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Rather than going last we thought we'd give our own in-house SEO Pro Barry the honor of opening up this year's SEO Interviews. The purpose of SEO interviews is to poll some top SEO names, those who have specific skills sets, and those who have been in the industry for a while. Their knowledge is invaluable and we are confident even the seasoned SEO vets will take something out of each participant. Without further ado here's Barry!

Your vitals:

• Name: Barry Nagassar
• Web site you wish to have linked: You're on it now!
• Shameless plug about yourself: Hmmm. Well we'll be releasing an SEO Book that will be focused on MBA style marketing techniques readable to a general business audience. It's more than SEO our book, it will be a broad marketing approach, not a get rich quick scheme, but foundational marketing practices with a unique web marketing twist.

SEO Question Sets for the Pros

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Hey everyone! This is my first post, and I've been given the task of running our SEO interviews. Distinct SEO is pulling in some top names in the SEO industry to ask them what makes web marketing tick. We know this SEO interview game has been done and even if we just did the usually thing it would still have immense value for our readers, however, we're going to go one step further than the regular interviews seen out there in SEO-land.

We'll certainly ask the regular questions, "what do you like about SEO? What is the average wing speed velocity of a coconut laden swallow?" but we'll also tackle some issues that are perhaps neglected. For example, we are going to focus more on the business aspects of SEO, things that separate the competent business/marketer from the entry-level SEO.

Some very useful thoughts and remarks are one the way so stay tuned. Once we're done this round of interviews we'll post a 'Top Ten' type list of the best ideas from the SEO professionals we interview. As part of our own initiative the first interviewee will be our own :P--sorry for the shameless plug.

New Media Rules - SEO Style

If you picked up this month's Alberta Venture magazine you would have seen my contribution explaining elements of web marketing. (May, 2007) in the Alberta Venture, a provincial business magazine, some introductory comments were made in an article exploring various marketing models for web sites.

Although my take was brief, I did manage to get in a couple of key aspects about the SEO realm, albeit I would have liked more emphasis on SEO as a smaller component of the broader web marketing beast. There was also a comment I supposedly made,

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People come and go from the core team of Distinct SEO but we're committed and excited to be growing in our web marketing endeavors. For the time being we're saying goodbye to Neil Smith as our web marketing director but simultaneously want to formally welcome (I know it's long overdue) another person to the team.

Samantha Young has exhibited strong skills in writing and business marketing that we feel only complement the existing skills set at Distinct SEO. She is nearing completion of her degree at the University of Calgary. She'll post here within the week introducing our SEO Interview features, but for now, welcome her on the blog and say hi to her if she answers the phone :).

flamesforum.com and stampedersforum.com have two things in common. Both are professional sports teams in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and both are owned by Distinct SEO. Since late 2006 Distinct SEO has been actively promoting and optimizing FlamesForum.com to a successful season-end.

"Being from Calgary we wanted to pick up some local sports web sites and do make a statement in the local market. We love our hometown teams and wanted to start new communities in a market that had room for new entrants," remarked Barry Nagassar, Owner of Distinct SEO.com.

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Some marketing bloggers have noted consumers are growing dissatisfied with the SEO industry due to the lack of accountability (with respect to results) and lack of transparency (with respect to what is actually completed for web sites). It's true, nearly anybody regardless of qualifications can figure out on-page SEO (changes made to your web site) and create an online firm to start garnering consultation dollars. The problem is the absence of SEO standard for training or governing body policing rogue consultants means the chance of 'pulling the wool' over the eyes of unsuspecting consumers grows.

Before we move forward here is a little bit of context. An article called, "A “Market for Lemons”, a Nobel Prize, and Snake Oil SEO" from John Andrews argued for the increase in transparency for an industry where the consultant holds an unfair advantage in service negotiations because of their unique knowledge of the SEO industry that the customer does not have.

Aaron Wall comments in his blog post "Why Selling Selling SEO Services is a Bad Business Model", by adding some more reasons why selling SEO services is a bad business model.

While I agree with both writers and their take on the SEO business models especially when it comes to contractual discussions, I think they failed to address some key activities that separate the 'snakes' from the pros. How then should legitimate SEO's approach their trade?

Why SEO/SEM is Neither Sales nor Product Focused

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Everyone is starting to note the impact of Web 2.0. Well OK, admittedly if you're just picking up on it now you're quite late in the game. Still, web designers and marketers have long learned and implemented Web 2.0; much later (present day) the mainstream media and semi-unprofessional web marketers are starting to pay attention.

Here's the thing. If you're just catching on with Web 2.0 it's not actually the place where you want to start. Rather than jumping on a crowded Web 2.0 bus, why not get into the driver's seat and lead the pack? New web developments, marketing promos, and other online business planning should in the very least reflect Web 2.0 trends, but should also be considering and defining what comes next.

Web 3.0 / Web Cubed to Replace Web 2.0

What will replace Web 2.0 and what will that look like? Somewhat haphazardly I have named in Web Cubed (for Web 3.0, by the way, I'm willing to have someone point out that I'm not the first to use Web cubed). Bare in mind, I'm not suggesting Web 2.0 must logically progress to the next number in three (or cubed) but for the sake of this post I'll stick with simple numerics.

I think we can divide web trends in a variety of categories, i.e. design, market planning, choices, etc. For example, what will Web Cubed look like? That's a good question and I'd love to hear from all web designers. What will it feel like? I'd love to hear from the programmers. How will we produce it and promote it? I'd love to hear from the marketers and planners.

Here are my top thoughts on what Web Cubed will consist of.

1. A Continuation of communal aspects. Why is Wikipedia, Facebook, MySpace, etc., so popular? Connections, community, people remain hugely important to web browsers today. The importance of the community mentality of online sites will continue to replace the desire of the individual.

2. Designs will become more abstract. Instead of congruent headers and footers you'll experience asymmetry in web design work. Colors will be vibrant, collage, patchwork, wavey and mutant ideas will replace unity, symmetry.

3. Purpose will be replaced with play. Interaction with environments and combinations online will be desired over selection and rigidity.

4. Marketing becomes courting clients and not selling products and services to customers--(this has been around for a while mind you). We should also acknowledge methods of marketing will change; low-bit youtube will be replaced with full and high quality and perhaps some day 3-D video.

5. Change will be embraced and rapid change will become norm in information retrieval. Consider the continuing rise in cellular media and methods of sending and receiving communication (not just RSS but RSS to mobile in the least).

These are but a few aspects that are sitting perhaps in the tail-end of Web 2.0 but are also ready to lead the way for Web Cubed which for some who are ambitious, has already arrived. What are your thoughts?