So it's 2013 and SEO is changing drastically. 8 years ago, one could get page for competitive keyword on the 1st rank in SERP with a single XRumer blast, it's far from that nowadays. SEO is a big thing, optimizers can get much money optimizing sites if they know what they're doing. About 1-2 years ago the number of "seo experts" has skyrocketed. Why? People in 2013 still buy Scrapebox, download crappy AA lists with high OBL and blast backlinks on money site. People still claim outdated formulas that worked 5 years ago, are still relevant, but it's not the case. I was added by a friend to Skype group about SEO. I got a friend request from someone there and I accepted. In few minutes, the guy asked me what is Tier 1 of link scheme and how to make Tier 2. Of course it's just a newbie trying to learn, I was glad to help with all the most basic questions he had. Than it hit me... I checked out his Skype profile and it said: "For PROFESSIONAL SEO services, contact me". What? He sells "PROFESSIONAL" SEO services and doesn't know what Tier 1, OBL, keyword density and other basic things are. After some talk he said he has a customer and needs to rank a website for 15 keywords. I was amazed how the guy claims to be some kind of professional after literally learning SEO for 15 days. Thing is, he went on Freelancer on WTB thread and signed up for a job to rank site for 15 competitive keywords. Everyone knows how much work does it require for doing such a big job, legit sellers all gave their price of few 1000$ for such a job, but this newbie came and offered his job for 100$ without knowing how to do the basic SEO stuff. People get scammed daily by false experts with Scrapebox, EVERY affordable SEO service is CRAPPY SEO service. There is a reason big companies pay 10k+$ monthly for professional work and they don't buy services on Fiverr
There are lots of so called "expert" who knows nothing about SEO and just take the money and spend on few fiverr gigs and tell bye bye to your website! I've heard so many cases... I respect them you know why! They have the talent to persuade people and RIP them off the smart way!
So you would respect people that rip off Business owners who through their naivety (or lack of knowledge) about what good SEO and bad SEO is make the mistake of paying charlatans to perform a service that is advertised as good for their website then do you? Me I resepct the business owners that out such rip off merchants to make it that much harder for them to go around ripping folks off. I am now going to do something I very rarely do online. Swear! That is really f**king evil as people are trying to make a living and SEO is hugely important to a proper buisnesses website and not something to take lightly nor do incorrectly taking risks with peoples livelihoods and IMHO you ought to grow up and change your attitude and what you resepct. It's not smart to rip people off, smart is achieving word of mouth advertising from doing a good job for someone, providing a quality service or product.
Well, I easily can recognize if someone is ''expert'' or not, in area that he thinks that he is expert.. When someone put $100 service that costs much more something stinks for sure...When I hire someone, I check everything and I really really mean everything. I would probably feel so stupid when I would say that I'm an expert when I'm not.. I'm not an expert in SEO and I don't like SEO and I had a chance to do it but I didn't..For the past five years, I'm avoiding SEO, always pay someone to do it...
The beauty of world is that evil people will keep making their living using so called their "smartness" but they are not aware of digging a big hole where they will fall and never come out of it!
The main issue with SEO is : Customers don't really know what is it, they have a blurry vision. It's a trendy word, they know it's useful but they don't really know how to judge if you did a good job or not. The other issue with SEO and why we have those self-proclamed experts / professionals whatever they are calling themselves : SEO is way too accessible. Anyone can be a SEO consultant within few months, and a top notch SEO in less than 2 years. Most of SEO consultants (even the real one, with lot of experience, and they know what they are doing) don't have a degree related to SEO. Being a self-proclaimed developer or designer expert is way more complicated. A trendy word, an accessible topic, an easy way to spoil people this is way...You won all those retarded calling themselves " SEO EXPERT " after reading a book about SEO...
yes, i used to know alot about SEO before the panda and penguin appear but they have no choice if seo is a bout link building then we are all seo expert then. They have to make it harder so then they can show that they are very unique and valuable. It makes me wanna crack my head harder to break their code.
@weightp What you need is a "Syrch Oracle" So you can see how Larry's Paje Ranc (er sorry Page Rank) works Perhaps this will help > You can see the algo works on a "loop" system based on the "Ten" number...
