Who are the top SEO experts of this forum?
Please vote your favourites :)

Aaron Wall

SEO experts?

I thought everyone was just making this up as we went along!!

I thought everyone was just making this up as we went along!!

That's what I do. Been doing it for years now, and so far no one has noticed...

Ian

Ha ha hope experts don't call themselves, you can find through some qualities that can bee seen on experts to identify

Want to know about qualities? :D

As a moderator for a couple SEO forums, I *can* tell you that almost 100% of the time, anyone choosing a handle like: "seoguru", "searchexpert", "ppcgod" etc - isn't.

I've had to ban quite a few of them, and most of the rest I spend a good portion of time answering their questions, like "what's anchor text mean?" .

It's scary.

Ian

You said Ian :)

lol.... the exception being seobook

So you mean to say somebody here is an SEOBOOK ;)

lol... yes the seobook even

ha ha i found the person Aussie, thanks :)

Who are the top SEO experts hereFor sure it would be, except that seobook/aaron isn't here and hasn't been here for two years, so he isn't here. ;)

People who are currently here (more than once or twice every year or two) and active, participating regulars is a mixture, but there seem to be some who are here that are outstanding (IMHO). And some definitely NOT. I would hesitate to recommend any specifics personally, because I don't care for what often happens when people start recommending.

A lot of SEO is like throwing spaghetti against the wall. If you throw enough, some of it's bound to stick. Think about it. :D


Added:

don't care for what often happensScratch that, it isn't nearly emphatic enough. I hate what happens is closer to accurate.

Hi Marcia,

:D Your said "A lot of SEO is like throwing spaghetti against the wall. If you throw enough, some of it's bound to stick. Think about it"

But it should be wall ;)

LOL, jag... I didn't even make the connection. :)

Its good that you dont make connections :D

Interesting answers...
Do you think that there is *usually* a strong relationship between the number of messages posted by the person here and the excellency in the field?

no otherwise I would be tops... post number is time and involvement

no otherwise I would be tops...
I said "usually" but.. who says you're not tops? ;)

post number is time and involvement
And usually isn't there a strong relationship between the "time and involvement" dedicated here and the excellency in the field? :)

And about a person like Aaron Wall, do you also believe that he's not active in any forum on the net? my common sense refuses the idea that he's not an active communicator in the field, and I don't think that he can find a better community than this in the "offline" world where to sharpen his skill on SEO. What do you think about this?

Hi Laura,
SEW forums have a 'reputation' function, which allows members to 'rate' any post. See http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/faq.php?faq=reputationmain#faq_greenbars

There is a list of members ranked by the 'votes' of other members http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/memberlist.php?&order=DESC&sort=reputation&pp=30

That should givce you some idea..... Marcia & Ian are at the top....
:)

That's a toughie - My vote would be around 10 of the folks here. Though maybe not SEO celebrities per se, there are some great experts without doubt. I don't get to post much, but I do visit a lot.

Hi Laura,
SEW forums have a 'reputation' function, which allows members to 'rate' any post. See http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/faq.php?faq=reputationmain#faq_greenbars

There is a list of members ranked by the 'votes' of other members http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/memberlist.php?&order=DESC&sort=reputation&pp=30

That should givce you some idea..... Marcia & Ian are at the top....
:)

Wow, thank you very much Chris for this information!
I just positively rated your message :D

Wow, thank you very much Chris for this information!
I just positively rated your message :D
Yeah, it took me a couple weeks before I realized why I was seeing so many green chicklets by my name. Usually that kind of thing is based on post quantity, but I know I haven't posted as much as some people here.

green chicklets.... now I know what they are called...

green chicklets

Is that anything like green M&M's? ;)

Ian

I have a long road ahead of me to get those chicklets/m&ms.

Is that anything like green M&M's? ;)

Ian
No, silly, M&M's are circles... Chicklets are square.

You know, in many ways a forum doesn't lend itself to a handful of folks being the "top" experts. Especially one that deals with a topic like SEO where much appears to be magic, not science, and so many factors have to be addressed at the same time.

Seemingly simple questions can start a multi-page thread where -- hopefully -- the collective knowledge and experience builds a consensus. Everyone involved, including the so-called experts, comes away with something learned.

Additionally, one of the attributes of a true "expert" is that they spend a lot of time learning about a specialty - more than most people can afford to spend.

Usually, it's less about intelligence and skill, and more about time invested learning more and more about less and less, until finally you know everything about nothing :)

For example, I focus on international seo, and that's the speech I give at conferences, usually. Others specialize in Adwords, link building, social media, etc. I don't have time to spend thinking up link building strategies all day - I know the basics, but leave the truly advanced stuff to people like Eric and Debra. In turn, I get emails about how to use ccTLD's properly from them.

To a beginner, all of these people may seem like "SEO Experts", but to people who are working SEO's, they are more like specialists in particular areas of SEO, not necessarily experts in SEO as a whole.

That's why they come to forums like this - not only to teach and share, but to learn.

That's why I really don't think there is a such thing as an "SEO Expert". I've been called it, but I know damn well that there are many people on this forum who know far more than me about their areas. That's why I'm here. I believe that's why they are here.

A real expert is someone who is constantly learning - which isn't all that different from a so-called beginner. It's the same number of questions, they are just different questions as time goes on.

What worries me are the people who actually think they are experts and therefore don't need to be constantly learning anymore. They do a disservice to themselves and to the public, IMO.

