7/25/07
Newsflash: You’re Damn Right It’s a Popularity Contest
Rants in Bitchland
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I am going to break my normal rules of laziness and post twice in one day to get one huge sentiment off my chest: search engine optimization is now and has been since the arrival of Google, a popularity contest - you either learn to compete or fucking whine in silence. Oh, I went there.
Seriously… there have been quite a few posts over the last few days whining about how Sphinn is nothing more than a popularity contest. Well duh. (Side note to amplify interactive, changing blog urls after publishing is bad for traffic.)
Marketing a website is all about making it popular. From the origins of link popularity (hence the word popularity) a huge portion of online marketing boils down to your ability to make the site you’re focusing your marketing efforts on (say it with me) popular. Google didn’t stop there either. Pagerank actually took it further by saying being popular was no longer enough, you had to be in with the “right” people. Then came trustrank - the need to not only become popular, and with the right people, but you also had to become popular with trusted people.
And once you’ve gotten your website popular (aka made it rank) its popularity breeds even more popularity. When a reporter or researcher does an article, they’ll often cite the top sites listed in search results as examples simply because those sites rank well in the engines. Bottomline is, if you have any search engine optimization skill, you know how to even make some boring topic like misting fans popular within it’s own niche or target market.
Of course though, not every skilled search engine optimization person wants to be personally popular. They build their sites, get them popular, cash their checks and are happy to live in the shadows of this industry. But, some people want that personal popularity (obviously) and complain that “the popular people” are ruling the roost.
It might be to be able to charge higher consulting rates, to land a speaking gig to boost your resume, because you like feeling loved or because you see a chance to finally be a “cool kid” - but if your goal is to be a “popular” and “noticed” person in the SEO sphere and you think that you can’t do it because “rockstar status” is nothing but a popularity contest, I have four words for you…
I say again, duh.
And if you have any marketing skills worth being noticed for and want that personal fame, then you’ll have the ability to achieve it in spite of others already having obtained it before you. Taking yourself and becoming popular for your search engine optimization skills and insights in spite of others already being popular is no different than taking a website from conception to a top ranking property - even though there are tons of already popular sites out there.
I repeat, *IF* you have any skills worth being noticed for.
This industry isn’t old enough for anyone to have been born with a “silver spoon” in their mouth in regards to it. The social media whore started blogging less than three years ago. Stuntie started making a name for himself in 2004. Rand has only been speaking for three years and I know he didn’t start the blog until after that. The Sugarrae blog has only been in existence a little over a year (though I’ve been speaking for almost three now).
Boser and many other old schoolers may have time on their side, but they also spent the early years creating the industry so many choose to specialize in today. There was no one to learn from and they became the leaders through their own sweat and trial and error. Lisa may work for one of the oldest companies doing search engine optimization but it was her wit, writing style and increasing knowledge that made her rise to the blogging fame some of the posts above cite her for.
So, if you want that personal fame, you have two options. Do what it takes to achieve it and market yourself like you want to be glorified for marketing websites or whine about how you’ve got the deck stacked against you and all those “popular people” (who you might overlook busted their respective asses to become popular) are out there hoarding *your* limelight.
If you choose the former, good luck and rock on. If you choose the latter, please spare us from the whining. Tough - maybe. Harsh - maybe. But if one person listens to this, gets off their ass and shows us what they’re made of, maybe I’ll eventually be made aware of a new blog worth reading.
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Rae Hoffman
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Thanks for linking to our “popularity contest” Sphinn post on our blog. Yeah yeah, we didn’t make the BEST change from blog.domain.com to domain.com/blog, but analyzing our blog traffic we weren’t getting much anyway before the switch :)
Nice write-up! I thought it was really well written… so I ’sphunned’ it.
I didn’t sphinn it because it was another popularity contest post, but rather I liked your writing style and the thought & background you provided.
If you read it - I don’t think my post about Sphinn could be regarded as whining or complaining… I was merely pointing out how amusing it was to watch SEMs clamor for position.
also - thanks for pointing out that the post address had changed… looks like someone here changed the post date for some reason. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again. Thanks for stopping by - I like your blog.
Aw, you totally love me, don’t you? :P
Damn, that’s a great post. Well, duh, all social media is now one huge popularity contest! DOH!
God you rock
Totally agree, Rae. People who complain that the “popular” SEOs are getting all the attention should stop griping and figure out how they can get noticed, whether that’s by networking, launching a great tool, writing an awesome post, etc. I hate it when people think I should be grateful for the attention I’ve received in this industry as if I didn’t work hard to get where I am today.
Very well said : )
It all comes down to this - are you remarkable? Chris H is because he can drink so much beer, Rand is because of his modesty and depth of knowledge, Neil is because he can network like a bitch, and I am because I’m so darn good looking…
Ok, less so on the last one…
A fact of life: The most competitive people are usually the most successful ones.
The thing that really helped my blog start gaining traction was Mr. Ploppy’s tool lists. For those that are considering blogging for the popularity - each post took anywhere from 5 - 10 hours on a saturday or sunday afternoon after a regular workweek at WBP.
