Great SEO - Fear Is Your Enemy

I read so many articles and posts on this and other forums by many worried IMers that I'm concerned that this level of fear is going to prevent some people with excellent ideas and great SEO skills from taking the massive action that is required to make a success of this profession. (for profession it surely is - we are the "Madmen" of the internet no less...well more or less :rolleyes: )

Here's an example;

We've all been thinking this for months now. Probably ever since Panda hit in the Spring of 2011.
But let's take a step back and rationalise this fear and see what effect it's having and why we are playing into Google's hands by propagating this fear which is stunning so many in IM into inaction - when what is needed to succeed in this field is massive action.

So Google deindexed most of BMR (I pick on BMR because it seems the one most have discussed) this is no doubt a "bad thing" - but let's look at where this has lead many otherwise rational people to take their thoughts.

But how else are you going to get links?
Sure the MOZ boys will tell you to play the "long game" Cultivate "proper" relationships. Actively add to the internet with thoughtful prose.

Yes - you can do that;

But isn't doing that when the end goal you have in mind is "profit" EXACTY THE SAME AS ANY OTHER FORM OF ACTIVE SEO.... JUST A LOT SLOWER?

There is little if any real altruism in creating these relationships and forming these B2B links - the overarching reason you are doing it is to advance your own business JUST A LOT SLOWER THAN THOSE WHO AUTOMATE.

Ok - maybe I'm being a little cynical. But look where this paranoid line of thought could lead (logically SHOULD lead)

Google do not like self promotion. They can easily spot link profiles and are well aware of the platforms used to create these link structures whether they are paid services or sites accessed through automated tools.

So - taking the "too scared to act" idea just half a step further forward. Surely Google could use their own index and find;

• A list of a few million auto approve blogs and de-index them,
• Perhaps twenty of thirty million none moderated forums and de-index them
• Then find a few hundred thousand unmoderated wiki sites and deindex them.
• Perhaps join ever link program going and de-index them
• Get smart and filter out any review site that allows HTML code in the comments and de-index them...

...and on and on and on

The question wouldn't be "Will they do it"
The question if they are serious about removing 'gamed' linking from SERPS should be "Why haven't they already done it"?

It would take an application like scrapebox about a week to do the above, then Google could have a massive list of "spam" sites and just de-index the LOT. Why don't they?

Here's why..

• Because these sites ARE the internet
• People HAVE A CHOICE whether to use Google or not
• Censorship is something G have to be extremely wary of
• It would take 20 seconds to change my default search engine from Google to Yahoo. I would do this if Google started to play "big brother" too much.
• Website owners are the motivators and "plants" of the internet. We are asked by friends and family all the time "What is best"? or "Where can I find such and such"? For every one of us here on WSO and similar sites there are perhaps a dozen others who listen to our advice on "internet stuff" If we tell them "No point going to Google - they censor half the internet, go to X, Y or Z instead" - they will likely take our advice and leave.

How many people have a positive "emotional" involvement with Google? Anyone? A fraction of 1% of their visitors maybe?

To the rest of us Google is a tool, a website we use, one that could be replaced in minutes. I could switch my entire PPC to Yahoo or Bing in 30 minutes flat if I needed to.

In effect Google is one asanine act of "over censorship" or "scandal" of any kind and the 20 seconds it takes for people to change their defauls SE away from disaster.... AND THEY KNOW IT.

The effect of Panda is far more than the algorithm changes themselves. Googles biggest bonus (one they undoubtedly knew would occur) is the sudden inaction casued by fear of what these changes "might be"..where they "might lead", what effect they "might have".

By keeping the whole algorithm change a "black box" process, by hints at what "we may be rolling out next" (wink wink).. they have managed to create a far bigger effect on SEO than the algorithm itself has ever had...

FEAR OF TAKING POSITIVE AND MASSIVE ACTION

Back to BMR

People who used BMR made money. I did - for 2 years my BMR links made me money by improving the SERPS of a couple of sites. In the mean time I added links for all over the place. Some services, some self made, some made with tools. just kept piling them on, tens and tens of thousands of them.

BMR went - my sites bounced a little - recovered after some link love, overall I made a massive ROI on my investment with BMR and accepted its demise.

I could have been less lucky and only jumped on board 6 months ago sure, but that's a risk.
Business is a risk. We need to accept that and live with it. If you aren't prepared to take a risk - you aren't really cut out to be in business. There are no Guarantees - EVER

If I'd have sat their and not made links - I wouldn't have made that money.

If I was worried that my HDTV would soon be replaced by 3DTV - I might not have bought it, but when I read about 3DTV I see new screen techs coming that negate the need for glasses, then I see following that another tech that allows 3D projection..then (continue ad nauseum)

You have to just jump on and start working at some point or accept that you never will.

BUSINESS IS A RISK. LINK BUILDING IS A RISK - EVEN THE APPROVED "MOZ" WAY

• IF YOU ARE STUNNED INTO INACTION YOU WILL FAIL
• SUCCESS NEARLY ALWAYS REQUIRES MASSIVE ACTION
• MAKE YOUR JUDGEMENT THEN FOLLOW THROUGH
• THERE ARE NO GURANTEES..ANYWHERE!
• MITIGATE RISK BY OBFUSCATING YOUR PROCESS OF LINK BUILDING AND CONTENT CREATION
• WHATEVER LINKING IDEAS YOU USE NOW WILL NEED ALTERING ONE DAY SOON - IT'S ALWAYS BEEN THAT WAY - AND PROBABLY ALWAYS WILL

Let's get on with it. While the world economies slow to a stop - let's not join them because of fear. Grasp the opportunities here on the internet and run with them.TODAY!