Having studied martials arts in the past, I have always been fascinated with the discipline and mental toughness that are instilled in its students. It is my belief that many of the same principles that are taught in martials arts, Kung Fu in particular, should also apply to those who wish to learn the fine art of search engine optimization - hence the name of this Web site: SEO-KungFu.com.

About Kung Fu / Chinese Martial Arts (from Wikipedia.com):

Martials arts have always been known for their ability to instill discipline in those who train. Traditional Chinese schools of martial arts, such as the famed Shaolin monks, often take their training a step further to include a system of morals and ethics commonly referred to as Wude, or “martial morality.”

Wude deals with two aspects; “morality of deed” and “morality of mind.” Morality of deed concerns social relations; morality of mind is meant to cultivate the inner harmony between the emotional mind and the wisdom mind. The ultimate goal is reaching no extremity (closely related to the Taoist concept of wu wei), where both wisdom & emotions are in harmony with each other.

Morality of deed

Morality of mind

Levels of SEO Kung Fu:

How strong is your SEO Kung Fu? We’re still working on this section, but our preliminary levels of SEO Kung Fu include the following:

Grasshopper - This is the entry level for an aspiring SEO professional. This person has very little SEO Kung Fu, but has made a commitment to learn more. They have given up all worldly possessions, shaved their heads are learning to walk along rice paper without tearing it. Welcome to the path of SEO enlightenment, grasshoppers…

Jackie Chan - This level of SEO Kung Fu means that you have mastered the basics of SEO such as title tags, h1 tags, static urls, keyword and keyphrase research, etc., but while you can dazzle your friends with these neat “tricks,” you have much to learn.

David Carradine - You have mastered the basics and then some. You have implemented changes into a Web site and improved its search engine results page (SERP) ranking. You regularly conduct keyword and keyphrase research and adapt your Web site(s) accordingly. You may have even tackled a pay-per-click (PPC) campaign. You regularly monitor the SEO communities and participate, sharing your knowledge and absorbing others’. You have successfully walked the rice paper without so much as a footprint and burned the dragons into your forearms before setting off on your own to seek SEO enlightenment.

Bruce Lee - With all due respect to David Carradine’s character in the 1970s TV show Kung Fu Master, but Bruce Lee is the true master of Kung Fu and as such, this is the de facto title for SEO-KungFu.com’s highest level of SEO practioning. The best of the best, your SEO Kung Fu is very strong. But even the wisest of masters will tell you that one can never stop learning and we will always be grasshoppers in some way. Enlightenment cannot be achieved, it can only be sought, for if ever truly obtain enlightenment, we will no longer seek to better ourselves.