By Stephanie Courtney

If you hated high school as much as the rest of us because it seemed that only the kids with flash and no substance got all the attention, then search engine optimization probably seemed like a homecoming you could only dream about. Face it; search engines became a beacon of marketing hope for those of us who have something to say rather than something to show. But, if the cold hard irony of search engine popularity is only beginning to dawn on you, it might be time to stop celebrating your Carrie-like triumph over image driven mediocrity and smell the SEO rank(ings).

LINK BUILDING – THE SAME OLD POPULARITY CONTEST

By Kristoffer Howes

Launching your website and embarking on a search engine optimization endeavor, is much like reliving your social interactions of school; specifically your High School social life.

Your pubescent self esteem and, in this instance, the success of your website; is based upon your popularity. On the Internet, this is said to be achieved by establishing meaningful links. In the eyes of Search Engines, these act as a vote and a means of measuring your credibility, and in turn; your popularity. Kind of a, “Yeah, I know him; he’s cool!” Here is where the plot thickens.

By Taylor Pratt

It seems like over the last year more and more posts have come out criticizing SEO, questioning the use of standards, and all in all, casting a dark cloud over the industry that so many of us have grown to love. I’ve stood up to fight in the pointless drama, but it seems like there will be an endless amount of posts as to the death and corruption of SEO. Allow me to light up the beacon of SEO freedom, and follow me to what the industry used to be, and still should be, regarded as.