A High Rankings Forum member questions the actions of current SEOs and wonders if the real SEO "doers" are actually working behind closed doors. He says that the SEOs who consistently tell secrets are putting themselves in danger -- the more secrets revealed, the less likely it will be for them to get clients since new "SEOs" who absorb that knowledge claim themselves to be experts and snatch up those who need SEO services. There's also the possibility of SEO secrets becoming useless over time (think: Give It Up at SMX).
I'm not sure that all SEO experts are really in hiding. Sure, I've seen a ridiculous amount of quacks claiming to be SEO geniuses probably because they've read someone's SEO guide once or twice and think they know it all. But there's no secret sauce, as many people say, and SEO isn't so much about knowledge but about application, a concept that many SEOs know quite well. SEO is also a forever-changing methodology; you'll never stop learning -- there are always new ideas and thoughts that may need to be integrated into your mindset.
Most SEO experts who claim themselves to be experts are probably fooling themselves. You can never be an "expert" in this field -- or at least, it shouldn't be a self-designation. (Other people will know if you're an expert, and if you deny it, then you probably are an expert after all.)
At the end of the day, there may be some truth to the invisibility claim (for example, I may not know all of the SEOs out there who are great at what they do), but there are just as many prominent SEOs who are also experts.
Forum discussion continues at High Rankings Forum.
This post was pre-written and scheduled for publication on October 21, 2008.
