At a Search Engine Strategies conference in San Jose, CA; search marketing professionals debated and discussed whether or not reverse engineering search algorithms was the proper method of SEO or whether website viewers were the most important aspect of an SEO campaign. After much discussion it seems there is still a large disagreement in regards to this subject. Some believe reverse engineering is best and some believe viewer experience is the best solution. I’d like to shed a little light on this subject in regards to JUMP Internet Marketing and what our beliefs are based upon our own research and success over the past 10 years.

Reverse Engineering: We believe this is a necessary step in the SEO campaign however as we’ve mentioned time and time again to clients, prospects and anyone else who asks this question…it is not a silver bullet. There simply isn’t one. Reverse engineering search engine algorithms is important in any SEO campaign to be sure that your site has the “search engine spider food” that the search engine spiders are looking for. Your site must have this “food” in order to rank well once the search engine applies its algorithm to the pages of your site.

Viewer Experience and Perception: In regards to viewer perception; this is the most important aspect of an SEO campaign. As previously mentioned reverse engineering is important but ultimately it is your site’s content that speaks to your viewer and the piece of the SEO puzzle that will ultimately turn your website visitors into sales and leads. You certainly don’t want your viewers to read gibberish and have your company looking unprofessional to your viewers. This can have a very adverse affect when trying to convert your traffic.

The Fine Line – Proper Research: A successful SEO campaign ultimately consists of a balance of both reverse engineering and good quality content for a great viewer experience and perception. You must have the spider food, and good quality promotional content to convert your traffic. It is imperative that good quality keyword research be performed to ensure your website properly targets your desired audience. It is equally important to employ proper white hat (non-spam) SEO techniques to address the “spider food” issue.

If both of these things are not properly addressed you may find your site in a here today and gone tomorrow scenario. We at JUMP prefer to address all issues and be thorough in our SEO campaigns instead of searching for a silver bullet solution or a cookie cutter solution for our clients. Each site and SEO campaign is unique just as different products and markets are unique. There are no silver bullets and SEO is definitely not a one size fits all solution.

Using the methodology outlined here we’ve been highly successful over the years and continue to be so. Just remember, content is king whether it be spider content “food” or viewer content to entice your viewers into becoming a sale or lead. If you have the proper balance of both, success can be yours for the long term.

About The Author: Kevin Gee is a certified SEO specialist through Coastal Carolina University and has been performing SEO strategies since 1998. He is currently employed as Internet Marketing Manager at JUMP Internet Marketing.

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