SEO Without Regard to Keywords.
Recently, I’ve been reading about what it takes to be a good search engine optimizer. People are saying you should be able to answer certain questions, able to demonstrate measurable search engine rankings, and know everything there is to know about usability and accessibility. SEO has not traditionally been a field full of engineers, or usability experts. A good SEO must wear many hats, but the best SEO for you is not necessarily the one who can answer all of those questions perfectly, has a history of measuring results that can be disclosed to potential clients, or is a usability or accessibility expert. The more you can get, the better! But there’s an odd security in having what looks like the perfect search engine optimizer, only on paper.
While in training in the SEOToolSet, the person sitting next to me confided in me that he had worked with at least three agencies and/or freelancers. He proceeded to name two big names in the field and the dismal results and experience he had with them for thousands of dollars each month. Though his claims were vague, it seemed clear to me that these experts had not managed his expectations, explained the extent of their work, or provided him with adequate reporting and account management. One person was an SEO, the other a strict link builder. In my discussion with the person sitting next to me, there was never a mention of how, or even if keywords were targeted by these experts. That is odd. But there are aspects of SEO that go beyond keyword research and SEO copywriting.
So, the job of an SEO is to wear many hats, and an educator is one of those roles. In a recent document I was creating to explore a new internal agency process for SEO, I realized that two of seven sections were “visual reviews.” I consider part of the job of SEO, to determine whether a design is professional, has usable navigation, isn’t spammy right off the bat, and has adequate content on the page, near the top of the page, and supplemental information within only a few clicks. I can get a search engine ranking for a site with an ugly design, unusable navigation, even a site that appears a bit spammy, and with not a whole lot of content on the page, whether its near the top or not. It may be easier with a few of those things, but it can be done without them.
Part of my job as an SEO is to ensure that visitors get what they want when they’re done searching. My job isn’t done once they’ve found that top search engine result and they’ve clicked on to the page. I want them to find what they were looking for, probably even more than that, and I want them to do what the client wants them to do. I want to take that searcher through the pages, into a funnel, to that final conversion. And I want my clients to feel like I’m working for them, that I’m being honest with them, and that I’m educating them about SEO. SEO is ongoing, and whether or not the results come as quickly as we’d like, SEO isn’t simply about answering ten questions or demonstrating past results, it’s about knowing your SEO guy/gal/agency and knowing that you’re getting value for your money.
September 11th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
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