Beware of people who call themselves "experts". A real "expert" will almost never refer to themselves that way - they are well aware of how much they don't know.

Ian

Well said, Ian. I tend to focus on the on-page SEO strategies as well, and leave the link building and external marketing to others here on my team. I know enough to be dangerous, but fortunately my company doesn't really appreciate "dangerous" when it comes to our web site.

As a moderator for a couple SEO forums, I *can* tell you that almost 100% of the time, anyone choosing a handle like: "seoguru", "searchexpert", "ppcgod" etc - isn't.

I've had to ban quite a few of them, and most of the rest I spend a good portion of time answering their questions, like "what's anchor text mean?".

Oh snap, don't hurt'em Ian!

I'm waiting to see the "seosifu" or "seosherpa" or "seograndwizard" or "seolordmarshal".... this is actually kinda fun....

A real expert is someone who is constantly learning - which isn't all that different from a so-called beginner. It's the same number of questions, they are just different questions as time goes on.

Very ZEN answer.

And true dat - those who label themselves as an SEO "expert" .... ugh. turnoff.

Sad thing is I'm on the first page of results :P
http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/memberlist.php?&order=DESC&sort=reputation&pp=30

Mike, IMHO you well deserve to be on the first page (in fact I've hit you up myself with some rep more than once), and I have to say LTNS, welcome back - it's *really* good to have you back with us again.

In all fairness, I think we have to try to keep a balanced perspective on things. A heavy volume of posting day after day isn't necessarily a sure sign of expertise, it's what's posted that counts, the context and how it's presented. Being fairly new or not being a volume poster (yet) isn't a sign of lack of expertise either; again - it's what's posted that counts. There's also the demeanor of people and how they approach topics they participate in.

There are some people who are fairly new here who are definitely worth reading when they post, but they just haven't been around long enough or often enough to accrue the rep to be on the first page - but they deserve to, and if they stick around they will be.

Then again, different people can have a focus on different areas. Some SEOs around have expertise in link development, while others dislike link development and are far more into sitewide and on-page optimization factors.

Some are really into patents and papers while others have a lot of server-side technical expertise.

All put together, with enough people around willing to share about their particular interests as well as some who are what we could consider "generalists" it all comes together into a useful body of knowledge for members, and there's always something new for everyone to learn.

tru dat Marcia. And thanks for all the rep chicklets.

Some folks here are very authoritative in the industry - just not active enough here (SEW) - but very active in their own properties.

Some are definitely very good at one aspect of SEO. Not necessarily better on 1 part of SEO over others, just better at 1 part of SEO over the other SEOs here - and they provide great insight and information.

Such humility nobody is voting for themseleves. every time I think I have it, they don't change the rules, they move the field with no forwarding address!

I allways thought Danny Sulivan was the hands down experts expert

See? That's one of the problems: Danny isn't an SEO - he's a journalist.

I've always believed that the best SEO in the world right now is almost certainly some guy/gal working away at a company somewhere, and that no one will ever know who they are.

The usual names that keep showing up (Danny, Rand, Aaron, etc) know a lot about SEO, but that's not why they are the usual names - they are the usual names because they are they are very good at educating others about SEO, and are well known as a result.

Ian

See? That's one of the problems: Danny isn't an SEO - he's a journalist.Thank you, Ian. ;)

I've always believed that the best SEO in the world right now is almost certainly some guy/gal working away at a company somewhere, and that no one will ever know who they are.You're probably right. And it could even be some kid in a basement, and no one will ever know who they are or where they are.

The usual names that keep showing up (Danny, Rand, Aaron, etc) know a lot about SEO, but that's not why they are the usual names - they are the usual names because they are they are very good at educating others about SEO, and are well known as a result.

IanAnd they're also exceedingly good at getting their names out, etc., etc., etc. Not to say that they're not brilliant people (because they certainly are), but it all has to be taken in a balanced perspective, taking into consideration what the needs are.

[Added: FWIW, I personally think Ian is brilliant, but I won't tell him so because he's bad enough as it is. ;)]

Here's how to tell right away. :)

http://www.searchenginejournal.com/14-things-about-real-seos/6738/

spaghettis and wall? Was that yet another hidden hint @seobook?lol

Here's how to tell right away. :)

http://www.searchenginejournal.com/14-things-about-real-seos/6738/

I think the previous statements already established a lot jonny ;)

Now you got to love this one :D

or working their own sites which are so far ahead of the algorithms, that an update is just the engine trying to catch up.

LOL... who's trying to catch up with who?

I think maybe the answer might be that whoever is the top "expert" for one site (or one type of site) may or may not be the expert or best choice for another.

So much can depend on the niche and the potential number of uniques that are feasible to expect; or, what the total revenue is that could be expected, even with the maximum volume of traffic that could possibly be expected.

Who the "best" might be for a huge brand name site isn't likely to be the best for a start-up Mom & Pop in terms of what they might have to spend and how much could be reasonably possible, even for gross revenues.

There are many good SEOs who you never hear of. Some are small independents, working on the smallest of sites...some work in-house for large online companies that you will know of....some work for search/digital agencies...some work for themselves running sites which make money through contextual and/or affiliate ads...etc.

How you would choose the 'best' SEO from all of these groups, I do not know!

We have some serious SEO talent here and yes some are quietly achieving...

We have some serious SEO talent here and yes some are quietly achieving...

You mean the ones that scream the loudest aren't the only experts???

Aussiewebmaster is pretty good and he has lots of green lights :)