Right on point - this guy gets it. This is exactly the problem - the massive communication barrier. Speaking of which - the OP, you talk about professional SEO services yourself and helping out 'newbs' - yet you are a total blackhat. XRumer, Scrapebox, spinners, ect. - what are you playing at? That is not SEO, that is a joke. To teach it to new people is insulting to me. It is because of people like you that we have all these jokers thinking they can just flip a switch, create some links and win - and screwing clients over who then fear ethical SEO practices for the next decade. @Revelations, REALLY!? You think that they base their search algorithm on that in some way? I am seriously just appalled at this. They have hundreds of criteria changing all the time. On average they run over 300 live sample tests every year with the algorithms, none of which are ever made public because of the idiot blackhats who will use it game the system. The fact that you mention Page Rank and claim to be a successful SEO is proof positive you know very little. Page rank is one of the least considered factors in the algorithm, and 'unlocking it' would prove absolutely useless. In fact I can save you the time... page rank was just a measure of link metrics. If PR8 page links to PR1, it is a vote of confidence to the PR1 site, raising their page rank slightly. It's so basic and easy to understand that blackhats understood and completely manipulated it to the point of actually having sites with 'Fake PRs' (sites known to have PR links generated from other spoofed high PR sites). For several years now, Google has barely taken PR into account if at all - it is completely useless for SEO. Sorry for all the negativity, I am just seriously amazed at the 'knowledge' people drop. I think I'll switch off this forum topic, it's too depressing Sigh.... SEO PROFESSIONALS NOWADAYS....
'Krisism, yeah REALLY!? You really need to lighten up don't be daft dopey (get a sense of humour) it's just got clues in how it works it's not the maths systems they use to base it on as in the algo's, that would be daft to think, though they would be in there to if you could read it. But it's not worth seeing anyway as the Google likes thing mentioned in it has no bearing on things now does it. I myself stick to not worrying about such daft things as PR. It was wightp who mentioned wanting to know about a formula btw. Good SEO is as we know about providing thebest most relevant results or at least it should be...
I'm far from blackhat SEO on my 10+ websites, all I'm saying that 8 years ago you could run XRumer for 2 days and make instant money. I never even used spun content to build Tier 1 links on my websites. I own Scrapebox yes and few other softwares, but I use them for scraping and analytic purposes mostly. Only blackhat techniques I use, are for marketing purposes and don't leave footprints for my sites. All I was saying is, every "SEO expert" who wants to offer legit services, must have first hand experience. But most of them don't and after their client's fresh website does the Google dance, they open useless threads like "Why my site got from #8 in SERP to nowhere". 90+% of noobs on Fiverr don't even know the importance of anchor diversity and they still think meta keywords are very important onsite SEO factor.
Hi MQSS, I agree that in the past you may have found an easy route to ranking with automated software, but it has always been a tug of war between blackhats and search engineers. A new blackhat software is released, then a new algorithm update to combat it, followed by a blackhat software update, and so on. It's been happening for years never allowing any black hat 'best practices' to take place. That is why black hat is notoriously a risky game involving high turnover. How do I know this? I too explored the black hat world years ago to better grasp the understanding of this tug-of-war. I own scrapebox and used it over a few weeks to see exactly what search engineers have to combat. However, I think they all have very little use in ethical SEO - and for analytical purposes there is much better (whitehat) software that doesn't have to hide and run through proxies. Tier 1 links are part of a link pyramid, based on PR-centric outdated thinking - that is something I don't understand why you would teach to a new person, as it will lead them down a path of dangerous thinking. You started this topic and I immediately related to it - we obviously agree that there are too many people calling themselves SEO professionals. I think there is an opportunity to change it but it starts at the educational level, both to clients and so called 'SEO professionals.' What defines an expert in SEO these days is not, 'how to build a link,' or 'how to follow a checklist anyone can find a follow' - it is their ability to truly understand the industry and be able to adapt with it as a result. Someone who knows how to create a mutually beneficial experience for users and search engine spiders, in a way that creates confidence for clients and not risk.
I read somewhere that 95% of SEOs have no idea what they're doing. 4% are following a dumb blueprint that gets them weak inefficient and over optimised results - but they're still getting results! and 1% are actually killing it and doing extremely well ranking for insane searches and having huge clients. Interesting to think about...
Disclaimer: I've only been doing SEO for 9 years, so I don't consider myself an "expert". The original poster is correct — the internet today is overrun by self-proclaimed SEO "experts", most of whom are spouting advice that worked 5-10 years ago, but not so well (or not at all) now. This forum is similar. Five years ago you could get some amazing and accurate SEO advice here from such as the late Dan Schulz, Minstrel, SSandecki, and others. Nowadays, I cringe at much of what is written in many threads here, allegedly as good SEO practices. If you want good SEO advice, check out the blogs and websites of people like Rand Fishkin (seomoz.org), Jill Whalen, and some of their peers who are often found as featured speakers and panelists at major SEO conferences.