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Is Overnight SEO Success Still Possible?
By Michael Pedone, (c) 2005 eTrafficJams.com

As the owner of a search engine optimization company, I have
seen the SEO industry evolve a great deal over the years but
never more dramatically than it is right now. Lately I have
noticed signs that the "free ride" of getting easy website
traffic from search engines is coming to an end. And that has
caused many optimizers and website owners to ask themselves,
"Is overnight SEO success still possible?"

In the early years (very early), it sure seemed like it was. One
could simply add a bunch of keyword meta tags and get almost
instant results. Then, meta tags were out and doorway pages were
in.

The next fad was links from any and all sites, the more the
better. When relevancy in links became a factor, many webmasters
rushed to get link scripts installed and set up link directories
with relevant categories.

Then content got a good run for a while. And most recently, text
link ads (paid links) became all the rage.

Paid Links: The Straw That Broke Google's Back?

As soon as link popularity became the holy grail of SEO and
webmasters began learning how to artificially increase it with
paid links, Google began working on filters to stop ranking
manipulation. It also seems to have inspired the rumored "aging
delay" in which new sites on newly registered domains face long
waits to get indexed by the grand daddy of all engines.

While catching cheaters is a good thing, a lot of legitimate,
quality sites are also getting caught up in Google's new
fishnet. There is plenty of grumbling among webmasters who
report waiting up to nine months to appear in the Google
rankings for even the most obvious keywords such as their
company name.

Yes, getting top rankings in Google is definitely a lot harder
(and slower) than it used to be. This is partly because more
sites are being indexed and the sheer volume of competition is
making it tougher to rise to the top. But that's only part of
the picture.

Google and the other engines are hellbent on preventing rankings
manipulation, and since they hold all the cards, we'd better
learn to play the game by their rules. And that, funnily enough,
could mean going back to some of the "no brainer" promotional
methods in use four or five years ago, when many of us took our
businesses online for the first time. Back then, we did things
like distributing articles and press releases and buying
classified ads in relevant publications – not for the incoming
links but for the visibility, traffic and credibility they
generated. It just made sense.

With overnight SEO success no longer possible, we as online
business owners/operators not only have to change our tactics –
we also need to adjust our expectations.

Keeping SEOs on Their Toes

Responsible and workable SEO these days means not wasting your
time or money trying to trick the search engines into ranking
you highly for keyword phrases that you have no business ranking
for in the first place. That's why it's so important before
signing on with any optimization company to discuss these new
expectations with them. You need to be an informed consumer
because there are still SEOs living in the (very recent) past
and still deeply committed to paid linking schemes, keyword
stuffing, etc.

Now more than ever you as an SEO client need to investigate the
optimization companies you're considering. That means pumping
them for details not just about their proven results but about
their methodology such as keyword selection and link popularity
before you pay the deposit.

Another reality check: SEO is going to be a tad more expensive
in this new world (unless you are among the few who have the
time, skills and resources to do it yourself). Reaching your
target audience with interesting and compelling information
about your industry is now the best way to achieve link
popularity. But it's definitely not as easy, fast or cheap as
buying 100 site-wide text link ads or swapping links willy
nilly.

If you don't have the resources to produce regular copy about
your business or industry, hiring an optimization company that
has content writers to do the research and writing for you is
probably your best bet. The benefits of greater link popularity
AND visibility will be worth it over the long haul.

In Conclusion...

SEO continues to evolve, which these days means we all need to
accept that getting top ten placements for competitive terms
will not happen overnight nor in one month or even two.

Your task as a responsible SEO consumer is to do careful due
diligence in selecting an optimization company. Be wary of any
SEO that offers a quick fix, uses dubious tactics, and
guarantees #1 rankings. Expect your optimization results to
improve gradually over time.

No, overnight SEO success is no longer a reality but don't let
that get you down. It's still worth doing... only now it's worth
doing well.

Anyway, the alternative – doing nothing – isn't really an
option. It reminds me of a saying hanging on the wall in my
karate class: "While you are sleeping, someone else is training
to kick your...."

I'll let you guess the rest.

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Michael Pedone is founder of eTrafficJams.com, a professional
search engine optimization company that specializes in getting
targeted, eager-to-buy traffic to your site. You can also catch
him blogging at: http://prs10.blogspot.com.
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