Death of SEO?

My link today is a great article on the banality of SEO-oriented writing.

One of the biggest things I tell any potential client or partner considering a revamp of their website, training materials, etc. is that the quality of the content is all that really matters. And that’s the truth, because we communicate, think, and comprehend ideas through language.

With the advent of a world made smaller and more busy by social media noise and automated search, many marketing types have become obsessed with the idea of keyword-rich content. It has gotten so ridiculous in certain cases that I’m at times reminded of Kevin Nealon’s old Saturday Night Live character “Mr. Subliminal,” who would repeat things over and over again in a quick low tone interspersed in his conversation, in at attempt to get people to take action by giving him something. The typical exchange would go something like: “Hey, how you doing there free cash, just wanted to say I really like your establishment here free cash, can I get another beer free cash.” Of course, the bartender would then open up the register and mysteriously give him free cash. If you need proof, try this exercise the next time you go out to some evening spot, and see how effective it is. I’m willing to assume the position that you’d have a greater success rate with this fool’s errand than you would with keyword-rich content.

I certainly understand the temptation to succumb to the notion of increasing your Google ranking by including ten million keywords, but the most important point this blogger makes is that at the end of the day, your audience is human, picky, and impatient. Years ago I interviewed three experienced webmasters for an article about small business website design, and they all cited the same statistic–people read webpages on  average four times faster than printed material. In other words, you have far less time and a much smaller margin for error compared to even a print brochure when trying to capture and retain people’s attention. This is one huge area where so-called SEO experts fail to realize that not every obvious tool needs to be exploited in order to drive traffic to your site. After all, you can grab all kinds of traffic and hits, but if no one stays because your page is off-putting and seems to be written by monkeys, what good is it?

Targeted content should create results. It should speak to the potential customers’ needs, overcome objections, answer questions, and contain a call to action to close the deal. The best content speaks to people, because at the end of the day, people buy your product or service, not search engines.

Dirty little secrets of recruiters…

A great little article on the secrets job recruiters in HR departments don’t tell you here.

Check it out, it’s a great, and enlightening read.

IT is still where it’s at.

So found a great article on the Dice blog about IT’s job outlook and the pros of being in the industry. The link is here, check it out, it’s a very good read. I’m a fairly positive person, and like what I do, but lately I’ve noticed a few of my colleagues leaving the industry in disgust for various reasons (not enjoying their work, starting a small biz that’s unrelated, etc.) and I wonder, to a degree, what the underlying reason is.

I understand the urge to do something that is world-changing–back in college, I remember my buddy Dave and I staying up late, talking about how we weren’t quite sure what we wanted to do, but that we wanted it to be BIG. He was a film major, and I was studying theatrical lighting and sound design. We had grand plans about what we wanted to do and ideas of seeing our names featured, living an exotic car driving, pool the size of a canyon, Hollywood lifestyle. Fast forward a decade, I’m an IT consultant and he’s a physics professor. We’re both happy, financially comfortable, in relationships, and have good lives, but it’s not quite the notion we both had of leaving our imprint on the world in bold, 50 ft tall letters.

That said, I truly enjoy what I do. I’ve worked on both short and long-term assignments, creating systems and designs which help to introduce and refine new technology that effects multiple industries. There’s a certain sense of pride to see someone using a product, and realize I was a developer, tester, or created documentation for that product.

It’s been said that our average smartphone today has the same power as the computers which plotted the first Apollo moon landings, and we use them to play Angry Birds. I guess this is supposed to highlight the futility of working on amazing technology because people aren’t going to use it for even 10% of it’s potential. But who cares? People have been finding ways to waste time and resources ever since a caveman decided to break rocks on bigger rocks because he was bored. It’s a thrill to be on the frontlines of history and technology, and to look at my accomplishments, no matter how big or small, and say “I was a part of that.”

Email Etiquette

A great article in the NY Times on email etiquette over here.

I wish I could claim I’m perfect in this area, but I’m not. If it’s important to me, I respond immediately. If not, or I really don’t want to deal with the person, it sometimes lingers in my inbox for anywhere from hours to as long as a few days, despite the fact that I have a smartphone and constant email access. And yet, I get perturbed when people don’t respond to me in a prompt manner. Stupid and hypocritical, I know, but I’m just human. One of my resolutions this year was to improve on this, and I have gotten better, but I still am slow to respond to those email blasts from recruiters trying to pitch me a job I have no interest or qualifications for.

On the other hand, I’ll never respond to those chain “send these to 6 people you love” emails. Call it a principle thing.

Thoughts on the search for contracts…

So yet again, I find myself looking for a contract. My last one was wonderful, but was unfortunately much shorter than I hoped for and than what was originally advertised. We’re currently winding down, so I’m interviewing, yet again, in an attempt to make this transition as seamless as possible. It’s both trying and exciting.

I know plenty of guys who don’t want to take contract jobs, preferring permanent, full-time slots. It’s ironic, considering that in an unstable climate there really is no such thing. My grandfather, an engineer who designed crane rigging for very heavy industrial applications, worked for one company for 30+ years, only changed jobs once in his career, and retired with a great pension. I know that I will not have that opportunity, nor will my daughter when she settles on a career and enters the workforce. Layoffs, mergers and acquisitions, cutbacks, and companies even closing their doors completely assure that nothing is truly permanent. And in IT, even permanent employees are usually only at a job for an average of 3-5 years at the latest.

Personally, I like contract gigs for the simple fact that they are very straightforward. You have so many months, with a possible renewal or direct hire, and that’s the gig. When it comes to a close, you know there’s a very real possibility that you may find yourself looking. Plus, as someone who enjoys new challenges and learning new things, it promises the chance to keep me sharp. Plus, unlike some guys, I really don’t mind interviewing–I look at it as a chance to sell myself and expand my professional network.

So I’m looking forward to my next contract. But be that as it may, I still don’t enjoy the resume distribution and the waiting that goes with the game.

Any thoughts on contract vs. permanent work, searching, or any related topics, please fire away in the comments section.