In order that all men may be taught to speak truth, it is
necessary that all likewise should learn to hear it."
- Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English Author, Lexicographer

With all the hype in regard to SEO (Search Engine Optimization) one could come to the assumption that all you have to do is optimize your pages and Shazam! your site is in the Top 10! I think that comes from a desire for that to be true. Many feeling that by just optimizing their site and wishing on their lucky search engine rabbit foot rankings will just happen. That's so 1990s!

Now fast forward to the present and optimizing is one of the most talked about silver bullets. However, I am seeing that critical considerations are being ignored before "optimizing." Here are just a few:

• Do you having a quality, consistent design to optimize?
• Did you investigate if you are entering an overly saturated market?
• Is your pricing competitive?
• Do you have a USP (Unique Selling Proposition)?
• Is your shipping and handling overpriced?
• Do you have a strategy, methodology or business plan?

Need I go on? Without the above, optimizing is a waste of time and the site owner's money. Regardless of what Spam or the Black Hat SEOs want everyone to believe, optimizing is futile without having your ducks in a row on the important issues first.

For those who haven't heard the term "Black Hat", Black Hat SEOs are the SEOs who will say or do anything to get into the customer's pocket book with claims of quick and unbelievable results. They cater to what they know many Web site owners want to believe; that search engine rankings are easy and just a matter of "optimizing." Many times using what the site owner doesn't know to make claims of Top 10 rankings and what the search engines don't condone to accomplish even minor results.

Then there are White Hat SEOs. These are the folks that realize optimization is an important part of getting rankings--but not the end-all-be-all. Not the silver bullet, not the magic pill, not the miracle cure to getting solid rankings for a poorly conceived Web site. Just a piece of the puzzle that includes well written optimized content catering to site visitors first, then search engines while making sure all the other important variables are also in place.

Yes, optimizing your content is a smart thing to do. But you can't optimize your site to the point where the text is no longer readable to human beings and expect to get orders, contacts or conversions. You can optimize your site to death, however, if you have a product that is not in demand, or at the wrong price on a poorly designed site--you've just optimized a site that will not produce regardless of its rankings.

Optimization is only part of having a comprehensive marketing program--not the Holy Grail! You need to look at your overall site marketing strategy, which should include all the tools available to you in the year 2005 to market your interactive site for best network exposure. From Blogs to autoresponder campaigns, to content that grows like a corn stalk; without these added to your program, you can optimize until the cows come home but the fat lady will never sing.

Don't optimize before you strategize!