Thoughts on search engine optimization saturation

Search engine optimization (SEO) saturation.



You hear about it from time to time.



The case is usually presented in the following manner, with a few variations.



Since all websites are using the standard and generally accepted search engine optimization techniques, they no longer have any value. Over time, any site using SEO methods will slip farther and farther behind other optimized sites. In particular, honest sites won't be able to compete with sites using search engine spam tactics, despite their being outlawed by the search engines.



Wow! That was certainly a mouthful.



It was sure a lot longer paragraph than I usually write. As you know, I prefer shorter paragraphs, as they are much easier to read on the internet.



But I digress. Not that I mind. I like going off on tangents once in awhile.



Now back to overbaked and allegedly worthless SEO efforts.



First of all, there are literally billions of sites on the internet. About four billion of them are blogs. By the way, those four million blogs are better optimized than 98% of the traditional websites.



I'll bet no one told you that you had that kind of advantage as a blogger.



Well, I have; and tell you that great news all the time.



And yes, I do like to repeat glad tidings of comfort and joy, regardless of the season to be jolly.



Of the remaining billions of web pages floating around the virtual world of the internet, only a comparative handful have even heard of SEO. Even fewer have thought of applying it to their sites.



I wouldn't worry about too much competition for top spots in all but a few highly competitive keyword phrases.



In fact, it's those few highly competitive industries that have many SEO experts themselves believing every site is SEO'd to the hilt. Most industries and theire search terms are relatively untouched by any search engine optimization efforts at all.



As for spammy frowned upon practices, that violate the various search engines' webmaster guidelines, they are really few and far between. Most of them wind up with penalties and banning from the search engines sooner or later.



In the meantime, a spam laden site will gain few paying customers, despite its trickery to gain visitors. Unlike your blog, which actually provides interesting and useful information to your readers, those spam sites provide little if anything.



They are the website version of an appeal,to help some starving Nigerian dictator, move millions of non-existent dollars to a Swiss bank account. They are more mirage than reality.



If you have a blog, you are already well optimized.



Your abundant fresh content, written on your blog's regular themes and topics, scores high search engine rankings all by themselves.



The many incoming links to your blog give you the link popularity so highly valued in the search engines. Google in particular loves incoming links.



What is really funny about all of these doom and gloom writers, who say no one can rank highly for any keywords, is none of them suggest a blog.



Well, you have one.



You already have a leg up in the search engine optimzation game.



SEO is alive and well.



It's even more lively with a blog!