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.
The mystique of search engine optimization
I dare you to ask any account rep responsible for selling search engine optimization what exactly SEO is and I am sure that you will get a long drawn out answer with no clear description. This, and the constantly changing nature of search engines creates a sort of “mystique.” As a result, I have even heard of SEO being described as a “black science”.
How does this benefit web designers?
Well, it doesn’t except that it gives you some leverage in a conversation with a client. As long as you know what you are talking about, and sound like you do, the client is most likely going to believe everything you say. While everyone in the world thinks that they could be a designer (thank you HGTV!), no one knows what or how a SEO professional works. And as long as you never lie to a client (yes never, its not good business) you have an amazing leverage tool for justifying your design decisions.
An example:
Let’s say that you have just delivered a presentation of three potential homepage designs to a client. They are happy with what you have shown, except that they would like to add a splash page with a circa 1997 flash animation intro. You and I both know that it is a huge waste of time and no one is ever going to watch it, however because we are moving the homepage back a level we also know that it could negatively effect the client’s search engine ranking. You calmly state that while that could be a great idea, it would negatively effect their search engine placement. 9 out of 10 times you have just solved the problem without having to get into other details about the ineffectiveness and annoyance of landing pages.
Is this a bad or unprofessional practice?
I don’t think so. Like I said earlier, as long as you don’t lie you are only stating what is most likely a higher ranking priority of the client’s; search engine placement. Do you have an alternate motive? Maybe, but you are still helping the client reach their goals in the best way you see fit, and that is really what your duty as a designer is. Unfortunately clients do not always want things that align with what they have asked you for or actually need.
So what do you think? I would love to hear your impressions of this little persuasion tool.
AssociaDirect – The Association Agency
HellYeahDude.com
WordPress theme's for designers
Digg for Designers
Barackas.com – Barack Obama Maraccas
Flash Components
3 Months $20 
March 21st, 2008 at 4:23 am
I am currently employed at a rapidly growing, and successful SEO marketing firm. I have done a lot of freelance work in my past and I think that any strategy that allows a designer to casually persuade a client towards a better final product is a good strategy to adopt. Great article. Jaymz
March 21st, 2008 at 6:15 am
SEO gives you the tools to communicate to your target market using honest terminology… it helps avoid spin and used effectively will keep a site on topic and focused on convertion…
as for what is seo its ‘getting your site to the top of google, msn and yahoo etc’ easy peasy.
March 21st, 2008 at 12:30 pm
What a coincidence that I find this two hours after I used the techniques described within.
My client wanted the entire header to be in Flash, but since I hate working with Flash and it doesn’t suit this case at all, I told him that it wouldn’t be good for SEO. He conceded and I’m set to start working on a nice XHTML|CSS header tomorrow.
Great article.
March 21st, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Was the design director on a very large, very well known website. At launch (2000) the powers that be insisted on a Flash intro page, there was no way of talking them out of it. The site went live, the splash page lasted less than a day. Visitors complained even though it was a beautiful, costly page. It was “we told you so”. Have never had to do a splash page since.
March 21st, 2008 at 4:26 pm
JustMe,
Lucky for you! from time to time we take on jobs from small businesses. While not specific to small business, it seems that they love the web (Circa 1999) and want only the coolest flash intros and dancing hamster backgrounds. I wish that I could say just let them find out for themselves and say told you so. Unfortunately this doesn’t make a client want to come back for more business later…
March 22nd, 2008 at 8:00 am
Hi, I just came across your blog and I like it a lot
I’d say there is a fine line between using SEO, or any other “techno babble”, as an escape route for something you simply don’t like to do for personal reasons (like Jordan, comment #3), or for something you know would take hours to explain otherwise.
In my opinion, our main objective should always be to deliver the best solution to a client, and for that purpose, using a shortcut like this is acceptable. But we have to use this with responsibility. We should restrain from using things like these for persuading a client if it’s for personal reasons and not for our client’s cause.
March 22nd, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Nubloo, I agree completely! Great post and welcome.