The Search Ninja

I’ll apologize in advance for beating this horse which is very much dead and gone, however:
After reading some highly visible misinformation about PageRank recently I would like to offer a few points of clarification on the Larry Page brainchild:

For more info read: Google PageRank and Related Technologies (PDF)

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.

In a bold and festive (April Fools) gesture, the Dark SEO Team appears to have hacked Matt Cutts blog. You can click the image below for a full screenshot that I took just minutes ago.

With the release of Stoney’s Destination Marketing piece I started to think about some of the SEO jargon that gets invented and proliferated throughout the search marketing community. Some of the SEO speak you hear is slick and clever; rolling off the tongue and snapping like a whip at anyone within earshot.

PPC, SERPS, ROI

There are also some not-so-crack-o-the-whip terms that have been concocted by SEO’s as well. We don’t need to rehash them here or pick on anybody, but I’m sure we can think of a few that fit this category.

Here I’m going to detail some of the SEO Jargon & Acronyms that I myself am quick to use; be they creations of my own or of my local colleagues who are, with myself, the co-rulers of SEO here in Reno (Bow Down Sucka!).

• Term: Destination Marketing
• Description: Destination Marketing is the product of a family of philosophies on search marketing that reflects the way we do SEM for our clients at Pole Position. It is based around the simple yet profound idea that websites should be built up as true Internet destinations; offering unique value within their niche and thereby securing loyalty, reputation and success.
• Credits: Stoney deGeyter

• Acronym: AXP
• Definition: Access Probability: A family of technologies that I developed to serve as accurate performance metrics for search marketing campaigns.
• Credits: Jason Green

• Acronym: KRP
• Definition: Keyword Ranking Performance: PPM’s embodiment of the AXP core formula.
• Credits: Stoney deGeyter

• Term:The Little Death
• Description: Non-indexing or temporary index drop caused by a temporary server outage or other “act of god” that prevents a web robot from finding your site or causes a web robot to ignore your site. “Now Ya See It… Now Ya Don’t”
• Credits: Jason Green

• Acronym: S.I.R.E.
• Definition: Search Index Reverse Engineering: The name of an ongoing project which began in 2004 that seeks to understand primary search engine mechanics through innovative re-engineering techniques.
• Credits: Jason Green

• Term: SEOnce (see-on-s)
• Description: A combination of “SEO” and “Science”. This term is used to describe some of the more questionable research techniques and resulting conclusions crafted by some SEO’s who are very much unqualified to do so. Search engine psuedo-science. Alternative use: “SEOntific”
• Credits: Jason Green

• Acronym: SEO2g
• Definition: 2nd Generation Search Engine Optimization: The theory and practice of an evolved SEO methodology which is based upon a solid understanding of web IR resulting from valid research.
• Credits: Jason Green

• Term: Inquirio Magnus
• Description: A nick-name that I half-jokingly like to flatter myself with from time to time. It means “The Great One of Search”.
• Credits: Jason Green

• Term: SEOBoss
• Description: Stoney’s new nick-name which is boldly written on the vanity plates for his 69′ Charger
• Credits: Stoney deGeyter

There are many more, but I’m tired of typing and so that will have to do.

I saw the boss briefly today and got a little bit of info about the SEMpdx SearchFest at which he presented on keyword research. According to the already emerging coverage of the event, Stoney’s presentation stood out to the attendees and is being met with praise. I would like to congratulate him on nailing what I already knew would be an excellent presentation.

Today at the office, the boss and myself were enjoying a lively game of pool and discussing the future of search engine optimization. He felt that SEO would eventually become recognized as a minor aspect of traditional “Marketing”. That is, according to his prediction, SEO would remain a common aspect of Search Marketing, however Search Marketing would (eventually) be recognized as an aspect of Marketing (proper).

I feel that while this may seem (intuitively) to be the logical course for SEM/SEO, the increasingly technical/scientific nature of true SEO may always earn it a distinction as unique profession/practice. The skillset of a true Gen2 SEO is significantly different from that of a marketing professional. Accordingly, I predict that over the course of the next few years we will see a greater distinction between search engine optimization and traditional marketing. I would even go so far as to say that a clear distinction will exist between SEO and SEM. The later I see as being focused more strongly on paid placement avenues for achieving visibility.

Today in the office, my colleagues and I were reviewing client campaigns and it spawned some interesting discussion about whether or not a strict SEO campaign can ever reach a plateau or a point in which no further progress can be made and therefore no further SEO efforts are required.

Before anyone starts ranting and railing about being forward-thinking and building long-term business success through diversification and expansion, STOP!, Shut up and listen. I’m talking about a very particular type of campaign. One in which the client has defined their goal as being rankings for specific search phrases and nothing more. They have no interest in expanding or even building upon their success (They really do exist!). And despite our expert council and visionary strategy for helping them build their business into the future; these clients simply will not budge. In this case the SEO Plateau Effect most certainly exists.

The question is; What do you do with clients that choose to bathe in their own stasis?
A few years ago, these types of campaigns were favored by many SEO’s because they eventually resulted in being able to collect MRC’s from clients even though no actual work was being performed. I think that in today’s search marketing arena, there really is no place for these types of campaigns. Perhaps at some point it’s simply best to let these clients go.

This is my personal blog on which you will find posts related to my experiences and thoughts within the realm of search, the web and SEO.