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SEO is A Lot Like Driving. . .

Guest post by: Lee Rostad

Article Overview: Just like driving a car, actually doing SEO isn't that difficult. Being able to do it well is a different story.

SEO is A Lot Like Driving. . .

SEO is a lot like driving, because it's not all that hard to do, but not a lot of people are actually good at it. Most people with driver's licenses probably took Driver's Ed first. But, just because they finished the classes doesn't mean their ready to drive in the Indianapolis 500. Similarly, while there's no shortage of SEO training classes available (just type "SEO" into Google and you'll get plenty of offers), just taking a class on it doesn't make you an expert.

Much like driving, being good at SEO takes practice, experience, and repetition. I'm relatively new to the SEO game, so I'm not exactly a champion just yet. But, I got my driver's license when I was 14*, and since then, because I've driven a lot^† and drive almost every day, I've become an excellent driver. There are plenty of ins and outs to driving that I was never taught in Driver's Ed, or by my parents, or by anyone at all really, that I've just sort of figured out over time and learned to do almost automatically-I'm sure your experiences behind the wheel are no different. And, with SEO, while I've been taught how to do it, and shown scads of tricks of the trade, there are still plenty of ins and outs that I'm picking up as I go.

A good friend of mine recently moved to New York City for a year. Because of the nature of the city itself, he either walked or took the subway everywhere. He said that, after he got there, he honestly didn't drive once in the whole year he was there. When he moved back, he told me he had almost forgotten how to drive and that it was probably pretty dangerous to ride with him for the first few weeks, while he readjusted to it. SEO is the same way: if you do it for a while, then stop for an extended period, you can't really just jump back in and expect to be a first-class SEO driver. The actual process of driving doesn't change much over a year, but you can forget the little things if you don't do them every day; SEO changes by the minute, so if you're out of the game for a while, when you come back you'll be jumping curbs and clipping other cars while parallel parking**. Whether you're in the driver's seat or slapping away on your keyboard, you've got to keep your skills sharp.

This blog could apply to a lot of things, of course-there aren't many things you get better at by not doing them. But, as SEO becomes more and more important to the way we do business, there are more and more people and companies trying to do it (for themselves or others) while essentially learning on the fly. And, a lot of these people end up doing a poor job and giving SEO in general a bad rap. I don't know very many people who would accept a ride from someone who hadn't driven before, but had "seen it done and taken a class," but plenty of businesses are willing to hire SEO firms that don't really have a lot of experience. While this probably won't lead to them flying headlong through a windshield, it's still not a very good idea.

A few hours in a classroom and maybe a book on the topic are not enough to make someone a good driver, and it's not enough to make someone (or their company) good at SEO, either. It takes practice, experience, and repetition. If you're going to go into the SEO business, work on your SEO skills as much and as often as you can, and soon, you'll get good at it (I got a lot of help, training, and lessons from others before I was really able to tackle solo projects). Or, if you're looking to hire someone to do SEO for you, make sure they've got plenty of experience and know what their doing. Because SEO is a lot like driving-it's not all that hard, but it's very hard to do well.

* You can do that kind of thing in North Dakota. It's not like there are a whole lot of things to run into.

^† By rough estimate, I'd say I've driven over three-quarters of a billion miles in my life. Give or take several hundred million.

** This is strictly metaphorical, of course. Unless you're really, really bad at SEO.

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Article Tags: SEO



Related Forum Posts
Re: What Do You Want To Be Taught? - Hi Jeff Thanks for this forum it is a big help. My biggest problem is very much like GT. Driving traffic to my website and getting more sales. MichelleJ


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