Finding the Top SEO Experts and Best SEO Articles
Discover top SEO experts and learn why most SEO articles are not worth reading
Published on by: James Hobson
Are SEO experts really interested in helping you or promoting themselves? Can you really trust self-proclaimed “SEO Experts”? If you’ve been in this industry very long you should have learned that most SEO articles are generally low quality to completely worthless. A while back I read Enchantment by Guy Kawasaki. The book is a well written presentation on being genuine, providing value and working from the heart. The books message was resonating in my mind today as I read two new SEO articles, and it prompted me to write this post. For the benefit of people seeking to learn the best SEO methods and practices this article can keep you away from time wasting articles. This article will also introduce top SEO experts to follow in 2016.
SEO Knowledge and Skills
There Are Few True SEO Experts
Being a true top SEO expert requires more than having a good understanding of algorithms, website coding, copy writing and be actively involved in search engine optimization. The true major players in the SEO world are also very connected to each other, and seem to have good and reliable information sources in high places. One analogy is to think of the top SEO experts as being in a cabal. Certainly there are numerous people who are well above average in SEO work, however they are still not out there on the leading edge of search engine optimization trends. The true SEO experts are the ones breaking the news and uncovering the inside scoop on algorithm changes and such. If you don’t have phone numbers to reach key people you’re really not a top tier player.
There Is An Abundance of SEO Fools
As with most trades or professions there is a large pool of under-performers. This is the group that generates the majority of the articles posted online – and certainly these folks are not writing SEO books! The low information optimization practitioner works at the trailing edge of SEO knowledge, often employs shortcuts and black-hat SEO tactics, and worst of all they get most of their info from other low information people. Together this low information crowd generates a virtual river of articles that present anything but industry best practices.
The primary reasons they produce these articles is to feign an authority status, facilitate back-link building, and perhaps to impress customers or friends. Regardless of their motivation, their articles are not only unable to provide good tips and ideas but in many cases people following their advice will do harm to their rankings.
Chefs Rarely Share Their True Recipes
Here’s the most important thing to remember when reading SEO articles; very few SEO professionals are going to give you the full scoop on their practices. The high end, benevolent people will often share some good nuggets but even this rarely includes the fine details on implementation or strategic application. The SEO business is extremely competitive and most people are not going to educate their competitors The way to improve SEO skills is to gain knowledge and develop an understanding of how it all fits together.
It is worth considering that some SEO articles may contain disinformation, really dumb ideas that lead to problems and tempting stories of instant success to sell bad ideas. Be careful.
How To Get The Best SEO Tips
First, develop a list of SEO experts and follow them on Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogs or wherever you find them. Ignore articles from the average SEO junkie, freelancer or forum troll. As far as SEO experts in 2015 I recommend following as my Top 15 SEO Experts to Follow in 2016:
- Andy Beal
- Aaron Wall
- Bruce Clay
- Rand Fishkin
- Adam Heitzman
- Dave Naylor
- Vanessa Fox
- Eric Ward
- Wil Reynolds
- Barry Schwartz
- Neil Patel
- Bill Slawski
- Lee Oden
- Danny Sullivan
- Eric Enge
And it should go without saying but I can’t resist . . . read, learn and practice what is in Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. You can be a bit creative but if you start thinking you are smarter than the engineers at Google you’re going to do an SEO face-plant. As always, read and learn from the best, stay within the rules and be forever committed to self improvement!
