WPW Members and their SEO Skill Level

[fulleffect]

Hi Everyone,

No matter what questions we ask here on WPW, mostly all answers are very thorough and good quality.

But it gets you thinking sometimes, without certified qualifications for our industry (SEO) as aposed to a Doctor for example, how do we know if those members answering our questions are qualified enough?

Therefore the only way to answer this, is to "put your money where your mouth is", so to speak.


I think one of the ways to show people how good you are at SEO, is to showcase your sites you are optimising and their position in Google. It would be good to see everyone's hard work and how well they are currently doing.


If you don't feel like sharing with the community at this point, don't........maybe you might next time.


Thanks & I look forward to seeing the results!
Daz

[ctabuk]

Interesting question. Unfortunately my keyword results are too large to post here - but I learned how to create 700plus keyword combinations from one site (I have 7 in total) all on page one or two on all the major SE's and I am not an SEO - I am a marketer - but by learning from the wonderful SEO's here in WPW I have not had to advertise in 6 years. I cannot name them as it would appear as favouritism from a moderator. But suffice it to say that if I had not joined WPW I would never have learnt what I have achieved.

The site I refer to is www.counciltenantsmortgages.co.uk - a showcase in the UK Mortgage Market - which is as dead as a dodo right now

[inertia]

I just stretched my legs a bit and wandered over to the digital point forum for the first time. I must say I was very disappointed. First post i got some "seo" calling me a "noob" due to a simple snap judgement i made about paid links (it turned out the links were generated by the free server provider). If the situation had arisen on this forum i have no doubt that someone would have politely corrected me, which i would have appreciated!

One thing i know about my SEO skills is that i dont know everything, by a long shot! SEO knowledge for me comes down to experience. You encounter a problem or situation and resolve it. When it comes up again, you know what to do. This is the same for SERPs, when you do something that works you mentally index it and progress.

fulleffect, the reputation score is supposed to be an indication of SEO prowess but it doesnt get used as much on here as it does on other fourms. I get the feeling that some SEOs wouldnt want to post about client success. Maybe im wrong though????!

Originally Posted by ctabuk

But suffice it to say that if I had not joined WPW I would never have learnt what I have achieved.

At this point id just like to say thankyou to this forum for being my guiding light for the last few years. Since joining i have progressed in my industry and have recently secured myself a new seo position which is a lot more lucrative!

May our progression continue!

[kgun]

No, not quite a fair comparison. The best SEO specialists may be so clever that they have not worked on their own site for years.

1. SEO is hard business as usual: Global resources for webmarketing, branding and digital ad at AdSchoolworld.com
2. SEO is art and sience: Ad-University: The art and science of web marketing and digital branding

I am a content writer and site owner.

[Ne0]

I'll add this... when working for clients and signing NDA's we're not allowed to discuss any of our sites and or positions. In all reality if you hired an SEO firm to get you to #1 (or more importantly to help you convert views into sales) would you then want that firm to go on a public forum and post what they've done to attain their position? I'd venture to say no... We do speak vaguely about our tactics on SEO 101 - I will say this all of our clients have been to the front page

db

[crankydave]

Originally Posted by fulleffect

Hi Everyone,

No matter what questions we ask here on WPW, mostly all answers are very thorough and good quality.

But it gets you thinking sometimes, without certified qualifications for our industry (SEO) as aposed to a Doctor for example, how do we know if those members answering our questions are qualified enough?

Bottom line is, you don't. A forum has the advantage of a very diverse number of perspectives and as such, a diverse number of answers/suggestions/comments/observations etc. It's incumbent to do your due diligence. Not only on forums but for any decisions you may make regarding your site/business.

I don't think anyone should automatically dismiss, nor should they automatically accept.

By trade, I'm a jeweler.

Dave

[activeco]

Speaking of "putting your money where your mouth is", a good bet would be here.

[crankydave]

Interesting list activeco.

Having had a "relationship" with one of the companies on that list for nearly 4 years, recently severed, I'd have to wonder and question the criteria being used to make the list in the first place.

Goes to my initial post of not automatically dismissing nor automatically accepting. Do your due diligence.

Dave

[Tubby]

I think WPW has a lot more diversity than simply SEO. . I have seen instances in past posts where someone was diligently optimising a site for better traffic and conversion. Advise offered was simply that he could sell more directly through eBay. Not directly SEO advise, but a recommendation based on a WPW users experience.

