SEO gurus - who are they?

SEO is not a rocket science! - that’s the maxim you’ve got to remember if you ever hope to succeed in website promotion.

The times when SEO techniques and tricks were deep secrets closely guarded by a bunch of geeks have long past! And although SEO is an ever evolving subject, it’s not as hard as people calling themselves SEO gurus try to present it, neither is it as difficult as you might think.

Now, who are they really, those SEO gurus?

I classify them into two categories - those who call themselves SEO gurus, and those who are rewarded with the title by people. The former in many cases are charlatans, the latter have gained the reputation mostly because they have started long ago, in the early days of SEO, and succeed when the competition was not as tough as it is now.

I am not saying they know as much as everyone else and can’t succeed in SEO today - such a general statement would be unfair, especially as some of them are really true experts in the field.  However, the point I am making is that majority of them have chosen the easy path, namely teaching.

Teaching is always easier than doing something yourself,  if a teacher doesn’t bear responsibility for the outcome of his teaching, and this is exactly the case with most SEO gurus:

they sell you subscriptions to their ‘high-tech advice’ forums, where you can ask “super-experts” your stupid questions and become “enlightened”;  they sell you e-books with “sacred SEO secrets”, which in fact are freely available on the Internet, if you search for them; they entice you into purchasing a super-powerful “unique” software which only they have developed and you buy it from them, because there is a tremendously attracting  halo of trust around them and you can’t resist the gravitation.

The question you should be asking yourself - do I really need that all or even anything of this?

Within the last few years the increase in Internet presence of all sorts of businesses has become dramatic and so has the competition. What was an a relatively easy task just a few years ago, is now a huge challenge. I don’t mean that it is impossible to compete for high rankings nowadays, but it definitely got much more difficult. So the decision they have made was a switch to teaching. Certainly, a wise decision!

Most of less known SEOs do not have this option, as they didn’t earn that kind of SEO reputation and the chances to earn it now are rather vague.

What’s the solution then? - you will ask.

A solution that I see depends on your time and budge. If you are an Internet merchant spending most of your time on developing quality products, you may not have time for anything else.  In that case, a wise solution would be to hire a reputable professional SEO.  Be aware though, that the more reputable a SEO is, the higher are his charges, and highly reputable SEO could cost you a fortune.

On the other hand, if you go for the cheapest one, the chances are it may turn out to be a charlatan, and you risk to waste your time and money in vain. However, the prices for SEO services are not always indicative of the SEO expertise.  There are many factors (including place of residence, background, financial situation etc.) that may determine the price.

Therefore, instead of relying on price as your guide, you can follow these instructions on how to find and choose a reliable SEO expert to outsource your SEO campaign.

The other solution applies to those webmasters who are tight on budget. If that is the case with you, then the only option you have is to learn SEO and  do the website promotion yourself.

Remember, SEO in not a rocket science, and although it will take you a while to get a grasp on SEO fundamentals and then constantly refresh your knowledge by following the latest trends and changes, it is certainly worth the effort, as you will have full control over your promotion campaign and will know exactly what’s going on.

There are many quality web resources on which you could learn SEO fundamentals. The following two articles give a you quite a comprehensive guide to the two major parts of SEO - On-page SEO and Off-Page SEO.

There are also a number of reputable SEO forums, on  which you could ask your questions, get advice and learn. Among those I would recommend Digital Point Forums, where you can find virtually everything you need.

If you can’t find an answer to your question or just need an advice on SEO and website promotion, you can also contact me using comments field to any of the posts on this blog. Do not worry - I will not charge you! :-))))
If it’s a quick question, I will answer for free. If it’s a long and/or difficult one - I can advise you on where to look for help.

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