Is SEM really that hard?
In a word - no.
That said, it’s completely plausible for those new to PPC campaign management and SEO work to disagree with me. I recall, way, way back in the day, when I first came to a forum to learn about SEO. I knew I didn’t know anything, so my request was simple:
Would someone who knows what they’re doing please tell me what I should ask about first?
The rest is, as they say, part of the continual learning curve I’m on. In fact, I had no idea how complex that simple request was. Most folks who ask don’t know either. They hope it’s themselves that “just don’t know” and that there’’s one kernel or truth, one key component that, if they wrap their heads around it, will make the difference.
Most are startled to realize the depth of involvement it takes. The constant learning to keep up with the latest changes. The 100+ small details that actually make the difference in the long-run.
Now, I do this for a living, and I’m happy to say I love what I do. I’m a geek - I LIVE this stuff. I’m sitting on my sofa right now, while my wife and I watching an episode of Deal or No Deal on the DVR as I type this post. I’m doing it because I know I’m not meeting my goal of 3 - 4 posts a week. I need to hit that level to show the engines I’m serious and to help build content quickly. I know what it takes to rank well, I’ve done it with another website and blog of my own. Do the work, and you’ll see the rewards. But I’ve been lagging on this one.
Now, it’s not that I don’t know what to do. It’s that I do know what to do - I know all too well how much work I still have ahead of me. …and that’s where being new to this stuff, and asking the simplest of questions is refreshing.
Instead of being intimidated by what you have to learn, take solace in the fact that your path is straight ahead. You don’t have to spend time figuring out if things are worth pursuing, if that item of software will work, how much is too much to spend on external help - skip it all.
Your goal should be to spend the time it takes to learn a baseline of understanding with these items. SEO and PPC are not things you learn overnight (despite what the software tells you). They are not skills you’ll learn in university. They are skills you’ll only learn by doing it.
So, is SEO and PPC management easy? Ah, yes it is.
The basics will always remain the same. Details get refined, and you must stay on top of them, but it always comes down to one simple thing:
Build unique, useful content.
If that’s all you do - you skip the on-page optimization techniques, you skip the link building, you don’t optimize your images, your pages are huge - none of that will matter in the end. Unique, useful content trumps all of that and you will rank well over time - it’ll take a LONG time, but…
Start learning today, ask the questions, read the books and test, test, test. It’’s worth it for no other reason than you’ll have solid skills to start a new career should you choose to in the future.
Is this stuff easy? You betchya - but then again, I’m a geek, remember…
Here’s an article by a friend of mine, Bill Hartzer, who knows a thing or two about this stuff. This idea of a search engine marketing traffic jam is kinda funny, and illustrates how unique marketing online can really be.
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