Web pro word does have a excellent diversity of users, there must be a millions hours of experience among our members, experts on things like affiliate marketing, AdSense, graphics, design, marketing, copy writing, the list is endless. (even jewelers that have a ton of experience selling on the net)

My thinking is, the better advise goes to those that frame the question best. I think between the combined WebProWorld members it is quite possible to collect advise that would be very expensive to buy (sometime impossible).
Who asks the question, How the question is phrased, and the perceived intention of the question all make a difference to the quality of the answer.

Dave is correct, 'Do your due diligence' - I would ad - Due your due diligence before posting the question.

Not all questions are equal We have a forum for ebusiness professionals. pointing a question at only one aspect only can limit the response.

[incrediblehelp]

Originally Posted by activeco

Speaking of "putting your money where your mouth is", a good bet would be here.

I dont agree with that list at all. I have seen some agencies appear on there that are down right horrible at what they do.

[fulleffect]

Thanks for everyone's replies. Very interesting comments!

I didn't realise posting a client site, with keyword and google position for that keyword would have gone against a NDA.


I browse around a lot of SEO forums, but WPW is the best by far for a number of reasons, i think i'll be around for a long time to come! ....and i hope in the future i'll be able to share my experiences and not ask so many questions! lol



Thanks again
Daz

[Feydakin]

Originally Posted by fulleffect

But it gets you thinking sometimes, without certified qualifications for our industry (SEO) as aposed to a Doctor for example, how do we know if those members answering our questions are qualified enough?

Doctors get sued for malpractice, architects and engineers are sued all the time for buildings and bridges collapsing..

A degree or certification does not mean that you get value for the service you pay for..

[Lorel509]

I have several clients that rank in top 10 for most of their major keywords and all of those take my advice re adding original content to their websites frequently and actively pursue a marketing plan. Those that do nothing see their sites shrivel up and blow away.

I'm so busy I rarely have time to work on my own site. My site is so outdated I'm listed in websites that suck (I need to remember to thank them for the link). I have a new design set up last year but it would take me a week to update my design and I just don't have the time. however i do rank in the top 10 for any keyword phrase I actively pursue and I'm so busy I turn down several jobs per week, so the design of my site isn't that important.

The best way to see if a SEO is qualified is to inform yourself on what good SEO entails and then check out some web designers who claim to offer SEO. If they are guaranteeing a #1 ranking look elsewhere.

If you can read code check out a few sites they have designed. Even though the design/layout may look fantastic if they are using technology that cripples the site from being properly indexed it will never rank well.

Anybody can pay for certification so that is not a good measure.

I agree with whoever said that SEO requires experience. Hard knocks produce wisdom, usually.

[Peter (IMC)]

After doing SEO from my home about 5 years ago, then starting a company about 3 years ago and having created jobs for now 14 people, now with about 120 active clients and about 150 seo and PPC projects, I consider myself reasonably experienced. As mentioned above, showing of client sites isn't always a good thing. And even without NDA's, you really don't want a client to call you one day upset about sharing one of his marketing strategies with the world. A competitor might get ideas and do the same thing.

Experience is one thing, but keeping up with developments is as important. Forums are a great way to keep up. Also it is important not to get arrogant about your own capabilities. There's always more to learn and participating in forums is a great way. There is always a question that makes you think about new things, new strategies, etc. Arrogance will stop you from learning and so you'll always have to be open to talk about things and learn new things.

It's like trying to come up with a good idea for a marketing campaign. You can sit down behind your pc, and think, and think, but you won't come up with any great ideas. You can take a long walk through the woods, hoping that great ideas come up that way, but all you'll come up with is muscle pain in your legs the next day. What does work is to put 5 people in one room, and to just talk, with just one rule. Say what ever comes up in your mind. You write everything down on a white board, and after an hour or so you'll have 3 great ideas that you can develop.

Forums work in a similar way.

Marketing and medicine aren't really comparable I think. In marketing you have to test everything and make mistakes in order to improve. That's not really a good strategy when you´re a doctor and want to cure a patient...


And to add to that, I write a newsletter, and coming up with things to write about isn't as easy as it seems. Participating in forums helps a lot to come up with ideas.... inspiration comes from outside, not inside.

[Duncan Pollock]

Perhaps I can be permitted to offer one of my favourite sayings as a way to compliment -- and confirm the know-how of -- the numerous gurus who post to this forum:
"An expert knows enough to know that he/she will never know it all."
From my own standpoint, WPW has taught me to earn an encouraging presence on the search engines, such that I really need no other means of bringing business my way. It hasn't happened quickly, but the last five years or more have made me a decided beneficiary of the wisdom and advice that's so often available here.
A tip of my hat to WPW is all that's needed. Demanding proof of the pudding isn't necessary or indeed "de rigeur." The soundness of the advice is obvious in the wording of the worthwhile posts themselves.

Duncan