoying this season as long as they stay ahead of the curve. BlogBee Hybrids are likely to enjoy moderate success or more as well.

The only section of the search engine optimization industry that seems to be flailing its arms belongs to the SEO Blogaholics. These are the ones to whom last year’s article was intended, and they continue to be the ones spinning information for a living.

I have a few blogs out there. I have nothing against blogs. But writing a blog about an industry doesn’t make me an expert in that industry. It gives me the appearance of expertise. This is the game SEO Blogaholics continue to play, and they continue to detract from the respectability of the industry. As I stated at the beginning, I won't begrudge the Blogaholics their right to spam the planet. I understand how hard it is to penetrate the inner sanctum of success. Still, when all is said and done, I wonder whose careers will stand the test of time.

Daniel Dessinger is a copywriter and SEO specialist for Vizion Interactive, Inc. Daniel also runs and operates the Dallas-based CultureFeast weblog at http://www.culturefeast.com.