My wife forwarded a blog post she came across called “SEO Experts Are Full of It - Front-Page Rankings Are Easy” and I found it amusing, poignant and a bit misguided, all at the same time. I don’t know the author of the blog post, Josh Spaulding, or if his claims are true, but I think he makes some valid points.

He writes, “the majority of the so-called ‘SEO Experts’ are out to get your money. They run services, so they want you to believe SEO is some kind of a science.”

To a certain extent, Josh is correct. As with any industry (cough - mechanics), there are always going to be unscrupulous “professionals” who take advantage of clients that have not done their homework. For the most part, most SEO professionals I know and have worked with are reputable and often times give the basic advice away free of charge.

For example, Aaron Wall of SEOBook.com has a free online “How-to” guide called Learning Search Engine Optimization that gives users the basics of SEO in about an hour … for free.

I agree with Josh in that learning SEO is easy … the proof being - if I can learn it, so can anyone! I think the bigger issue that Josh did not address is that most SEO professionals aren’t out to scare Web site owners or steal their money; we are here to educate, give advice and help people understand SEO and how it works. All you have to do is read the popular blogs like SEOBook.com, SearchEngineLand.com, SEOMoz.org, etc., and anyone can learn the basics of SEO … if they have the time.

Ah, there’s the catch! Time. Time is money. And that’s why businesses hire SEO professionals; because they either do not have the time, or the wherewithal to learn SEO. The profession did not come about because there was an opportunity for scam artists to con Web site owners. Rather, it evolved because Web site owners did not have the time or inclination to learn SEO. These businesses are generally working full time (and then some) and simply can’t make time in their schedule to learn SEO on their own. So, they look for companies or “experts” to help them.

As an SEO professional, I encourage all of my clients to at least learn the basics of SEO. However, if it becomes too much for them, or they simply do not have the time or desire to do so, we are happy to step in and help, as I’m sure Josh is.

I have actually tried to teach a client, free of charge, the basics of SEO, only to have them say, “No, thanks. I don’t have time. I’d rather pay you to do it for me.” Well, if you insist.

I also agree with Josh that SEO is not as hard as some have made it out to be. I think where SEO can get difficult is when you start digging too deep and becoming obsessed with back links, page rank, quality score, etc. SEO can be quite simple; optimize your page with the basics such as title tags (very important), meta descriptions (good, but not a must), good copy (with relevant keywords) that people will understand and find useful (very important), relevant alt tags, a site map, and a few other easy things you can find by simply searching for “SEO tips.” If you have time, you can learn and implement SEO. If you don’t have time, at least do a little research and then hire a reputable SEO professional.