Are some People on this forum too obsessed with SEO

by 54 replies
62
Hi fellow warriors i have been noticing that many people on this forum seem to be almost obsessed about seo and getting top google rankings for their sites and keywords without trying to build a sustainable long term business model. By long term business models i'm referring to list building, creating quality products which answer people's needs and problems, article syndication etc.

I am not trying to have a go at people especially newbie's, indeed i until recently was focussing too much of my attention on this method to generate traffic and revenue, only for penguin to cause my rankings and many many other's to drop off a cliff.

The point is i learned from that experience and have moved more into product creation, list building etc. to try and build a proper sustainable business model, but, other warriors some of whom have been here many years are still trying the same things.

To bring my point out even clearer there are some people who were doing well with seo pre panda/penguin, then lost their rankings almost overnight having used one seo provider, and then the provider shuts down for a time, re opens using "new methods" to rank and then same people are back again subscribing to the same providers service. I find that really strange, i mean surely that's a warning sign that this isn't the way forward in the long term. Does anyone here think that people should be made more aware about this, and to stop chasing a short term buck over long term sustainability and credibility, indeed why are some people doing this?
I am interested in other warriors views on this!
Kind regards Joel
#main internet marketing discussion forum #forum #obsessed #people #seo
  • N.B I think the title should have been - are some people on this forum obsessed with seo!
  • I think SEO is not a bad thing as such given you can find trustworthy provider. List building is alternative of course, but you need quite a big and responsive list to make good income. Product creation is important in any case, so it's not an alternative to SEO.
    • [2] replies
    • Thanks for your input, but my thoughts here are that seo just isn't a viable long term business model whereas list building, product creation etc. are. To put it into context i had a site where there was a $20 k deal resting on it retaining it's rankings which it had for a long time, and due to the penguin update it lost them suddenly overnight, so i lost the deal.
      Ultimately, had it kept it's rankings and the sale completed would it have been worth it? The answer is: short term - yes, long term - no, which is my exact point here, this isn't sustainable long term!

    • I also respectfully don't think you read my whole thread to be honest!
  • It depends...
    There are business models where SEO brings a long term income.. for example:
    You create sites, rank them, generate 3-6 month of income, sell it.
    That is a business model that is long term in my opinion.. you need to generate as much traffic as possible within a short time frame and with the least amount of money..
    • [1] reply
    • Welcome to the forum btw! That's a fair point and is a business model of sorts i guess. However, i am not convinced that this is a long term business model. For example, if you had spent those months of time, effort and money into let's say product creation and building a list in the process surely you're better off in the long run than building these sites up, selling them, hopefully realising a profit overall, but you now are left with nothing (apart from maybe some cash from the sale)!
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
      • [1] reply
  • lol I think of it as pretty wasteful, because you can easily
    do much more by mastering PPC. PPC attacks the paid ads,
    while SEO attacks the organic listings, both of which are
    on a targeted search engine listing page.

    SEO is a good venture if you really know what you're
    doing. If you're a total newbie, and can't even rank in a
    competitive niche within a week, then maybe you should
    switch to other types of methods like PPC/media buys
    which are far more newbie-friendly and less "volatile".

    Winston Tian
  • The trouble with seo is it can generally become all consuming taking up most of your time and you start to slightly obsessed about ranking for particular terms.

    I was very much like this when I first started out and many years ago you didn't have to worry so much about Google updates because they didn't happen that often and there would generally be a quick fix but as Google and algorithms are getting smarter it is getting harder to maintain a stable ranking.

    After being punished by a few updates in the past I have looked towards building traffic from many different sources such as youtube twitter Facebook and of course list building.

    Unfortunately it seems no matter how many times people tell you not to rely on one traffic source until you get caught out and lose a lot of your traffic you don't really listen and generally learn the hard way like I did.

