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Organic SEO -- What Does it Really Mean?
By Scott Buresh (c) 2006

When people refer to "organic SEO" (search engine optimization), 
they almost always use it as a blanket term to describe the 
unpaid, algorithm-driven results of any particular engine. 
However, a sophisticated search engine optimization company will 
often take the meaning of "organic" one step further. To such 
companies, the description of "organic SEO" is not limited to 
what shows up in the "natural" search engine results - it 
includes the methodologies used to achieve such rankings. 

There's more than one way to skin a cat (although I must admit 
that I don't know the one way that everyone else presumably 
knows), and the same is true for achieving natural search engine 
results. A search engine optimization company usually falls into 
one of two camps. A "White Hat" search engine optimization 
company will use a largely content-based approach and will not 
violate the terms of service of the major search engines. A 
"Black Hat" search engine optimization company will use a largely 
technology driven approach and often ignore the terms of service. 
Neither approach is invalid (as I have said many times before, 
there is nothing illegal about violating a search engine's terms 
of service), and both can achieve high rankings. But a search 
engine optimization company that takes the word "organic" 
literally believes that the "Black Hat" approach is anything but 
"organic SEO." 

Merriam Webster defines organic, in part, as "having the 
characteristics of an organism: developing in the manner of a 
living plant or animal." To a search engine optimization company, 
this definition accurately describes the approach taken to 
achieve long-lasting results in the "natural" section of search 
engines. 

Below are just a few comparisons of the different approaches 
taken by the two types of SEO firms. I refer to the two 
approaches as "organic SEO" and "artificial SEO" for the sake of 
clarity. 

Content vs. Technical Loopholes

There's an "old" saying in the SEO industry that "content is 
king." This is not necessarily true. In my experience, good 
content is king. Study after study has shown that when people use 
search engines, they are primarily seeking one thing: 
information. They are not seeking to be impressed by fancy flash 
sites. They are not looking for a virtual piece of art. A search 
engine optimization company that is truly practicing "organic 
SEO" recognizes this fact and will refuse SEO work when prospects 
insist that content addition is not an option. "Artificial SEO" 
firms, which embrace a technical loophole philosophy, will allow 
a company to leave its website exactly as it is, because the work 
that such firms do is largely technical and is designed to trick 
the engine into showing content that it would not otherwise. 
Certainly, there are acceptable (from the engine's standpoint) 
technical aspects that any good search engine optimization 
company will use, such as relevant page titles and meta tags. But 
there are many more unacceptable technical methodologies than 
acceptable ones, including cloaking, redirects, multiple sites, 
keyphrase stuffing, hidden links, and numerous others. A company 
practicing "organic SEO" will avoid these. 

Attracting Links vs. Linking Schemes

As any search engine optimization company knows, inbound links 
are critical to the success of an "organic SEO" campaign. But 
there are different ways to go about it. 

Firms that practice true "organic SEO" will look at the website 
itself and say "How can we make this site something that other 
sites would want to link to?" A search engine optimization 
company using "artificial SEO" will ask, "How can I get links 
pointing to this site without adding anything of value to it?" 
The latter approach usually leads to reciprocal linking schemes, 
link farms, the purchase of text links, and more - anything save 
for making changes to the website that entice others to link to 
the site without the link being reciprocated, without paying the 
website owner, or without asking "pretty please." 

There is a stark contrast between "organic SEO" and "artificial 
SEO." Of course, any decent search engine optimization company 
will make certain that a site is listed in all the popular 
directories, such as the Yahoo Directory, the Open Directory 
Project, and Business.com. A good search engine optimization 
company will also continually seek any industry specific 
directories where your site should be listed. But truly using 
"organic SEO" means evolving your site into something that holds 
actual value to your prospects. In my opinion, this is much more 
beneficial in the long run than the artificial methodology of 
trying to garner incoming links that the site does not truly 
deserve. 

