SEO (Search Engine Optimization) can help businesses grow. It has the power to change the fate of an online presence and the ability to do the marketing version of moving mountains. But, done incorrectly or without understanding, it can plunge a site into obscurity and have enormous negative impact. That’s a good start for wanting to make “SEO” a dirty word.

One would think that a discipline with that kind of power would be regarded with respect. Yet newbies are adopting this profession with the amount of time and expertise it takes to get a fishing license, wait it’s harder to get a fishing license than it is to call yourself an SEO (or Search Marketer or Social Media expert, add online marketing profession here.)

Here’s a top 5 list of things that DON’T make an individual an online marketing professional, yet it’s the very same list that is prompting the out-of-work, needing-a-new-career, want-to-make-the-easy-money crowd to declare themselves such:

1) I know what a title tag is.

Good for you. So does anyone whose attended an online marketing course or read a blog post on the topic.

2) I have a Twitter account with 500 followers.

Having followers does not a social media strategy make.

3) I have a soccer blog with ranking for the search term “adidas power driver A-6 Model 14.”

Who cares? No one is searching on those terms.

4) I’ve been to a search marketing conference.

Just because you’ve paid $299 to attend an educational event doesn’t mean your ready to hang out your shingle.

5) I don’t have to have credentials to say I’m an SEO (social media marketer, PPC specialist, add any online discipline here.)

True, but the people who pay you to help them are going to expect results.

There is some agreement about what an SEO Strategist is (search marketer, SEO professional, we can’t even agree on the title of this position). I asked a handful of online marketers their opinion and though answers varied, there were some commonalities. Thank you to friend and SEMpdx colleague, Todd Mintz for his list that provided framework for the discussion. Here are his Top 5 of What Makes an SEO:

1) Perception: Search Marketing isn’t learned in a classroom…it’s learned in the real world. The ability to take concepts / theories and know how to apply them the very fluid world of the SERPS is essential to success. Though there were many definitions provided in my survey of “What makes an SEO” the one constant was that everyone agreed that the classroom alone doesn’t define an SEO.

2) Judgment: A search marketer has the ability to wield significant influence over the fate of a business. Don’t try tactics that could damage the website and don’t take gigs where your skills aren’t good enough to help

3) Honesty / Directness: Can’t say it any better than this Spare the Rod, Spoil the Client.

4) Community: Gone are the days where a search marketer can function as a lone wolf. They need to have the ability to tap into peers / colleagues to facilitate their online aims.

5) Metrics: Search Marketers need to speak the language of business (Sales / Leads / Revenue / Profit Margin / ROI). Geekspeak (e.g. Rankings) doesn’t help a business owner pay their bills nor does it provide any justification for the search marketer’s fee.

Online Marketing can include a lot of disciplines. In Adam Audette’s post, Small and Nimble Trumps Big & Slow in SEO he proposed that Search is such a big topic that someday we may see consultants/agencies that perform just one aspect of search (his example was SEO/SEM Audits), but there are many elements that require a skill set specific to that topic; including PR, content development, on page optimization, conversion and landing page optimization, usability, analytics and social media. This reality of search depth and the need for specialties within the discipline of search is another thing business owners will be challenged to understand when choosing a consultant or agency:

So where do we start to repair the image of search? Some of the responsibility lies with the search community. Creating expectations will allow the aspiring SEO to have a set of standards to achieve before defining themselves as an SEO. Here is a starter list of expectations for entry.

1) First you have to provide value. This is a relatively new discipline so your clients expect you to learn more over time. However, if you’re using your clients money to finance your education, you’re doing them and yourself a big disservice.

2) Specify your services. Business owners new to online marketing may assume that we all have the same skills. If you’re a content developer, make it clear what services you’re offering so the client understands what their getting.

3) Create expectations for performance. Online marketing, especially SEO, can have varying results and it is not a one to one discipline. That said, it is your professional responsibility to create expectations and achieve performance for your customers. It is exactly this issue that has given the term “SEO” a bad name and made it a dirty word.

This is a topic being addressed at search conferences and on search blogs. Whether you’re a business owner wanting to learn about search best practices or a fledgling wanting to establish yourself, participate in the conversation and that starts with listening. Challenge yourself to spend a few hours a week just listening, then start asking questions. Here are a few great resources to follow before defining next steps:

*SearchEngineLand

*BruceClay

*SEORoundTable

*SEOmoz

*Jill Whalen’s High Rankings

*Mashable

You’ll find the search community to be a network of exceptionally bright people very willing to share. Search for experts in the field and learn from them. One of my favorite comments about this issue came from Rand Fishkin at last year’s SearchFest, be adaptable. Fishkin also shared research at SMX Advanced this year in a preso titled, “Google’s Ranking Signals: Data Correlation vs. Expert Opinion.” This piece shared ranking factors from data correlation and opinion from 70 top experts outlining specific elements of unique content, trust authority and link popularity and how they affect ranking, but part of his presentation was about the future of ranking signals. The Google algorithm will change, SEO strategies and tactics will change, the online landscape will change, business community and online marketers alike are living and dying by their ability to adapt and overcome.

Lisa Barone wrote a piece for Outspoken about Google’s “profiling” of SEO’s. There is controversy over the search profession for good reason. It’s a relatively newer discipline, there are a lot of terrible, even harmful practitioners, it’s as much art as it is science and even Google eyes it with a fair amount of suspicion because there are practitioners who try to “game” the algorithm rather than help Google provide what’s most important to all of us-exceptional, relevant results for a search query. We can change the word to “Findability Strategist” or “Search Specialist” or “Online Marketer”, but in the end “SEO” done well, whatever its’ name, matches a product or service to it’s target market.

The responsibility, though, doesn’t solely lie with SEO professionals. That responsibility for success also lies with the business owner. When people share horror stories about a bad SEO experience, it generally starts with, “I paid this guy $199 to get me to page one of Google for the word ’shoes.’” No offense meant, but don’t be an idiot. As a business person, you need to do your due diligence before hiring anyone to contribute to your business goals. First make sure that this SEO has references, make sure they have a track record of success and if it sounds to good to be true it probably is.

Search queries are the technology-driven version of marketing and advertising. The traditional marketing mix of Price/Product/Placement/Promotion is still relevant and online marketing has it’s own version of the 4 P’s. They may be different strategist to strategist, as long as the end result is a recipe that works. Call it what you want, make it a dirty word, SEO (at least for now) is an important part of the online marketing mix. Whether or not it stays a dirty word depends on what we as marketers and business owners do with it.

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