I initially started at Red or Blue as an intern working for 5 weeks.  My only exposure to SEO had been the SEOmoz beginners guide and some very, very basic work in my previous job.  These first five weeks taught me a lot, and when I was asked to write my first blog I thought it was only appropriate that I reflect on this period, and as we all know everyone loves a list, I thought picking 5 of the most important things I learnt would be a cool thing for me to do (and hopefully you to read).

1.     No one really knows

No one has all the answers in SEO.  One of the things that has been hammered into me at Red or Blue is to never be afraid to put my ideas and opinions forward, as there is no right answer.  What one person tells you may not necessarily be right, and even if it is now, it might not be in the future.  I have tried to make sure I remember to question everything and to never be afraid to have my say, as it might always be right.

2.   It’s an ART

This one is stolen directly from the Red or Blue website.  Thinking of SEO in terms of Authority, Relevance, and Technology helped me grasp the full concept, and provided me with a framework when analysing sites.  Authority deals with the amount of, and authority of, the links the site is getting, Relevance refers to the site content and ensuring it is optimised and of quality, and Technology relates to how the site is built and optimised.   Looking at each individual area one by one and seeing where a site is slipping allowed me to focus in strategically and set about implementing successful changes.

3.  SEO’s love to talk (and tweet, and blog etc)

The SEO community is packed with people who love to talk.  Following about 50 people from industry on twitter has meant my news feed is packed with a never ending stream of SEO and marketing articles, which has proved incredibly useful for someone just getting into the industry.  The willingness to share ideas, data, opinions, and all manner of other things is a really wonderful resource meaning learning is at the fingertips of us all.  And what better way to stay on top of any updates, you might even be able to learn something before your boss finds out (especially if your boss doesn’t like social).  Just remember not to believe everything you read.

4.  What’s the problem?

When approaching an SEO task I’ve realised it is important to think what the problem is before you get too carried away with possible solutions.  A few times I have come in looking at how I can change the world when that wasn’t what was needed.  I found if I slowed down and was analytical, and calculated with my approach I could work out what needs to happen and then all importantly how I will make it happen.

5.  Everyday, and everyone is different.

This touches on a few of the other points, but I found that working in an agency meant I had to be able to change my mind-set and consider what the different clients wanted to achieve, and the many different ways of doing this.  It may sound simple but when I had been working with one client for an extended period of time, using a particular set of tools and techniques, I found I might still be in that mind-set when it came to moving onto something else.  Understanding the situation and all the alternatives has proved vitally important in making sure I have done the best job I can.

These 5 points are only just beginning to touch on what I learnt, SEO is an incredibly vast subject, which is one of the reasons it is so fascinating.  In reality a probably learnt 5 things and hour over the last 5 weeks but that title just wouldn’t have had the same ring.  I look forward to continuing my learning!

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