Opinions Needed

Since I am new to the realm of SEO, my company has offered to hire a SEO consutant to spend a couple of days teaching me in the ways of the Black Arts of Google.

My belief is that this is a waste of money, for 2 reasons:
1. All current knowledge of how to optimize for Ye Olde GoogleBot becomes null and void after the next dance.
2. No SEO person would give up the "Crown Jewels" of their SEO knowledge for a few thousand dollars.

I am perfectly willing to accept that I may be wrong. If anyone has any comments, please share them with me. If you believe that it would be beneficial and would like to reccomend just such a consultant, feel free to contact me privately to discuss further. (Darrin, is this acceptable? If not, I will rescind the invitation)

Watcher, I know you are a member of a very exclusive SEO board, so I am especially interested in your feedback.

Thanks,
Nate

I am inclined to agree. I think the most important thing is developing content, building communities, networking and learning what mistakes to avoid. For example, I just learned that Google doesn't like more than two variables in a query string. I suspected there was a limit, but didn't know the number.

The biggest problems I've found have actually been with publishing processes and page flow.

Conversely, Google shows that it is worthwhile to work on networking, and to pay for inclusion in good indexes, etc.. Joining the chamber of commerce generally gets you a valuable link. The same with trade unions.

I think it is far more important to know your audience and try to build relationships with the sites your audience visits.

I have never had a problem getting good companies and good cotent ranked high in the search engines...even without direct SEO knowledge. It is only the crappy ad type stuff that gives me problems.

Of course, hiring Darrin is a different issue.

I wasn't actually suggesting hiring Darrin, but an interesting idea nonetheless... I was just making sure I wasn't abusing the forum.

Thank you for your input. Seeing as how the site is already PR7 and has a full-fledged affiliate marketing team, the job should be fairly straightforward: Build a user-friendly, content-rich site within the parameters of good SEO design and wait for the dance. Scratch head, say "Ah-ha!", code, repeat.

I'm just constantly worried that I'm missing something basic, some simple tips & tricks not covered in this type of message board.

-Nate

I agree in general, believe it or not.

I think that you are correct in saying that methods will be outdated in a short period, although I do think you should get some form of consultancy from a professional SEO for more than 1 reason.

If your company is pushing in the direction of hiring an SEO they will soon be asking you to increase their rankings in engines, regardless of whether you have experience in this field or not. When this time comes you will try and employ techniques to improve rankings and you just may step into an area of spamming , which might cause your site to get banned - and when that happens the company will be very unhappy.

It's a lot easier to spam than you think and spam has no definition beyond that of something that search engines frown upon. Spamming can be cross-linking, link-farming, stuffing etc...

For these reasons and mor you may wish to consult with someone on this topic .. plus when the website starts earning more money, you will have the right to demand a higher salary!!

If your worried about missing something here...buy this book.

http://www.searchenginesbook.com/

I read it (i bought it through safari.oreilly.com -- awesome b/c you pay for a monthly subscription -- anyway). It has tons of information and its not Google specific.

Look at the TOC and see if its worth while. I learnt a lot and recommend it. Hey, I do NOT profit from recommending this book.

Thanks Rusty & Darrin!

I'm checking out the book now. I think I just might buy it...

BTW, I already got the SEO job here, with a corresponding performance-based bonus. I just haven't started it yet. Hiring a consultant was a freebie offered by the CEO to get me going.

-Nate

Most of the the SEO marketers I've met who were trying to sell spamming. Or I should say, they sell spamming designed to try and fool the Google definition of spam.

The backlash we all face is that we might do something that Google declares to be Spam. I personally have no clue as to where Google draws the line between a link farm and legitimate directory of services.

I've worked with several trade unions, Chambers of Commerces. In each case I set up a member directory. The Chamber has links to members. Members display the chamber logo with a link. Chamber membership is a time honored practice dating back hundreds of years. But the tradition has the topology of crosslinking and a link farm.

I have nightmares that Google declaring the these Chamber of Commerce sites to be link farms because they link to Chamber Members.

I have the same problem with musician sites. I have set up several sites for musicians. Their gig page says they will play at a particular bar. The bar has a calendar saying that the musician will be playing at the bar. Another case that could easily be declared a link farm.

Of course, the musician thing is very interesting because I now see venues actually wanting to attract the bands with good web sites and good search engine placement...so I guess you could say the band is an SEO link farm.

it might be good to hire darrin after reading the book - to pick his brain. if the ceo offers it, you should do it.

but first read the book.

So what does everyone think about the second point? Not giving up the crown jewels, that is.

Is it unlikely that a consultant would tell me everything he or she knows?

-Nate

depends on consultant, i would but i dont know anything that is golden

There is no SINGLE golden trick...

There are many ways to optimize your site and getting the exact balance is the golden trick....

There is no need to read the book, do a couple of searches in google and dmoz and read some ideas and techniques that other seo guys on the web use...

You will learn the advanced tips of seo and that is more then you will need for now, as time goes on you will learn more just by studying your site and others...

anyway goodluck...

www.webmasterworld.com
www.topsitelistings.com/searchengines/google_pagerank_weight.htm

What is "stuffing"?

thewatcher, what is seoboards.com and how does someone join if it is so exclusive as to not have a home page?

see here the book would be nice

keyword stuffing

I don't have the perspective of a professional SEO, but that of someone trying to take back control of the destiny of my online presence from the web "experts" I paid so much money to the last 3 years.

The most important thing I have learned at this forum over the last 6 weeks is that the goal of a website should be to deliver the best to the consumer and stay away from gimmicks. I also believe that is what Google thinks is most important.

I saw somewhere this formula: Placement = content x PR.
I have seen numerous posts from the honest and skilled SEO experts on this forum echo this and blow holes in the "secrets" of SEO. They continue to preach content. "Build it and they will come".

Face it, no one will figure out the Google algo - it's a moving target. My goal is to become an expert at what consumers (and therefore Google) want - relevant content delivered through good site design.

If I did hire someone as a coach or tutor, it would be based on a proven online track record. It is amazing how many SEO "experts" don't deliver with their own sites. I doubt you will have to go outside this forum though to find qualified assistance.