SEO Certification: Necessity, Myth, or Scam? - Industry Standards: Standards and Endorsement
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While we are on the subject of industry standards, let’s talk about those for a moment. What are the industry standards in SEO? There are none. There are basics that fundamentally do not change, but even these basics are not the same today as they were even two or three years ago. So, if even the basics change from time to time, can this be something that one can be trained, tested, and certified on?
What would be required in order to grant certification of a sort in Search Engine Optimization?
1. Every search engine would have to operate fundamentally the same, or all search engine diversions are covered in the training, and that training should be kept up to date.
Mike McEwan talked about the diversity of search engines in his article Search Engine Overlap and Divergence. What this should indicate is that there are huge differences in the way the major search engines operate. It is the job of the SEO to understand these diversities, and compile an optimization strategy that covers them all.
I am finding it difficult that you could get all of that down in two days. SEO is a constant learning process, and training continues all the time. I worry that people will achieve their “certification” and not keep up on the changes with the search engines. While this is a concern with any SEO firm, the danger is higher when a certification sticker is there. It may lull the consumer into a false sense of security.
2. Search engines would need to authorize and recognize the certification as valid.
Let’s take the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) program. After an intense several days in a Microsoft approved training center, and usually after 6-8 exams, MCSE applicants that pass receive their MCSE certification. This certification is recognized by Microsoft as being genuine. Let’s break this down a little. The “product” is the Operating System, Network Administration, MySQL Database, or whatever the certification has been issued for. The “product’s manufacturer” would be Microsoft, as they created the “product,” as well as the standards for certification.
With SEO certification, I would have to believe that certification would be authorized or at least recognized by the search engines in question. When you are certified, you are genuinely approved to operate, sell, repair, administer, or educate about a product, as outlined by the product’s manufacturer. Let’s look at a few more examples:
- If a teacher is certified, then he or she is able to teach a “product”: a school curriculum. The certification is issued by the “product’s manufacturer,” or in this case the school district or the state’s school administration. The school district or the state’s school administration has the ability to offer certification, because they created the product and the standards by which the product adheres. They are also able to authorize training centers to offer certification under their tutelage.
- A certified Harley Davidson mechanic is genuinely able to repair a “product”: Harley Davidson motorcycles. The certification is issued by the “product’s manufacturer,” in this case, Harley Davidson. Harley Davidson sets the standards by which training and certification occur, and can approve the training centers where people could be certified.
- A CPA is a certified public account. He or she is able to administer and educate about the “product”: the current tax law. The certification is issued by the “product’s manufacturer,” or in this case the Internal Revenue Service. The government sets the standards and facilitates the training under an approved training center required for certification. The authorized training center in this case would be an accredited college.
Do you see where I’m going? So if you are a certified SEO, approved to operate, sell, repair, administer, or educate about a “product,” like optimization for search engines, wouldn’t the certification have to be authorized by the “product’s manufacturer,” or in this case, the search engines? So far, the search engines do not even recognize certification as being valid, let alone authorized.
Next: Industry Standards: Requirements, Authority, and Importance >>
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