Lessons From An SEO Diva

Posted at October 16, 2009

Bonnie Burns, my Director of SEO came up with an idea for a great article years ago – Confessions Of An SEO Drama Queen. It was a lot of fun and people really liked it.

So I was thinking what if we did something like that again and turned it into a series of articles? Now I am not a drama queen (really I’m not) but I do fancy myself a Diva, so from here forward I’ll be sharing the Lessons from an SEO Dive and Diary of SEO Diva. My goal is to provide insight into what it’s like to be in the Search Industry and share thoughts about changes, opinions about strategies and more.

I suspect that my partner in crime – Bonnie, the SEO Drama Queen may jump in with her own thoughts and stories.

The goal is to keep you informed and hopefully entertained.

So to get things rolling, like any good Diva, I need to start by talking about shoes.

Shoes are a thing of beauty – an accessory that make an outfit go from looking OK to looking fab. I’m short, so getting jacked up in some high heels can definitely make a big difference. But the high heels and the pointy toes aren’t always that comfortable. It’s the age old hardship of women, sacrificing comfort for beauty.

Men, don’t let your eyes glaze over here – I may be talking shoes but I am going to get to some marketing lessons very soon.

So I have my beautiful shoes, I have my comfortable shoes and I have my beautiful AND comfortable shoes (the Holy Grail of shoes!). Depending where I am going I decide do I need to look great and forget comfort, or can I get away with comfort (not all comfortable shoes are ugly – but my comfiest ones are no fashion statement for sure).

OK, so the dilemma here is: do I go for comfort or for the WOW factor?

When it comes to SEO for site owners, they have the same decision.

Do they want the comfort of not spending money, not taking chances and not risking anything or do they shoot for the dazzle and take a chance that they may get a little uncomfortable in the process.
In this analogy the dazzle or WOW factor is getting the site optimized for both marketing and SEO.
It may be a little uncomfortable – deciding to part with money is difficult (even when it’s a good decision, it’s still a hard decision), especially for small business owners. But “no pain no gain” comes to mind here. Without taking a chance and shaking things up – you will continue to be comfortable but you won’t get the WOW factor.

So c’mon – take a look in your closet and decide, do you want the Manolo Blahniks or the Keds?

Now take a look at your business – do you want the WOW factor (which translates to more exposure and increased business) or do you want the comfort and the known?

Jenn Horowitz

Director of Marketing and Self Proclaimed SEO Diva