reli4nt
10-27-2004, 02:29 AM
I have seen many troubling sites this week and been a part of several troubling conversations. They all centered around the issue of search engine optimization.
Everyone wants to rank number one in their respective keywords, but unless your business is based purely on page rank and position then it must be kept in mind that search engine optimization is just that; optimizing. It is a streamlining or culling of the fat that when taken too far will secure a high ranking but little to no consumer retention.
I think some businesses have lost sigh tof the fact that a site needs to be designed around the customer foremost, and the business second. It seldom seems reasonable to design or redesign a business site based solely on seo parameters, yet people keep asking for it.
In the end, I think its making us look bad. We as a whole are going to come out looking like the real estate agents who used to convince people to sell their old homes an purchase land in Florida; only for them to get there and find their new property is a swamp! Sure it's warm year round, off a major expressway and close to the beach, but a swamp is still just a swamp.
Any sight could do with some seo, and some need plenty of it. However, it is sad when the dollar signs light up in their eyes and the question of the degree to which seo is appropriate for the business and the consumer, never gets asked.
Everyone wants to rank number one in their respective keywords, but unless your business is based purely on page rank and position then it must be kept in mind that search engine optimization is just that; optimizing. It is a streamlining or culling of the fat that when taken too far will secure a high ranking but little to no consumer retention.
I think some businesses have lost sigh tof the fact that a site needs to be designed around the customer foremost, and the business second. It seldom seems reasonable to design or redesign a business site based solely on seo parameters, yet people keep asking for it.
In the end, I think its making us look bad. We as a whole are going to come out looking like the real estate agents who used to convince people to sell their old homes an purchase land in Florida; only for them to get there and find their new property is a swamp! Sure it's warm year round, off a major expressway and close to the beach, but a swamp is still just a swamp.
Any sight could do with some seo, and some need plenty of it. However, it is sad when the dollar signs light up in their eyes and the question of the degree to which seo is appropriate for the business and the consumer, never gets asked.