Posts Tagged ‘seo’

While I normally try to avoid work that is strictly SEO, it sure does seem like it is on client’s minds a lot lately. We have received a number of calls requesting proposals for SEO work, and the behavior seems to be consistent with a neighboring agency. Normally proposals like this would come our way every once now and again, but it seems like they have been pretty steady lately. After talking with these clients, what I have realized is that in all of the cases I could achieve what the client wanted however the results would never meet the expectations.

One reason I was originally hesitant to start designing websites is the nature of “content” on the web. It is the misconception of clients that technology and the flexibility of content management systems allow “content” to come at any time. Unlike print where the medium has physical restraints, the web is abstract with endless pages and the perceived flexibility to handle anything. By anything I mean that clients now believe the more the better, and with SEO professionals telling them it will benefit their search rankings little thought is given to effective writing. Technology has created a situation where people now ingest copy with the hopes of gaining more eyeballs, at the expense of actually saying anything important.

I was reading wired.com today when I stumbled upon this article featured on the new webmonkey about how starting today dynamic flash documents would start showing up in Google’s index. Apparently Adobe has supplied Google with a special searchable SWF library that will allow it to do so. According to the original press release, Yahoo! is also working with Adobe to achieve similar results. For the most part I have decided that this is a generally positive move for the technology, however I wonder what impact this improved search functionality will have?

On one side of the spectrum this advancement in technology could have little to no effect (which I will explain below) or it could be a major disruptor in terms of established “rules” of web design. Most likely it will fall somewhere near the middle, however I believe skewed towards the no effect column.

In the past I have written about how SEO is Bullshit. More accurately my distrust of the SEO profession, which is mostly based on the increase in unethical individuals seeking to profiteer off of an uneducated client base and a lack of definitive knowledge on the inner workings of search engines. That being said, I recently came across an interesting article on the blog Epicenter titled “Time to Standardize SEO?” Essentially the article states that there are two sides of the argument for standardization in search engine optimization.

The major feature of most web 2.0 sites is the amount of personalized content that you share with others in order to create relationships or friends. This however has become the number one reason why the online reputation management business has boomed lately. Try typing your name in google contained within quotes and see what pops up, chances are that you might find something you wouldn’t want an employer or client to see. This is happening to pretty much everyone. Even if you stay away from social media sites, what is to stop a blogger like myself from posting an article about how you contributed to this years big strip club bar crawl. An ever increasing amount of job seekers and top professionals are seeking a way to hide or get rid of these unfavorable items.

Even though I have said that a lot of search engine optimization companies sell a load of bullshit to their customers (check out the article to see what I mean), we as web designers can benefit from it. You may be wondering why I would dump on SEO one moment, and then praise it a couple of weeks later? Well, it is because this article actually has little to do with SEO, and more to do with the power of persuasion.

Contrast the Blog is currently running an article titled SEO is Bullshit that has had me thinking. While a little bit more blunt than I would be, I can’t help but find myself agreeing with some of the witty rant:

SEO is using deodorant instead of washing. SEO is masking bad coffee with sugar. SEO is cramming instead of studying. SEO is using pain killers instead of going to the dentist. SEO is taking weight loss pills instead of exercising. SEO is a comb-over. SEO is Scientology. SEO is Paris Hilton. SEO is the Zune. SEO is the morning-after pill. SEO is astroturf. SEO is not the real thing. SEO is cutting corners. SEO is not the solution. SEO is bullshit.

It seems like all the articles I ever read are about how to “trick” certain websites or services. It seems like the web as a whole has become obsessed with this idea. How to get to get every article dugg, how to trick your users into clicking you ads, how to trick Google into giving you better search engine placement, the list goes on and on. Maybe I am playing devil’s advocate here but has anyone ever thought that if you take the time to create worthwhile content, and fully develop your site that it may pay off on its own respect? So in the most satirical way possible, here is my list of ways to “trick” your way to a successful website.

A little more than a year ago, I was rapidly approaching graduation and putting the finishing touches on my print portfolio. However I knew that I would need to get my book online if I was going to compete against the other designers for a great position. After I landed a position and as I began to learn more about the web I soon realized that my portfolio was severely lacking any sort of search engine optimization and I would never land any freelance work through it unless I made a change. Having designed a number of portfolio sites for work, I have learned a couple of tricks that can help optimize any artist or designers portfolio. These tips and guidelines can be used during the design process to help ensure that your site has the greatest opportunity to secure you new freelance leads.