Bad SEO affects the whole industry
It was by chance that I found the following blog post basically bagging the SEO industry, it is slightly satirical in nature, but raises some great points. However what is sad is that if someone reads this as a newbie to SEO, there is every chance their view/opinion of SEO on the whole would be horribly biased.
There are some points which are horribly wrong with the piece, and Mark Pilatowski rightly points those out. However it is very frustrating when bad SEO-ers bring down the industry. It makes it harder for the rest of us to do ethical work, and de-values the quality and value of the work we do.
I have always believed that good SEO should start with good education. Clients need to understand what they are getting for their money, which requires some knowledge of how search engines work, and then also an understanding of keyword research and implementation across the site. Work doesn’t just stop there though, regular meetings need to take place, analysis of web stats is a must and of course, SEO is an ongoing process!
There is another similar type of article on SEOmoz.org from the CEO Rand – http://www.seomoz.org/blog/sigh-how-can-we-overcome-ignorance-about-seo – again it deals with ignorance related to the “real” professionals involved in SEO.
I know promoting these “negative” mindsets is perhaps not too productive from my own perspective, but I think it is only fair to show how bad the industry can be perceived, and hopefully real professionals will help guide you through any SEO journey!