As a search engine optimization (SEO) consultant in Ft Myers, Florida I often find myself trying to explain exactly what it is I do. 2 years ago very few business men and women were familiar with the term, now however, at least in my sphere of influence, understanding and familiarity with SEO is definitely on the upswing with local entrepreneurs and companies that wish to keep abreast of the most recent trends in marketing. One of the best ways I’ve found to explain the SEO industry is through using analogies, giving clients a basic understanding of what I’m explaining without requiring a detailed, hour long explanation. That said, analogies generally fall short of conveying as clear an understanding as either party would like.
Several months ago I ran into an old friend, as we talked the conversation eventually came around to “what kind of work I was doing these days”, I explained I was an SEO consultant, what that meant, and who I did the work for. I went through my whole spiel while my buddy nodded his head and seemed to follow along … by and by we wished each other well and went our separate ways. That was 8 or 9 months ago …
Last Saturday the same friend showed up at my front door … he had a laptop tucked under his arm and looked concerned. I invited him in, poured him a cup of coffee, and we sat down to talk. He came to visit because he wanted me to REPAIR his laptop!!! 9 months previous I’d thought I’d given a reasonably detailed and concise explanation of what SEO is, complete with analogies, action verbs, and conjured up mental pictures … I didn’t just miss the bulls-eye, I missed the target completely!
He thought I was a computer repair guy!
After giving him the and number of a local business that could help him I, once again, endeavored to explain what search engine optimization is and why it is becoming so crucial to business owners. Instead of the quick version we went the long away around the subject. I explained…
On site optimization
Off site optimization
Link building
Blogging
Link bait
RSS feeds
Social media
Social bookmarking
Search engine algorithms
I’d intentionally stayed away from any analogies in favor of a more detailed, technical description of the work involved. Instead of trying to “dumb it down” for his benefit I gave it to him straight … and he got it. It felt good to have my friend understand and appreciate the myriad of complexities that make up my chosen discipline! What surprised me was that to confirm what he felt was an apt description of SEO … he threw an analogy my way … he stated …
What the horse whisperer is to the horse … you are to the algorithm! You’re an Algorithm Whisperer!
I had never thought of it that way! It seemed to fit! As a guy who likes analogies, and uses them often I thought that was a pretty good one! Today with the farmer update, the panda update, Google+1 fresh on the scene, and updates to the algorithm at least every other month it isn’t enough to know what the algorithm responded to 6 months ago … we need to discern or intuit that which will make a website rank 6 months from now! To pull this off we reverse engineer what has worked in the past, experiment with AND apply new techniques and strategies now, and network amongst ourselves to track results and determine what will be effective in the months to come.
WE ARE TUNED IN TO THE ALGORITHM, WE INTERPRET WHAT IT TELLS US, WE DO AS WE ARE TOLD!
Algorithm whisperer … I like the sound of that … an apt enough epithet to be certain that it is an analogy that I will be using in the future! What kind of analogies and/or anecdotes do you find useful in describing your trade/industry?
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