    If someone had told me years ago that I wouldn't be using seo for my main traffic generation I would have laughed in their face as it was my main traffic source and I couldn't really see things changing.
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
    • [2] replies
    • Great post Rob thanks for setting it out as it truely is. The strange thing is like i said earlier there are some really experienced warriors who have used a big seo provider here, lost their rankings which he built artificially for them, and complained about it. He then shuts the service down, comes back with a "new way to rank" and the same people are back for more. I find this staggering, and for newbie's i certainly don't think the way to go!
      Great post though.
    • You have either learnt fast in your first month of joining this forum, or are an experienced marketer from before you joined. Either way i wish more people on this forum read your post and listened to it!
  • Banned
    Warriors putting too much value, time, and effort into a fickle traffic generation technique that is capable of wiping out their business at any moment because they put all their eggs in one basket? I've never heard of such a thing, and would certainly never accuse anyone of it. :rolleyes:.
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
    • [2] replies
    • Well, I do have reason to believe that people chase
      after SEO for reasons of feeling "accomplishment"
      for being on top of the world for a search result.

      It does feel pretty satisfying.



      Winston Tian
      • [1] reply
    • LOL great post Joe!
  • No. SEO is just another way to build a brand, reach new prospects and get conversions. Some people do more SEO than others, which depends entirely on what their business model is.

    Obsessed? I don't think so. SEO is a huge industry. People you described in the OP - they aren't SEO's. They're opportunists/backlink buyers. The same thing happens in every niche - PPC, media buys... there will always be people looking to make a quick buck (which almost never happens).
    • [2] replies
    • Your point is correct, i guess it depends how it is approached, however, there are many warriors who seem to spend most of their time and money on this, just waiting for a google update and bang they're back to ground zero again, not very smart. Even more scary is the experienced warriors who don't seem to learn, i wonder how much of it is ego!
    • Banned
      Some people are easily satisfied. Doesn't mean they're earning anything :rolleyes:. I feel "accomplished" every time I hit another 1,000 posts on here; but no one has sent me a trophy, or money. But yeah, that great feeling is all that matters .

      I'm surprised you don't see it as an obsession. I'm not saying that you personally are obsessed with it, you are one of the few in the SEO subforum that doesn't make me roll my eyes and sigh. But you see all the people that go in there screaming about zoo animals and how if they "just get to the top with a few 1,000 more backlinks" they'll be rich. They are definitely obsessed. The alternative would be to work.
      • [ 2 ] Thanks
      • [3] replies
  • Even google say you should let the search engines know what your page/site is about. Such as alt tags, title etc. Thats SEO.

    I think people get obsessed about SEO and over optimisation. Italics, bolding, etc. I think thats going too far now with the penguin. It doesn't look natural and google wants natural looking sites and natural looking SEO. Oh dear am I obsessing here...... :-)
    • [1] reply
    • You're right, google needs to know about your site/s for sure. However, outsourcing to seo providers to get them noticed by google fast, is more my point of issue, it just isn't the way to build a business, even if it works for some time!
  • Banned
    Affiliate Pro,



    Triple posts are very unbecoming .
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
    • [2] replies
    • You're right Joe, i didn't even notice i had done a triple post, i know how to use the multi quote button, but thanks anyway, and double thanks for your informative posts and setting things as they really are.
    • I'm always amazed at the hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars, not to mention energy and angst, people will spend in the pursuit of "autopilot free traffic.":rolleyes:

      And for those of you who see "autopilot" as the holy grail, I have two words for you...

      Payne Stewart

      (Google it if you don't know...)
  • Yes people are definitely obsessed with SEO. I mean look at the Warrior for Hire section on this forum, or hell even the Social Marketing section on fiverr. Countless threads and services DEVOTED to search engine optimization.

    What has surprised me is the amount of .edu link services that have popped up over the last year. It's like a select few get this idea on how to rank quickly and easily and then boom its all over the net.
  • Obsessive SEO is the result of lifetime newbies producing bad content. It's as simple as that. It's no secret that quality sites that have never had any "forced" SEO tend to make more money than operations where SEO is the centerpiece.