Most of the “popular seo’s” I know ate, breathed, and slept (yes I still dream often about seo) every aspect they could to the point of obsession.
Some of us may be quite lazy about stuff now - but for me personally, it’s to get some balance back from the years of treating seo as both a job and a hobby, and having an insatiable passion to learn and talk about it.
Great post Rae - though one part I think you missed is about how the people who have had success in the community, have also spent a lot of time repaying that debt to the community through their contributions in forums, blog posts, buying beers, and bar room conversations with those that helped them to get to where they are.
Nice post Rae, and all true.
I am though (unsurprisingly) slightly disappointed that you characterise my post on SEOmoz as one of the ones whining.
You commented on the post so I assume that you read it, but all I was saying is very much in line with what you said - it is about being popular, it’s a fact of life, so get yourself out there and make it happen if you’re not happy about it.
I guess that this comment will now count as a whine as well!
;)
Rae…awesome post! I grow tired of those who whine about “competing” against the big guys. If you don’t want to compete, then why be in business?
[...] Rae mentioned You’re Damn Right It’s a Popularity Contest as response to all the whinny posts about Sphinn being a popularity contest, if you haven’t [...]
In the SEM community, all it takes is one good idea well executed to get noticed by all…Patrick’s Mahalo video is proof positive of that.
[...] question is - are you going to be the “keyboard jockey” who whines about what you don’t have - or are you going to go out there, against all odds, and build [...]
Very well put! I’m not a rock star and have no intentions of becoming one, but it’s nice to give props to those that are… they/you did something right and have made the industry a better place for it. How easy is it for those that aren’t pioneers to pick up the basics of SEO because “rock stars” took the time to document their hard work and observations? People should show a little respect, but the Internet is such an ambiguous place they feel like they can get away with crap they’d never say in person.
It’s an indication of how small this industry really is, that people whine that they haven’t become well-known in the industry! Most multi-billion-dollar industries are ruled by huge corporations full of suits, making it nearly impossible for one-man-shows and small consulting firms to acquire and maintain thought-leadership. The SEM industry is not at all typical in this regard.
Great point, Rae - and Todd - about how the SEO people with high profiles have expended a lot of energy and effort to get there. But I don’t see a “no entry” door barring anyone else from joining the “cool kids.” Just follow GrayWolf’s advice.
Found you through Steve Mertz writing about “women of seo”. I like you writing style - you’re harsh but true, i love it.
[...] Newsflash: You’re Damn Right It’s a Popularity Contest [...]
Adapt or die. It’s that simple.
I heard you speak first doing site reviews at Pubcon ‘06 in Vegas, and thought, wow, that b* knows her s*.
You’ve not disappointed since, and I LOVED this post - it really needed to be said.
Like Steve commented above - If you don’t like to compete, then why be in the business? DUH!
[...] it would seem Andrew Goodman didn’t like my latest rant about SEO as a popularity contest. Normally, I ignore this type of stuff as everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But, when my [...]
[...] to the popularity contest issue, Michael has some great tips about what Rae said. Listen to an audio feed of this article or download it and listen to it [...]
[...] I finally caught up with the hype, controversy, and promise about Sphinn, and have to say… even if it’s a popularity contest, it’s a great little resource for all things social media and search marketing related. [...]
I have to take issue with you including our post in your list as “whinny”. It takes a valid and well structured look at sphinn.com, and she (our seo team member) comes to the same conclusion as you.
I ask to read read it before you label it. Thanks.
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[...] the “best” or “top” SEO blogs? It really depends on your definition. This IS a popularity contest, but it’s also a relevancy contest. The “top ranked” blogs [...]
[...] world of Internet technology - specifically: “Web 2.0″ technology. If SEO is really a popularity contest, understanding what is new and important in web technology has to be a critical part of the [...]
hahaha
you are so rit.
Its personnel ego more tan business especially if u have a blog where u post SEO TIPS. ;)
You’re great Rae! More power to you.
[...] has been mentioned before, online marketing is like a big popularity contest. When you enter a popularity contest (since you’re probably in to SEO, you already have), [...]
Gosh, I got Sphinned. I guess that’s because I’m so well known? :)
[...] recently posted about how Sphinn is a popularity contest. She was responding to the many complaints that people were making about the nature of social [...]
Well spoken - no fuzzing around. i like it - and it is the truth! Personnal ego rocks! ;-)
[...] Newsflash: You’re Damn Right It’s a Popularity ContestWhen people started complaining about social media sites like Sphinn, popularity and popular people, Rae Hoffman’s “straight up” way of communicating what really is a key component of search engine marketing was simply a breath of fresh air amidst a lot noise pollution. [...]
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[...] an idea, if you’re that fucking desperate for the fame, then promote yourself the same way you say you can promote a website. Get your feed counts above a couple of hundred and get on the radar. This industry doesn’t [...]
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[...] experienced it. SEO, Social Media (and unfortunately most things in this world) is very-much a popularity [...]
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