On SEO
Anyone who has read our Sixth Age of Web Copy article might detect a hint of cynicism for the search engine optimisation industry. I'd like it on the record that I'm a believer in good SEO and what it can do. In fact, some of my best friends are SEO bods ... but writers do tend to mix with all sorts. However, people who think a little SEO will cure all their searchability ills are quite often missing a fundamental point – and certain ostensibly legitimate SEO sellers might not be filling them in. Let's use an analogy.
A degree of comparison
Not so long ago, probably in the 1980s and into the 1990s, a degree was seen as a great achievement in the British education system, and virtually guaranteed a job. Over the intervening years, however, a university education and a degree at the end of it became almost normal (to the point where we now have a shortage of plumbers). Employers started to become inundated with applications from graduates, until jobs right down the payscales in most large companies were advertised at people with 'good' degrees or postgraduate qualifications. A degree in itself has ceased to be a useful measure of talent or education.
An optimised internet
What does this have to do with SEO? The answer is that search engine optimisation has now reached the stage where it is simply considered normal. Using the degree analogy, it's a 2.2 level of web searchability. Level 2.2 optimisation might mean that your website meets the minimum criteria for appearing on search engine results pages (i.e. not being blacklisted or ignored completely), but that does not automatically mean you'll be anywhere near the first few pages in a competitive market. But the whole point of optimisation is to rise above your competition. If the other players in your field have better optimisation than you, you might as well not have optimisation at all.
The modern white-hat to the rescue
Ever since optimisation became a factor in searchability and ultimately sales, optimisers have been split into the white hats and the black hats (named for the clichéed millinery tastes of good guys and bad guys in Westerns). In the past the black hats were responsible for the link farms, the spamming and, well, the getting innocent SEO clients banned from search engines; the white hats tried their best to keep everything legitimate, effective and as 'internature' intended. I would like to think that by and large, the worst black hats and their dubious techniques have passed into memory as organisations get a little more net savvy. But what we have now is a situation whereby content – any content – is being uploaded onto the net simply because it will be found by search engines. It may contain scant information but it's largely a bunch of keywords stitched together with nouns, verbs and adjectives. It does not intend to provoke, entertain, inform or persuade. And it probably takes five minutes to write 300 words of it. Modern white hats – and there are many of them about – use proper copywriters and treat all web copy as a sales opportunity for the client.
Move up from SEO 2.2
Today's SEO First Class Honours might end up being tomorrow's 2.2, such is the way internet search is constantly improving. Maybe in ten years I'll be writing about the 16th age of web copy. But one thing is sure – as long as human beings are the intended target of your website, you underestimate the value of good copy at your peril.
C.H. 7/8/2010