Search Engine Optimization is defined, roughly, as paying someone who speaks a jargon you don’t understand a lot of money to do something you don’t understand to your Web site so Google will stop hiding your site from your customers.
Here’s my quick recipe for improving your Web site’s ranking on the search engine results page:
- A scoop of self-important SEO consultant jargon
- ½ cup of incomprehensible tech-speak
- 3 heaping spoonfuls of guesswork
- A dash of trial and error
- Two oz. of overpaying and not knowing what you got
- Liberal amounts of keyword cramming
Mix all ingredients liberally. Curse. Give up in frustration.
I’ll save the “What is SEO, Really?” post for another day. In the meantime, check out Stoney deGeyter’s rant about SEO bloat. It’s a cautionary tale about what happens when search engine optimization gets in the way of good marketing.
Stoney cites two causes of SEO that I want to expand on:
- Having too many hands in the pot (copywriter, SEO company, manager, etc.)
- No one keeping an eye on the "big picture" to keep all of these things in control
I wrote a Web site for a roofing contractor once. The review process involved the roofing contractor, his wife, his receptionist, an attorney, his barber and, I believe, his son’s pet gerbil. The result: a Web site that might as well have been written by my 10-month-old son.
A gatekeeper is a good way to avoid SEO bloat. May I recommend your professional marketing expert as that person? Nothing against gerbils…I just think a marketing professional is an ideal arbiter of what’s good and what’s bad for your marketing. Call me crazy.
Need more SEO advice? Stay tuned for the upcoming Marketing Simplified series, “What is SEO, Really?” by PRstore Web Developer Jake Mize. Until then, take a look at Justin’s video below.