As to why, the reason for the hate is really quite simple. There is no transparency in SEO. As a result people see SEOs as either a) hucksters shilling a magical elixir that is actually nothing more than piss with ink or b) black hats doing their voodoo which consists of things you would never allow if you knew what they were doing. All too often, there’s no effort to teach clients and make the process collaborative. Instead, the process is one where the SEO asks for access to your code, builds links without telling you the who/what/where, and says “give it a few months and you’ll be on page 1 for xyz search term”.

As someone who runs a business that gets called on at least 3x per week by the people from Group A, I can tell you that I would never hire an SEO firm without getting referrals from trusted friends and associates (even though I know there are plenty of legit SEOs out there). I’ve talked to far more professionals and small business owners who have been rooked than those who have received SEO services that were beneficial.

Education is absolutely key, Rhea is right, and I learned the hard way 2 years into an e-commerce degree that traditional universities can’t keep up with the pace and everything I was learning would be outdated by the time I got that piece of paper.

I get to as many events as I can and am literally a leech to my environment, but you can’t expect that reading blogs and listening to free webinars is all it takes to stay at the front of the pack. Pssst… those people are selling stuff, too. Why should anyone worth their salt give every Tom, Dick & Harry a free ride by sharing their years of experience and case studies for nothing?

If you don’t want to participate… okay, then. But railing on Rhea for participating in TEACHING is more than a little ridiculous. Of course she’s getting paid! She’s a skilled professional. How many SEOs and marketing pros never share their knowledge for fear someone will take it and steal away their business? You should be applauding her for having the courage and foresight to participate in these events, which open doors for those of us not living in NYC or Silicon Valley.

/rant

(FYI I don’t advocate certification by any means. The subject is too dynamic, and no authoritative body exists to administer a certification anyway. It seems this particular training is part training and part a statement that “I’m willing to invest in my expertise.”)

Nothing wrong with the plug, it’s just a funny contrast (to me anyway).

Regarding the comment about employers looking at certification — I am one of those employers and I can tell you that if a potential job candidate came to us having invested in their education, I’d be floored. We’ve had those candidates before. They were students of Full Sail University’s Bachelor of Science degree in Internet Marketing, they were Bruce Clay alums from his training program, they were individuals that had purchased the SEO Book from Aaron Wall and earmarked pages, they were candidates that had gotten Google Analytics certified or expressed their desire to, they were avid readers of our blog and many others. They were all actively seeking some form of education. That showed me their commitment to learning the space and some level of understanding and proficiency in it.

As for not spending $400 on the course — the great thing is that you don’t have to since it’s optional and clearly not something you’re interested in. I’ve been in the industry for seven years and want to “sit in” on several of the classes because I know they’ll be bringing something fresh. All of our employees will be taking the course as well, because even though they’re qualified SEOs, there’s always something new to learn or a way of thinking that will show us a new area to examine with a client.

Full transparency – yes we get commission for those who sign up (and are satisfied w/the course). This is no different than posting an affiliate code for a conference or a new tool we support (and we only post things we do believe in). Regardless, it is unlikely that we will see a return from this given the time it’s taken me to put together my class, but I’m not doing it for the money. I’m doing it because I practice what I preach. SEOs need to keep learning and the industry needs greater trust and acceptance from other marketing channels, execs, clients and the greater population. I love this idea and really do wish that individuals who need to hone their skills will consider it or any other form of continued education.