Monday, October 15, 2007
Forget SEO - it's taking your eye off the ball
We've heard it all before, haven't we, that we should have a clear idea in mind of who we are aiming at with our business offering. Indeed, I have said several times in articles on this site that focusing on the target audience is essential to online success.
So, why, oh why, oh why, does every business I come into contact with worry about Google and their search engine rankings? Go to any business networking meeting these days and the talk will be about getting a higher placing up Google's listings. Before long people are talking all about the technicalities of "Search Engine Optimisation" (SEO) and claiming you need to do this with your site, or that with your site in order for Google to like you.
Well, let's just hang back a minute. Discussing search engine rankings, worrying about the latest SEO techniques and debating ways of improving your appeal to the likes of Google has taken your mind off what you should be thinking about - your customers or readers.
Let's be honest about this - no matter how much you please Google with your web site one fact is for sure. They ain't gonna buy from you. There are vast amounts of effort being expended by SEO specialists, web site owners and a whole bunch of Internet consultants who are all facing the wrong direction. What they are doing is making web sites more interesting and appealing to a bunch of servers controlled by robotic software which is not going to be purchasing anything from you.
Meanwhile, SEO "experts" are helping you avoid what you should be focusing on - the people who will buy from you. The number one thing which would improve most web sites in revenue terms is to immediately stop focusing on SEO and to focus instead on customers. Pleasing search engines will not please your bank manager. So, sack your SEO company and forget all talk about trying to please Google.
And if you think this is harsh advice - forget about blaming me. This is precisely what Google tells us in its advice to webmasters. Focus on your readers, it says. So why do so many businesses give credence to the pseudo-science of SEO? Well, because it sounds credible, it seems to make sense and some SEO companies can show results.
But ask them this. Most people who visit most web sites get there without the help of any search engine. So, how does SEO benefit you in that circumstance? How does SEO reach the people who don't use search engines?
And if you are offered SEO - test the company first by checking their Google ranking. You will find that most SEO companies are not listed by Google in the first few pages. Search for "SEO company" for instance and you'll get more than 1.3m results, which means that clearly the vast majority of SEO companies are no good at SEO, otherwise they'd be at the top. Clearly they can't all be number one, so that in itself makes a nonsense of SEO.
People read your web pages, people buy your products, people recommend you to other potential buyers. SEO can only potentially get you better placing in a search engine which most of those people who buy from you will have never been near. Don't waste your money.
Other articles on SEO:
Don't waste your time with search engines
Search engine marketing can waste your time
More misleading stuff about SEO
SEO is a waste of time because Google isn't very clever after all
Labels: internet, internet marketing
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Readers' Comments:
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October 17, 2007 3:40 PM 
said…
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October 17, 2007 8:12 PM 
Graham Jones said…
Well, thanks for your comment. I of course do not agree - especially as you were not brave enough to enter into a proper debate by leaving your real name or a link to your profile or a web site where you can be contacted.
Of course, plenty of people may actually agree with you. If they do, they are welcome to leave their comments here.
Graham
PS. If you disagree that I am a "muppet" you can also leave your comments...!
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October 17, 2007 9:27 PM Jordan said…
Google is a crutch for most. It's a wonder that anyone ever made any money before Google or the Internet for that matter.
Knowing pertinent rules doesn't make an SEO expert.
A better question is what do Fozzie and Gonzo think about SEO?
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October 18, 2007 12:58 AM Manhydra said…
In my opinion, I believe one of the main causes of the craze toward SEO for many Internet businesses is the near-effortless marketing potential that search engines could provide. Having your website displayed at the top of the list on major search engines, generating thousands of daily [quality] visits, would be a sit-back-and-kick-your-heels-up-as-you-grab-a-cold-one dream come true (granted if the keywords used to display your website are at a high trend).
But the ultimate truth is that you build your business through marketing, and many of us, including the ones that run for the SEO gateway, know that marketing takes time and effort; whether you put in your own time and effort or pay someone else to put in theirs. SEO can be an important factor in your overall internet marketing strategy, but it shouldn't be your main factor, let alone your only one.
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October 18, 2007 2:50 PM Graham Jones said…
Manhydra, thanks for your comment. I agree, business is built through marketing and while that might include some elements of SEO it is not the be-all and end-all.
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October 19, 2007 10:02 AM Eoin O'Leary said…
I agree with the majority of this article and Manhydra makes a good point too ... "SEO can be an important factor in your overall internet marketing strategy"
If you don't have an overall internet marketing strategy, you are leaving money on the table.
SEO is important, but it should not be your focus.
If you provide good content, and use headlines to tell the search engines what the each page is about ... they will find you.
Eoin
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October 19, 2007 6:53 PM Mike Allan said…
I operate a small VHS to DVD transfer business in Toronto. The vast majority of my one off business comes from people finding me through Google. Based on this alone, my search engine ranking is important.BTW I am number 5 for VHS to DVD transfers.
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October 19, 2007 10:27 PM Graham Jones said…
Mike, I agree that search engine ranking is important - it's just how you go about getting that ranking. Well done on getting the No 5 ranking on Google.ca. However, I notice on Google.com you don't feature on the first three pages. This may well be an international thing, but here in the UK we need to be on the .com version of Google, rather than the local .co.uk because most people here search on .com. In Canada it may well be that the .ca version of Google gets more local users so therefore that's where you need to be.
You my friend are a grade A muppet.
Nuff Said.