Ed's Note: Now before you dismiss us in disgust, consider that every second $3,075.64 is being spent on pornography, 28,258 Internet users are viewing pornography and 372 Internet users are typing adult search terms into search engines. Agree with the industry or not - they know a thing or two about using the online medium. Hence Shaun's enlightening post below (I also have reason to believe he made a bet with Tim W that he would get me to publish a post discussing porn. Who am I to deny him a small victory?).
Porn. It’s something most of us are familiar with, some perhaps more than others. I recently had the opportunity to spend some time becoming re-acquainted with this billion dollar industry, and have somehow managed to justify it as work research. It may cum (oh yes) as a surprise, but there are in fact many principles in pornography which can be applied to SEO.
Let’s have a look at some of them:
1) The Need for Honest And Open Communication
In a good porn movie, it’s imperative that the opening scene has you clearly communicating your intentions with the relevant role players. Even the dodgiest porn movie has some level of initial verbal banter, where an understanding and common ground is reached before any action is then taken (the common ground being that they are about to fornicate). The same principle should be applied to SEO, where open communication needs to be carried out with the various role players before any work can be carried out. Clearly defining goals with the client, explaining the challenges which will be faced, as well as setting reasonable and tangible timelines in order to meet these goals, will greatly minimise the risk of confusion and disappointment later down the line. Failure to do this can lead to your SEO client leaving after 1 month because they didn’t get those number 1 rankings they thought they were paying for.
2) Realising That Patience Is Key
Have you ever seen a 10 second porn movie? No, of course not. It’s not just a matter of getting your kit off and going straight for the money shot. You will need perseverance, stamina, a little foreplay and some level of flexibility before you are able to reach your goal (or multiple goals if you are trying to show off). Likewise with SEO - reaching that goal is not going to take a day or a week, you may only start seeing tangible improvements in 2/3 months, sometimes longer. Managing the client’s expectations is important here and you need to be straight up from the start (see point 1), the need for patience needs to be stressed.
3) The Need For Different And Sometimes Innovative Techniques
In porn, you will often see various techniques being used in order to carry out the task at hand. Successful SEO campaigns should follow the same mantra, it’s very seldom that one method alone will give you the success you require. It takes various types of techniques and tactics to be used in conjunction with one another, be it article and content syndication, a cool viral or a good old emailed link request. In addition, with both porn and SEO, there is nothing like a bit of innovation to stir up interest and excitement with role players.
4) The Need For Teamwork
In porn, you will sometimes need the creative assistance of multiple team members in order to succeed. In most cases, each member specialises in a different skill sets, and it makes sense then to fully utilise their considerable talents. With SEO, it’s important to sometimes remember that you cannot always go it alone, and you may need the expertise and input of other role players in order to succeed. It may be the red-hot designer who can create that optimised landing page you want, or the genius developer who can build the widget you so desperately crave for your link building idea. An effective SEO strategy will often encompass many disciplines and skill sets in order for it to be effectively implemented. Simply put then, don’t be shy to play with others.
5) Being Open-minded Towards Tools
Don’t be shy to use various tools to carry out your task. In porn, role players are always open-minded toward new objects and tools that will help them achieve their goals. In SEO, you should also be open to the idea of trying out various tools which can ultimately make your life easier, and help you to succeed. If you’ve been brought up on Aaron Wall’s SEO Firefox tool for link analysis data, don’t be shy to try out SearchStatus as well. Likewise, don’t limit yourself to the Google AdWords Tool for keyword research, get a more rounded set of stats through the use of WordTracker and Keyword Discovery.
Conclusion
With both porn and SEO, sticking to the principles above should see all your hard work pay off with an explosive, happy ending, leading to immense satisfaction amongst all participants.
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Muti
Brilliant article and so true!
Posted by Afsana on 2009/09/29