“You say ‘SEO’ like it’s a bad thing…”

As my brilliant web designer and I were getting everything set up in the wee hours last night, we were talking about SEO (Search Engine Optimization.) My opinion of SEO is very mixed: On the one hand, I know search engines use algorithms to produce optimal search results; on the other, most people I’ve worked with who “deliver SEO” have been somewhat shady.

I know there are good SEO folks out there, but many of them are scammers. This makes some of us averse to even thinking about SEO seriously – it’s left a bad taste in our mouths.

Last night, I mentioned my SEO aversion to Chris (The Web Guy) and he laughed, saying:

“Here’s the thing: SEO just means making sure your site is configured to provide good information to the search engines about what it contains. Nothing more. The reason SEO is a bad word is because so many black hat “SEO Experts” have accidentally gotten their clients black listed because they were utilizing ham handed methods that Google filters for. “

As I have said elsewhere, my personal feeling is if you write good, relevant content often, you’ll creep your way up the search engine ladder the honest way.

Chris has written a six-part series on this very subject:

OSEO Boot Camp, pt. 1: What is Organic SEO?

Bloggers and website owners everywhere may want to give that series a read – it’s got some outstanding tips and information. Chris has been in The Biz for awhile; he knows what he’s talking about. He’s agreed to do an article for us about web design, too, so look for that sometime in the future.

In the meantime, save your money – you can do your own SEO without spending a fortune on so-called experts.