The Search Ninja

Most publicly available information about SEO is absolute shit.
News is no exception: Aside from being inordinately voluminous (literally hundreds of goings-on per day are reported), SEO news is very predictable and generally comes in one of three varieties:

Gossip: SEO’s talking about other SEO’s (or the search engines).
Which can be further sub-divided into two categories:

• Inflammatory remarks designed to spark a heated (and extensively reported) conflict.
• Nauseating flattery from SEO groupies, pseudo-SEO’s or SEO brown-nosers.

Ego: SEO’s talking about themselves: how successful they are, discussing high profile clients, or comparing themselves to more popular SEO’s.

SEO’s love to talk about themselves.
The SEO’s soap-box is actually more of a podium,
a very large podium; with a comically oversized microphone…

Sensationalism: Outside people talking about SEO and (usually) casting a negative light on the industry

In the tradition of Geraldo’s “Satanic Panic” campaign of the late 80’s and early 90’s, modern Internet news outlets of all types love to portray SEO as the seedy under-belly of marketing, who’s squalid cast would fit nicely in a police lineup of pimps, thieves and drug dealers

I recently read an Australian news story which featured the following sub-heading: “The recent misfortune of a search engine optimisation firm has lifted the lid on shadowy tactics in this controversial industry”

An alleged “SEO guru” stated, (under the condition of anonymity) that most SEO firms are unethical. Other anonymous “experts” chimed in pointing the finger of shame at SEO’s such as those that operate the maligned SEO firm discussed in the article. Bravo!

I know that I’m going to sleep a little better knowing that the self-appointed moral-vanguards of the SEO industry are silently helping the media to uncover the evils that lie writhing beneath the flimsy professional exterior of the search marketing industry.