Take Rand and SEOMoz, for example. As popular as the guy’s blog is, you’d think he was Danny Sullivan’s firstborn. You’d also think that he must be raking in the dough. Well, if he is, he’s doing it elsewhere. The whole “no secrets” motto kind of backfires when you post an estimate of annual earnings everyone sees how little you make. Someone out there is going to kiss some butt over how wonderfully transparent SEOMoz has been, but to those of us not posturing ourselves to advance through his good graces, it’s just a clever marketing ploy. Disclosure is his niche. It’s how he’s going to make a name for himself in the space. Politicians do the same thing. Everyone has an angle.

Half of the responses I read to my article last year were extremely defensive, and the other half found it in themselves to admit to at least some level of agreement. The article was misunderstood, however, if it was taken to mean that I disapprove of all SEO firms. In order to be “fair and biased” (quote from Randy Galloway), let’s divide SEOs into four primary categories:

• the SEO Blogaholic – this person has dedicated his or her life to blogging about SEO in order to establish street cred within the industry. They build a community of such blogaholics where they regurgitate each other’s thoughts to death. You can fill your feed reader with 50-100 worthless SEO blogs. Or, you can save yourself some time and subscribe only to the top 12 and simply read the endless train of comments people post in response to each one.
• the SEO Worker Bee – this person has dedicated his or her life to building a business by results to each client and finding innovative ways to improve accessibility and visibility. The Worker Bee flies under the radar. They may become well known, but they don’t devote their lives to being famous SEO bloggers. Company examples would include iCrossing and iProspect on a large scale and our own beloved Vizion Interactive on a smaller scale.
• the SEO BlogBee Hybrid – this person has dedicated his or her life to building a legitimate SEO business, with the added intention of drawing new business through a successful SEO blog. Rand Fishkin was definitely one of these until he recently announced a major shift in the way his company will do business. WeBuildPages is another example of the BlogBee Hybrid, though one might argue that his SEO reputation preceded his blogging success. Each case is unique. It’s a chicken/egg dilemma that must be answered on an individual basis.
• the SEO Scam Artist – this is a very broad category for the people who throw up smokescreens to hide the mysterious ways they really make their money. Black Hats of all shapes and sizes fall under
  Who's Plundering your Plumbing Business?
  If you occasionally feel that you are working for nothing, chances are that you are.How many times have you put your invoice in for payment only to have to wait for 30 days for your money? If this is happening to you and your business, chances are that your business is being plundered by pillagers.Pillagers are those people who sneak around thieving from you. They seem to have an instinctive nose for any Plumbing contractor in business who is not minding his business.By not minding his business, I am referring to any plumbing business that is lax-a-daisical about his
  you post an estimate of annual earnings everyone sees how little you make. Someone out there is going to kiss some butt over how wonderfully transparent SEOMoz has been, but to those of us not posturing ourselves to advance through his good graces, it’s just a clever marketing ploy. Disclosure is his niche. It’s how he’s going to make a name for himself in the space. Politicians do the same thing. Everyone has an angle.

  Half of the responses I read to my article last year were extremely defensive, and the other half found it in themselves to admit to at least some level of agreement. The article was misunderstood, however, if it was taken to mean that I disapprove of all SEO firms. In order to be “fair and biased” (quote from Randy Galloway), let’s divide SEOs into four primary categories:

