No, I’m not talking about black, white, blue, grey or any other coloured hat you might wear whilst doing SEO, but instead I want to talk about how Search Engines are really very much like fashionista’s.
To explain this a little better, let’s look at how the fashion industry works.
A designer will come-up with a ‘new look’ and then as that look becomes popular, everyone starts wearing it. The problem is that once a particular look becomes mainstream, it’s no longer fashionable, so the designers have to come-up with something totally different.
One of the things to take note of is that a particular look doesn’t get dismissed because it was impractical, had design flaws or simply didn’t work. It simply lost popularity because it was too common.
So why am I talking about fashion on an SEO blog?
It’s because the Search Engine’s view SEO techniques the same way society views fashion.
When Google first introduced us to the benefits of links, it didn’t really matter where the link came from, they were all counted equally. After a while the concept of linking from anywhere and everywhere became common knowledge (popular), so Google started devaluing links from unrelated sites.
So then people started finding similar websites to link to (and from) and reciprocal linking was born. This worked quite well for a while until it too became popular and before long, reciprocal links lost some of their weight.
Various other links schemes have emerged over the years, including the buying/selling of links, but like everything else, that too was penalised.
All of these techniques, just like fashion, were all quite successful until everyone started doing them. But fashion doesn’t move at the same pace word wide - fashion in Europe is different to the US which is different to that of Asia etc. etc.
The same with websites - different search techniques that may not work too well in one country or for a particular industry might still yield good results elsewhere… until the time comes when everyone in that niche or geographical location abuses the techniques and before you know it - your site is unfashionable.
So what can you do to keep up with this?
You can do what a lot of people do and keep abreast of the latest trends, read fashion magazines and update your wardrobe each season. Or you can come-up with your own unique style that may not be the most popular, but still looks good and most importantly, you’re comfortable with it.
In SEO terms, this means you can either read all the popular SEO blogs and forums, do what all the other SEOs are doing (and then whinge like everyone else when there’s an algorithm shift). Or you can put more time and effort into making your own site as good as it can be and once you’re comfortable with the content, design, layout, you’ll be surprised how many people will appreciate it and you may even gain links without even trying.
By now, I’ve probably insulted all those interested in fashion and completely misrepresented the SEO industry… so if you can think of any better analogies to describe the SEO industry (and possibly get me out of trouble) I’d be really interested to hear them - so please, post some comments.
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Most fashion consultants will tell you to have one or two ‘trendy’ items in your wardrobe, and then stock your closet with ‘timeless’ pieces to always have as a base - regardless of the current style.
I think your analogy is right on. Good SEO is a left brain/right brain type ’style’ - have your timeless techniques (solid content, good site structure, etc) and throw in a few ‘trendy’ accents. These basics mixed with the creative “art form” of SEO will bring long-term results - no matter what is “in fashion” at the moment.
This is a great article. Glad I found it on Sphinn. You’ve been Sphunn!
I agree with the comparison of fashion to SEO. Search Engine Optimizer is required to be creative that will come up of different ideas to provide new trends that people might like…
This is a great analogy and could not be more true than in the world of SEO; now enormously popular with too few trying to do too much. We’re lucky to have good gurus, William Slawski, Kim Krause Berg and everyone at the Cre8tive Flow forums, Danny Sullivan, Rand Fishkin and more. In the end, we’re all reading the same tea leaves and discovering success in assembling our own best practices to go with the common knowledge. I fight this battle internally on a daily basis with folks who want the “tables from the mount” the Uber tasks carved in stone that will deliver high ranking and placement. No one likes the answer that they just don’t exist and that optimizing for search engines is an art as well as a science. The best forecasting we’ve got is the US Patent Office and Bill does a masterful job of telling us all where the technology may be going. Many tahnks for the validation of my methodology Pete that has every engagement starting with: “It depends.”
I think that the fashion analogy is apt. Most of the things that change are variations on a standard, but there are always solid classics that will get you through most of your days.
I like your article and I like your take on it. A lot of people are taking a swing at SEO lately and it’s a cheap and dirty way of getting talked about. I’ve looked at the videos with flash and took the time to write a blog post (it’s quite long) about the movies, with why that’s a lie, etc. I don’t know if i can write html here so the link is http://eydryan.com/2008/02/23/seo-blog-reactions-anti-seo-ads-promoting-flash/ . I’m not doing this to get a link since I know you nofollow your comments and it’s wise. Also, if the link bothers you please edit it out, I just put it in to show you, and not to steal your traffic…
Well, anyways, good take on the whole antiseo phenomenon, and I’ll subscribe to you see what stuff you make in the future..
I write a small fashion page, and appreciate the idea that SEO mimics fashion. When I started, I knew little about either. Your article is actually a good confirmation that I’m not making foolish early decisions by focusing too much on one or the other, but growing slowly. Thanks!
Nice analogy. One thing to always remember “Style never goes out of fashion”
Take care.
Spot on. I often feel like I’m having to keep up with whatever trends are “in” at one time or another, but being the type of person I am, there are some things that I just can’t bring myself to take part in… Like twitter, which reminds me very much of the faux-hawk: Overused, overhyped and absolutely annoying. I’m still trying tog et my blog(s) up in pagerank, and without resorting to a bunch of black hat technique and such, but anyways, yeah fashion and SEO look quite alike as the crow soars.
I agree that is the perfect analogy. You couldn’t have put it in better words.
Hello, I like how you compared SEO to Fashion because when you think about it, its true. There are always the latest and greatest trends to follow and abide by.
The analogy is great and your article presents very true facts about SEO. If your site is “out of fashion”, you probably won’t have much visitors but if you are unique and modern you will definitely succeed!
Fashion and SEO?
You lost me.