Creating a Valuable Resource vs. Algorithm Chasing

Search engines change algorithms frequently, and for two reasons. 
One is, of course, to improve their results based upon their most 
recent user studies. The other, which is obviously related, is to 
remove sites that are ranked artificially high. Such updates 
raise panic in the SEO community - particularly among "artificial 
SEO" practitioners who have just discovered that their most 
recent and cherished trick no longer works (and may have gotten 
their clients' sites removed from the engines altogether). It is 
not uncommon on the search engine forums to see the owner of such 
a search engine optimization company threatening to "sue Google" 
over a recent update. Not uncommon, but always amusing. 

There is, with only a few exceptions, a common denominator in the 
websites that remain highly ranked throughout these algorithm 
shifts. They offer something of value to their visitors and are 
considered a resource for their industry. "Organic SEO" 
practitioners generally do not have to worry about going back and 
redoing work because of an algorithm shift. While an "artificial" 
search engine optimization company desperately tries to re-attain 
the rankings it lost for its clients (or to get the sites 
re-included in the search engine at all) because it was dependent 
on technical loopholes that have now been closed, "organic SEO" 
firms continue adding valuable content to a site, strengthening 
its value and bolstering its rankings. 

A common argument from companies when advised by "organic SEO" 
practitioners to take this approach is "we aren't trying to 
provide a resource for our industry - we are trying to sell 
products or services." This is, in my opinion, shortsighted. 
Remember, you are trying to reach prospects in all stages of the 
buying cycle, not just the low hanging fruit ready to buy now. 
Let your website be their resource to learn about your industry, 
rather than your overpaid salesperson. Prospects are very likely 
to call you when they are ready to buy - after all, you've done 
so much for them already! 

In addition, taking advantage of "organic SEO" to make your 
website an industry resource provides a tremendous natural boost 
to your rankings for your individual product or service pages. 
This means that with "organic SEO," you'll get the best of both 
worlds. You'll reach people early in the buying cycle, educate 
them, and steer them toward your solution by using your website 
instead of your sales personnel. You will also reach the low 
hanging fruit because your individual product or service pages, 
which are intended for people who are ready to buy now, will get 
a significant rankings boost. Learning from Engines vs. Learning 
How to Exploit Them 

As I have said many times before, search engines conduct very 
expensive and frequent studies on what their users want to see 
when they enter search queries. Obviously, no company has a more 
vested interest in serving up the type of results that their 
users want than the engines themselves. "Organic SEO" firms will 
take the "piggyback" approach. A search engine optimization 
company that uses "organic SEO" will try to learn what the 
results of these studies were by examining the sites that figure 
prominently in search engine results over long periods of time. 
In this way, the search engine optimization company is using 
"organic SEO" to make the website not only better for search 
engines, but also for the user- presumably, the engine's internal 
research has shown that these sites have what their users have 
consistently desired, study after study. "Artificial SEO" 
practitioners have no real interest in these studies - they are 
instead expending a great deal of energy finding the next 
technical loophole to exploit after their most recent one has 
failed. 

The latter approach can make results erratic, but it also raises 
a larger issue - the goal of the campaign. If an "artificial" 
search engine optimization company finds a temporary loophole in 
an algorithm that brings your site to the top, but does not take 
the time to delve into the user experience once a user gets to 
the site, it will defeat the original purpose. You may get plenty 
of visitors, but a large percentage of these will be short-term 
visitors who do not find what they want on your site and back out 
without a second thought. The search engine optimization company 
did not "piggyback" on the engines' research to learn what type 
of content users wanted to see when they entered their query. 

"Organic" Revisited (AKA "One Step Too Far")

A search engine optimization company that takes a true "organic 
SEO" approach will actually take the Merriam Webster definition 
literally. A good website does have the characteristics of an 
organism and does develop in the manner of a living plant or 
animal. It builds upon itself. It learns how it should behave for 
its own benefit. Most importantly, it establishes its territory 
at the top of the search engine results. And as the organism 
thrives, artificial machine after machine fades into 
obsolescence. 
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Scott Buresh is managing partner of Medium Blue Search Engine 
Marketing, an Atlanta-based company that works with clients all 
over North America. His articles have appeared in numerous 
publications, including SiteProNews, ZDNet, WebProNews, 
MarketingProfs, DarwinMag, PromotionData, Search Engine Guide, 
and SEO Today.
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