Comments on: Overly Long Post About Why You Should Talk More To Non-SEOs

By: Dale Lovell

Dale Lovell — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 11:20:53 +0000

I head up a team of content writers and bloggers for content marketing agency Search News Media in the UK: when lay people ask me what I do for a living I tend to just say; “We write content for websites.”
Which is usually followed up with “Oh, your a coder.” After several more minutes they understand that we write actual words for websites; and then I tend to end with “to help sites get up the rankings in Google.” If you get onto anchor text, social likes, viral ads and the pros and cons of guest blogging and online PR it means either; A). You are really boring at parties; B). You are talking to someone that works in search, or C). It’s amazing after a few drinks how you can make this topic seem interesting. In my experience, I tend to fall into category A (but it’s refreshing to not have to pretend I like football!)

By: Kieran Daly

Kieran Daly — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:22:41 +0000

Love the Pinterest reference here. We tend to forget that there are so many people who don’t live in front of their screens all day long.

And be nice to hubbies – signed “A Hubby”

By: Kirby Hopper

Kirby Hopper — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 06:26:13 +0000

My biggest challenge seems to be convincing a business owner that their webmaster, who is their nephew who “sits at a computer all day” knows how to do what I do and get their website ranked.

By: Julie Joyce

Julie Joyce — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 15:14:58 +0000

I stop helping them the second they act like jerks. If I’m doing it for free and neglecting something else, there’s no way I’ll keep talking to anyone who treats me like that.

By: Kate Rose

Kate Rose — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 15:12:29 +0000

I’m with you on the clueless site (business) owner front – my equivalent is an opener like “I need to get 10,000 fans on Facebook”, usually from an engineering company making valves for sewerage tanks or something, with no budget and no marketing resource. I hate those calls ‘cos I feel as if it’s my moral duty to explain a few basics and try to steer them away from those who’ll fleece them.

So go on, what do you do with the ones who *are* condescending assholes?!

By: Julie Joyce

Julie Joyce — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 12:48:36 +0000

Hmmm…no.

By: Matt Cutts

Matt Cutts — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 12:39:18 +0000

Do you ever write anything useful??? every time i see a super piece of *** content!!! Sorry but this blog can be listed in the top 1000 SEO blogs(on the last spot)

By: Anthony Pensabene (or Content Muse when dressed in costume)

Anthony Pensabene (or Content Muse when dressed in costume) — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 13:23:13 +0000

“Listen old man, see here, i’m not writing in your succinct sentences..”

I agree with the message. Parents are not jumping on G+ like a duck on a junebug.. No, you’re right knowing your stuff as a practitioner is essential, but if you want to teach others, or as a marketer, sell your services, you need to be a communicator.

Using jargon or positioning the clients needs in technical terms is a turnoff and may raise warning flags. “If this dude/dudette can’t communicate to me how they’re helping me, how are they helping my business reach its target market?”

By: Julie Joyce

Julie Joyce — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 13:19:27 +0000

Well if I felt that way I wouldn’t have gotten an overly long post out of it.

By: Rob Chant

Rob Chant — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 13:15:47 +0000

It’s dead easy to explain SEO to lay people. I just tell them it’s about getting traffic from Google. I think pretty much everyone gets that.