    Another thing is that "SEO experts" selling their services are basically the idiots of online business. That segment has a way of attracting those types for some reason. If I see an SEO offering in a sig, that person's credibility is pretty much blown to me.
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
    • [1] reply
    • Great post, all you seo sellers watch out then LOL. Seriously i agree with you though, harsh but true!
  • Here is a quick question....

    How many SEO companies would exist if they only relied on SEO to market their business?

    If the primary method of marketing for an SEO company is not SEO, that should give you something to think about.

    When you see the owner of a Ford dealership driving a Chevy doesn't that make you go...HUM.
    • [1] reply
    • [DELETED]
    • Not really... two entirely different things. You picked two totally random examples and somehow joined them together to make a completely illogical conclusion.

      It's like saying that all TV/cable channels should get their viewers through TV/cable ads. Makes no sense.

      Edit: here's another thing to consider... most companies look for ways to "increase business" or "get more visitors". They don't lurk on forum and don't know common terms, such as SEO. They would NEVER go to Google and type in "SEO company".

      Basically, it's just common business sense to go after high quality/high end clients in the more cost and time/effort efficient way. No different than ANY other business model or industry.
      • [2] replies
  • Hi Affiliate Pro,

    I used to be obsessed with it until I got the point that you can really bypass this obsession by producing good and relevant content etc! Nothing and no one is going to trick Google forever, nor should we! Plus, you will only grow your business gradually! I used to believe that writing articles and getting "backlinks" to them would help, but it was all wrong! That was a few years ago but things have changed- and are changing constantly!

    You are going to be better off concentrating on your client's needs and demands rather than Google's algorithms and "how to please" the mighty Google, because this won't happen! lol!

    To me SEO is a mix of many quality factors and it is NOT A RACE! :

    Hope this helps!

    Y.
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
    • [1] reply
    • Absolutely does, great post, and all newbies and indeed experienced marketers could do with reading this and stop trying to gamble their way to success, which i feel is what these "seo services" effectively are.
  • Banned
    Are some people on this forum too obsessed with how others choose to run their business?
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
    • [1] reply
    • Not really i'm sick and tired of people wasting time and money on this garbage without at least letting them know what they're getting in for, and that this is not the way to do things. I mean heck there are some "experienced" warriors in this thread holding onto the seo myth being the way to make money online and build a business. However, i can see your point, i'm just trying to help others not make the same mistakes that i and many others on this forum have fallen into in the past, and some still keep falling into.
  • I think alot of people on this forum is obsessed with SEO. Google is a monster, but i get good results with Yahoo and Bing. Alongside that, i also find ways to rank high in Google indirectly. Plus... SEO is just one aspect of my business. I have other traffic sources that bring in alot of visitors for me.
    • [1] reply
    • I'm glad you are not solely reliant on google for your traffic and business.
  • if seo is done effectively then it can yield long term results, I think google will change its ranking factors on a growing scale and you need to be one step ahead, personally I think you can still make good money with long tail keywords just depends on the market, or their are all ways new things coming to light.
  • Hey Joel,

    I know what you're saying. I poured my heart and soul into "good" SEO when I started out. Did everything right (or so I thought). Good content, good on & off page SEO then a friggin great big Panda came and sucker-punched me followed by a cute little penguin with a two by four!

    Weird thing is they've climbed back up to where they were before, if not higher in rank now. But I'm done leaving my livelihood in Google's hands. I mainly focus on list building and paid traffic now.


    Cheers,
    Michelle
    • [1] reply
    • Well done Michelle, i also poured everything into this only to get "penguined". This isn't the way forward.
Join the discussion

Next Topics on Trending Feed

  • 62

    Are some People on this forum too obsessed with SEO

    Hi fellow warriors i have been noticing that many people on this forum seem to be almost obsessed about seo and getting top google rankings for their sites and keywords without trying to build a sustainable long term business model. By long term business models i'm referring to list building, creating quality products which answer people's needs and problems, article syndication etc. I am not trying to have a go at people especially newbie's, indeed i until recently was focussing too much of my attention on this method to generate traffic and revenue, only for penguin to cause my rankings and many many other's to drop off a cliff.