The Art of SEO

Foreword

John Battelle

Ross, California, September 2009

More than a decade has passed since the World Wide Web has risen to prominence in nearly all aspects of our lives, but as with nearly all significant technology-driven shifts in our society, most businesses have been slow to react. If you’ve already put your business online and begun the journey that is your ongoing, online conversation with customers, congratulations!

But if you count yourself as one of those still in the slow lane, fret not. There’s never a bad time to get started, and with this book in hand, you’re already well on your way.

In fact, starting now might even be to your benefit—over the past decade or so, much has been learned, and many mistakes have been made. New technologies have risen to prominence (Facebook and Twitter come to mind), and old ones have fallen by the wayside. The web is far more mature, and the rules of the road are a bit clearer. In addition, an entire industry of professionals in search optimization and marketing has also matured, and stands ready to help.

Just five years ago a hotshot startup with a funny name went public and, armed with a customer based in the hundreds of thousands and a user base in the tens of millions, proceeded to grow faster than any company in history. In less than a generation, Google has become a cultural phenomenon, a lightening rod for controversy, and a fundamental part of any intelligent businessperson’s customer strategy.

But Google is really a proxy for something larger—a new, technologically mediated economy of conversation between those who are looking for products, services, and information, and those who might provide them. The vast majority of our customers, partners, and colleagues are increasingly fluent in this conversation, and use it to navigate their personal and professional lives.

The shorthand for this interaction is “search,” and like most things worth understanding, learning to leverage search takes practice. In fact, it’s more accurate to put it this way: learning to leverage search is a practice—an ongoing, iterative practice, a process that, once begun, never really finishes. Your customers are out there, asking Google and other search engines questions that by all rights should lead them to your digital doorstep. The question is, are you ready to welcome them?

Think of search as another way to have a conversation with a good customer or prospective customer. The skills you naturally have—at describing your business and its merits relative to competitors, your approach to service, the ecosystem in which your business lives—are skills you should translate to the practice of SEO. It can be daunting and frustrating, but then again, so is starting and running a business. Those who are willing to do the extra work will prosper. Those who stay on the sidelines risk failure.

The days of putting an ad in the Yellow Pages and waiting by the phone are over. With search, everyone’s number is listed—if they have a web site, that is. But not everyone will show up as an answer to a customer query. Learning how to make sure your business shines is no longer an option—it’s table stakes in a game you’ve already decided to play, simply by hanging out a shingle.

So why not play to win? Even if you decide you don’t want to go it alone—and who could blame you?—and you hire an expert to guide you through, understanding the art of SEO will make you a better client for whomever you hire. Speaking from experience, there’s nothing better than working with someone who understands the basics of your practice.

Make no mistake, at the end of the day SEO is an art, one informed by science, experience, and a healthy dose of trial and error. The sooner you get started, the better you and your business will become. The book in your hands is a meticulous volume written by some of the brightest minds and most experienced hands in the SEO industry. Read on, and enjoy the journey!