Your Obsession to Rank Higher is the Final Nail in Your Coffin

What kind of recording artist says stuff like “my goal is to make the Billboard Top 10″? Sure, recording labels may set goals like that, but did Lou Reed ever sit down and write songs just to win a Grammy? If making money is your only goal on the web, I don’t want you as a client.

I get no kick out of promoting a piece-of-crap-boring-as-hell-cookie-cutter-turnkey-site. I got to be infatuated with a site I’m promoting. It’s got to blow me away. Simon Cowell may call you “karaoke”, “cabaret”, “cruise ship”, whatever - I only live once. I don’t have time to waste promoting mediocrity.

Udi Manber recently wrote:

[Google’s] goal is always the same: improve the user experience. This is not the main goal, it is the only goal.

Don’t even think “if you build it they won’t just come” which is just a poor excuse marketers use to swipe more of your dough. If those words don’t strike a chord in your brain somewhere, nothing I do or say will help you.

Recently, several real estate agents were up in arms about Trulia using widgets and nofollows, accusing Trulia of employing “aggressive” SEO (as if that’s somehow a bad thing). The truth is Trulia is just following the SEO rule book. The real threat is the amount of money and human resources Trulia has at its finger tips. Trulia’s technology will rapidly evolve. Meanwhile an agent is boxed in by an uninspiring “SEO-friendly” template thousands of other people are using and a limited marketing budget. There’s no competition. Taking collective action against widgets is just delaying the inevitable. Even if realtors stopped linking to Trulia, sites like businessweek.com will continue to link in. If you want to talk massive inlinks, how about nearly 4,000 dofollow links to trulia from CNN.com?

So far, one and perhaps the only edge agents have over Trulia are comprehensive, up-to-date property listings. If Trulia somehow gains access to that, what then? When will people wake up and realize SEO isn’t about worrying about SPAM (site positioned above mine) its about pushing their sites to the next level? If Microsoft didn’t bother creating the XBOX360 what would their market share look like now? If you refuse to evolve, your days are numbered on the web.

Your move. The clock is ticking.

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13 Responses to “Your Obsession to Rank Higher is the Final Nail in Your Coffin”

  1. Well said! I can’t believe I haven’t stumbled across your blog before. You have some very useful information here. This is now going to be one of my regular reads.

    Misty Lackie said this on May 29th, 2008 at 9:54 am

  2. Really good stuff Halfdeck.

    Adam Audette said this on May 30th, 2008 at 3:55 pm

  3. Thanks Adam.

    Halfdeck said this on May 31st, 2008 at 5:24 am

  4. The thing I like about your posts is that they really make you think.

    “So far, one and perhaps the only edge agents have over Trulia are comprehensive, up-to-date property listings.”

    One edge some agents do have over Trulia is their ability to provide information and expert knowledge on individual markets. Most consumers are out there looking for an expert to help them with a very important purchase. They will not find this at Trulia and probably never will.

    John Allen said this on June 9th, 2008 at 9:08 am

  5. Delaying the inevitable; but what is the inevitable?

    Artur said this on June 12th, 2008 at 3:44 pm

  6. “One edge some agents do have over Trulia is their ability to provide information and expert knowledge on individual markets.”

    There are more wisdom shared on Trulia Answers than on most agent sites these days. Some agents may have knowledge but that’s not a card in play if that knowledge isn’t shared online. Some agents swear by Trulia Answers as a productive way to capture leads. It’s similar to how clients find me after reading my answers on Google Groups, forums, and other venues. Where on your site do you share your expertise? All you basically have are a list of properties and sales pitches. Whereas on Trulia Answers, potential buyers have many of their questions answered by “expert” agents - so I don’t see Trulia getting beat in that department.

    “but what is the inevitable?”

    Why don’t you ask realtors over on blogs like Bloodhound blog who are crying foul against standard SEO tactics like nofollow and widgets. What are they afraid of?

    If you’re gunning for [phoenix real estate], Trulia already has you beat. If [greater phoenix real estate] is your primary target, you should feel lucky trulia hasn’t bothered to target that term.

    Halfdeck said this on June 13th, 2008 at 6:02 am

  7. “I only live once. I don’t have time to waste promoting mediocrity.”

    That is brilliant, thanks!
    :)

    Alphane Moon said this on June 19th, 2008 at 10:11 am

  8. Hey Alphane Moon, you got some cool bloggers in your blogroll.

    Halfdeck said this on June 19th, 2008 at 12:26 pm

  9. Nice post Halfdeck and very true -

    Jayson said this on June 23rd, 2008 at 1:17 pm

  10. Hey Halfdeck,

    Thanks, the blogroll has just been updated.

    Alphane Moon said this on June 26th, 2008 at 10:43 am

  11. I have to agree. Taking on clients with no imagination and no drive sucks the life out of the marketing professional/agency. Anyone who takes the stance of not wanting to change anything or evolve yet they demand top results is a fool, and doesn’t understand that SEO tricks may drive more traffic to your site, but nothing can keep a company from boring the visitor to tears except the company itself.

    DanielthePoet said this on August 4th, 2008 at 9:43 am

  12. I am glad your site was linked from an ActiveRain comment and one verse of your copy chant will ring in my head for the rest of the day (hopefully maybe even longer) …

    “Google’s goal is always the same: improve the user experience. This is not the main goal, it is the only goal. ”

    Everything we do online and in our day to day real estate business or whatever business should do the same. Thank you!

    Andrew Mooers said this on February 28th, 2009 at 8:28 am

  13. Trulia does have an immense HR-development army at their fingertips, you are right by saying that. They too, if not more than other industries are always facing the threat of a startup with a good hook. I mean, real estate listings could be totally transformed by one new killer app/program. If it isn’t trulia who develops it.. they stand a real chance of losing out. Ajax has enhanced it but I really believe something is going to come along soon that will revolutionize listings. It’s not like we are dealing with medical records here.

    MN Realtor said this on July 22nd, 2009 at 2:34 pm

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