Too Many Experts and Not Enough Expertise

I have been selling SEO and online reputation management services since 2003 and I have been using SEO strategies since 1997. I have been doing “social media” on The Meta Network and ArtsWire since 1993, when it was called “virtual community” and only nerds did it. Actually, before then. In 1982 I was all about the ANSI BBS dial ups in Honolulu! Well, anyway…

Well, this afternoon, DomBrady said, on Twitter, “I had no idea there were so many Social Media marketers and SEO folks until twitter picked up last year,” and I replied, “@DomBrady There are a lot of SEO ‘experts’ out there. Not that many gurus, though. Lots of hustlers out there. Look for references.”

Well, this seems to be something that is in the minds of many people on Twitter and online. I tell my clients, “those folks who sold cell phones, then got Microsoft Certified, then became Mortgage Brokers, are now reinventing themselves as SEO and SEM experts. Be sure to check references.

Well, Kat French has it right when she wrote this over at 5 Social Media Topics I Could Do Without:

1. Fake, sleazy, bad or just under-qualified, social media “experts.” Yes, I know they’re out there. Yes, it’s irritating. Yes, it makes it even harder for experienced practitioners to get credibility. Stop whining already. Life coaches, massage therapists, yoga instructors, SEOs, real estate agents and a dozen other career fields have been dealing with the same issue for way longer. All of them (except maybe SEOs) have realized ignoring them and doing great work is the best policy. Let’s follow suit.