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It’s SEO, Not Particle Physics.

By milwaukeeseo | May 6, 2010

Trust me. I like some mystery in the deal; it’s what keeps what I do as a valuable service. But let’s not pretend what I’m doing on your site is akin to particle physics. I’m not speaking in a made-up marketing language. Yes, “keyword phrases, trust and relevance, and links”, are all very real words and phrases in SEO and search marketing.

There’s no doubt you have to be sharp, diligent, and analytical to be successful in SEO. But, for me to have to continually keep explaining, after year or two years of working together, the basics, is completely unacceptable, and frankly, insulting.

It’s Not That Tough

It’s really not that hard to understand the basic concepts of SEO. I don’t expect clients to understand the nitty-gritty and all the considerations that go into optimizing their sites, but I do expect to be able to get through our conference calls and meetings without having to explain why we can’t rank for “product” or “zig-zag” and expect to be found in the SERPs and profitable.

You might even think it’s me. I just don’t explain the basics very well, or I make it too confusing. Maybe. But based on my personal track record at conferences and seminars, I’ve clued in dozens of people who are just like the clients I deal with on a day to day basis: small business owners trying to figure this out. Did they get the whole picture? Probably not. But I know they got the basics down.

Just Open Up Your Damn Ears: Listen

This is going to be a difficult concept for some of you: listening. You know that very critical piece to communicating efficiently? Here’s a diagram to help familiarize yourself with it:

Its SEO, Not Particle Physics.

Open Up Your Damn Eyes: Read

Some people learn in different ways. Some may be aural learners, oral learners, and some people need to see it in black and white before it sinks in. Look, that reporting I spend hours on before we sit down together? It’s not for show. It does actually mean something. If you’re not going to take even five minutes to look at it, stop having me put it together. I’ve got other shit I could be doing.

Not only that, it might even help you understand just what I’m talking about when I address “conversion rate” or “page bounce rate”. I didn’t make those words up. They are actual concepts on your website and how users interacting with your site.

Get It Together or Get Out. Period.

How is it that I can understand all the concepts of your “traditional marketing” plan, understand how we can leverage those efforts to your search marketing efforts through SEO? That requires, at a minimum, that I know the in’s and out’s of two very expansive disciplines.

And, you can’t wrap your head around keywords and content? Age is no excuse. I don’t consider that valid anymore. There is so much information floating around out there, it’s nearly impossible to not come across the words “search marketing”, “SEO”, “paid search”, or “social media” somewhere in your readings. Not to mention, this “internet thing” has been around for 10 years. That’s plenty of time to just understand the basics.

Telling me, “I’m not very savvy in this internet thing,” is a lame-ass excuse. It may be true, but that’s no excuse to be ignorant of it (that’s why you hired me silly). And it damn sure is no excuse to glaze over on me during our meetings, nodding your head, when you haven’t heard a word I said. If you want to think about something else, like driving your car on a sunny day, or your next round of golf, excuse yourself from the room. I’ll wait.

The reason you don’t “get” the SEO basics, is you don’t listen, you don’t read, and you still think it’s all magic and pixie dust. DUDE. Get over it and get it together. We use more verifiable data than any traditional marketing agency ever could.

Your Traditional Agency Test

Here’s your test: ask your traditional agency how many actual impressions you got on your last TV spot and how that converted to ROI. I bet you a 1000:1 they won’t have the first clue as to how to calculate that for you. Now that is magic and pixie dust: hundreds of thousands of dollars all for “branding”. Now ask me how many visits on a keyword phrase, and how did that lend itself to ROI. I can do that.

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  • Its SEO, Not Particle Physics.

Topics: Reality Check | 4 Comments »

Posted on 06 May 2010 by Anthony Verre

Known at-large as “The Milwaukee SEO”, a long-time handle, worked search engine optimization and search marketing for several large verticals on international, national, and local levels, with real estate giant Move, Inc, mid-size and small businesses in a variety of niche markets, and industrial B2B marketing. He has recently started a new endeavor, Silver Arc Search Marketing.

has written 2 articles for SEO Bullshit

  • InsuranceNick

    Nice airing of grievances. The “set it and forget it” mentality is rampant with SEO clients who think it gets turned on and off like a switch. I always provide a link to an “SEO Glossary” before consulting clients and tell them it's imperative to become familiar before meeting, or all the time is spent defining terms and not strategy.

  • http://www.bestchoiceforebooks.com Resell Rights Ebook Store

    Dipping in and out of SEO myself from time to time I find the client mentality is “These are my keywords. Here are my goals. This is my budget. Get me results”.

    They know they need SEO and have hired you to do it. But they remain ignorant or lazy to learn the basic terms, or worse, they know the basic terms but have no clue of the concept based around the terms. When having a conversation with these folks I feel like a dog chasing my own tail when I should be to Rottie take a bite out of their ass.

  • http://www.kaydinsdale.co.uk/ Kay Dinsdale

    ahhhh that was a fun rant to read. harsh but true. About the reports, I don't produce them just for the client, I do them for me too. I know many clients don't fully get it but even if they said “Kay, I don't understand or need those reports you are sending, I can see from my bottom line that things are good”. I would still do them. They make me feel warm inside…and indeed they help me to spot if something needs addressing or work out if a quiet period is down to the website or simply the current trend. Long live reports!

    Just don't ask me to simplify something even more when it can't be. Because sometimes over simplifying makes something sounds more straightforward or easier to do than it is. ok?

  • http://www.brandviagra.net/ sildenafil citrate

    I think now we have only black seo. Buying links, spamming…