Comments on: Why SEO Sucks

by: john andrews

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:23:38 +0000

@Glenn thanks for the comment. I’m not quick to agree on SEOs who say test test test because I know that test methodologies are inadequate and testing is MUCH HARDER than many tool providers lead you to believe. I totally agree on getting started early and tuning often. However, I also recognize that the human mind is severely biased and team members (such as print-raised designers you mentioned) are human. They look at a project as new and exciting until it launches, and then it is old and boring (and usually they view with a critical eye). Meanwhile each new unique visitor is discovering the web page for the first time. It’s tough to work with someone with a strong opinion and biased perspective.

by: Glenn Friesen

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 18:03:15 +0000

One of the best reads I’ve had in a long time. And so true.

You know what’s worse than web designers teaching SEO or giving SEO advice? Graphic designers / print designers from the ’80’s and ’90’s. So bad. So very bad. So very very very bad. And the worst part is that their “advice” or “consultation” are often given equal influence to the SEO’s for web design, based on the irrational idea that having a mix of opinions will lead to better strategy and execution.

How about leaving the opinions out, and getting the product out there to split test / multivariate test, we SEO’s might say… to hear the response from the print design consultant that “you can definitely split test these banners” (promoting the services offered by a site as a banner, on that site…. rather than offer actual value and direct the flow of traffic to the targeted page via goal-setting and CRO… my god…)

John, your article and metaphor are exactly on point. Good SEO requires the learning mindset. Not the “I’m right because my opinion says so” mindset of the old school print design world. My guess is there’s gonna be a decent lag before the world catches up and mindsets shift…

by: Mitch

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:33:27 +0000

I love doing SEO when someone else is paying me for it, and I don’t believe the initial part is hard. What’s hard is getting a client to understand that everything doesn’t end with optimizing a page or website one time. It really does take a lot more work over time, especially if your client is in a niche that’s just, well, different from the norm.

by: Aaron

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:07:42 +0000

Nope, SEO definitely sucks. You work hard, do the things you know that work (the things Matt Cutts talks about incessantly) and don a whiter than white hat, only to sit back and watch every spam filled, nonesense website built upon mindlessness and link buying outperform you. The answer? Fill the internet with yet more crap to compete and watch the Google bot lap up. It sucks. And yes, I am bitter.

by: Eskil

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:20:45 +0000

Great title of this post. At this moment i really feel that SEO SUCKS.
It seems like such a waste of working hours, thousands of people spending entire days posting meaningless links just to be on the top of google. It is sad and frustrating.