  • the SEO Blogaholic – this person has dedicated his or her life to blogging about SEO in order to establish street cred within the industry. They build a community of such blogaholics where they regurgitate each other’s thoughts to death. You can fill your feed reader with 50-100 worthless SEO blogs. Or, you can save yourself some time and subscribe only to the top 12 and simply read the endless train of comments people post in response to each one.
  • the SEO Worker Bee – this person has dedicated his or her life to building a business by results to each client and finding innovative ways to improve accessibility and visibility. The Worker Bee flies under the radar. They may become well known, but they don’t devote their lives to being famous SEO bloggers. Company examples would include iCrossing and iProspect on a large scale and our own beloved Vizion Interactive on a smaller scale.
  • the SEO BlogBee Hybrid – this person has dedicated his or her life to building a legitimate SEO business, with the added intention of drawing new business through a successful SEO blog. Rand Fishkin was definitely one of these until he recently announced a major shift in the way his company will do business. WeBuildPages is another example of the BlogBee Hybrid, though one might argue that his SEO reputation preceded his blogging success. Each case is unique. It’s a chicken/egg dilemma that must be answered on an individual basis.
  • the SEO Scam Artist – this is a very broad category for the people who throw up smokescreens to hide the mysterious ways they really make their money. Black Hats of all shapes and sizes fall unde
    Catalog Management: In-house or Out-sourced?
    Many organizations face the dilemma of whether to manage their inventory Catalog in-house or to out-source the function to an external provider. Should you tackle the challenges involved in creating or honing your in-house Catalog team to handle the job? Or should you step back and manage the relationship with an external expert who provides those services, tailored to your needs? The decision is not such an obvious one; there are several issues to be considered.Managing data integrity is a full time job, if it’s done right. Many organizations make the mistake of incorporating
    rstood, however, if it was taken to mean that I disapprove of all SEO firms. In order to be “fair and biased” (quote from Randy Galloway), let’s divide SEOs into four primary categories:
    • the SEO Blogaholic – this person has dedicated his or her life to blogging about SEO in order to establish street cred within the industry. They build a community of such blogaholics where they regurgitate each other’s thoughts to death. You can fill your feed reader with 50-100 worthless SEO blogs. Or, you can save yourself some time and subscribe only to the top 12 and simply read the endless train of comments people post in response to each one.
    • the SEO Worker Bee – this person has dedicated his or her life to building a business by results to each client and finding innovative ways to improve accessibility and visibility. The Worker Bee flies under the radar. They may become well known, but they don’t devote their lives to being famous SEO bloggers. Company examples would include iCrossing and iProspect on a large scale and our own beloved Vizion Interactive on a smaller scale.
    • the SEO BlogBee Hybrid – this person has dedicated his or her life to building a legitimate SEO business, with the added intention of drawing new business through a successful SEO blog. Rand Fishkin was definitely one of these until he recently announced a major shift in the way his company will do business. WeBuildPages is another example of the BlogBee Hybrid, though one might argue that his SEO reputation preceded his blogging success. Each case is unique. It’s a chicken/egg dilemma that must be answered on an individual basis.
    • the SEO Scam Artist – this is a very broad category for the people who throw up smokescreens to hide the mysterious ways they really make their money. Black Hats of all shapes and sizes fall unde
      Before You Quit Your Job
      There are a few things you must do.First, save enough money so that you can invest in your online business. There is nothing worst than trying to make money with no money to make money.Second, you must outline a step-based detailed plan, how much each step will cost you, and how you will execute each step.Third, start your business but keep your daytime job. But only until your income from your business passes the income you were getting from your job.Fourth, Once your business income finally passes your job income, go ahead and give your job a two weeks notice
      eople post in response to each one.
    • the SEO Worker Bee – this person has dedicated his or her life to building a business by results to each client and finding innovative ways to improve accessibility and visibility. The Worker Bee flies under the radar. They may become well known, but they don’t devote their lives to being famous SEO bloggers. Company examples would include iCrossing and iProspect on a large scale and our own beloved Vizion Interactive on a smaller scale.
    • the SEO BlogBee Hybrid – this person has dedicated his or her life to building a legitimate SEO business, with the added intention of drawing new business through a successful SEO blog. Rand Fishkin was definitely one of these until he recently announced a major shift in the way his company will do business. WeBuildPages is another example of the BlogBee Hybrid, though one might argue that his SEO reputation preceded his blogging success. Each case is unique. It’s a chicken/egg dilemma that must be answered on an individual basis.
    • the SEO Scam Artist – this is a very broad category for the people who throw up smokescreens to hide the mysterious ways they really make their money. Black Hats of all shapes and sizes fall unde
      Chain E-Mails and Unnecessary Bulk Mail: Stop the Insanity
      Not everything that comes through the mail is valid. Most of the mail I receive--be it through US Post office or my e-mail--is just plain annoying. Still, there must be some people, even friends, who assume that I enjoy receiving so much garbage. They do not get it, even when I tell them, that the deletion of such stuff is an imposition on my time.Why do they do it? I think, because someone else has sent it to them to be forwarded to a number of people, friends being the key word, and they don’t have the backbone to stop the chain. When this type of a chain e-mail comes from a frie
      ntention of drawing new business through a successful SEO blog. Rand Fishkin was definitely one of these until he recently announced a major shift in the way his company will do business. WeBuildPages is another example of the BlogBee Hybrid, though one might argue that his SEO reputation preceded his blogging success. Each case is unique. It’s a chicken/egg dilemma that must be answered on an individual basis.
    • the SEO Scam Artist – this is a very broad category for the people who throw up smokescreens to hide the mysterious ways they really make their money. Black Hats of all shapes and sizes fall under this category. They may have a popular and innocent blog, but the money really comes from MySpace marketing, AdSense websites, and all sorts of back alley deals.

    Notice that yet again, I have not placed anyone under negative scrutiny. I’m one of those people who hold a severe dislike for negative political campaigning. An honorable person should try to make a name for himself by slandering another.

    When considering the state of the industry, it appears quite healthy and full of opportunity for the SEO Worker Bee. There continue to be plenty of websites and companies in need of real assistance. And though I couldn’t say for certain, it would appear that the SEO Scam Artists are enjoying this season as long as they stay ahead of the curve. BlogBee Hybrids are likely to enjoy moderate success or more as well.

    The only section of the search engine optimization industry that seems to be flailing its arms belongs to the SEO Blogaholics. These are the ones to whom last year’s article was intended, and they continue to be the ones spinning information for a living.

    I have a few blogs out there. I have nothing against blogs. But writing a blog about an industry doesn’t make me an expert in that industry. It gives me the appearance of expertise. This is the game SEO Blogaholics continue to play, and they continue to detract from the respectability of the industry. As I stated at the beginning, I won't begrudge the Blogaholics their right to spam the planet. I understand how hard it is to penetrate the inner sanctum of success. Still, when all is said and done, I wonder whose careers will stand the test of time.