I’ve heard it said in the last few days: “People are getting smarter and corporations are getting dumber.” Why? I thought about it and this is what I came up with…
We live in an age of unprecedented information available to us – SEO realted and otherwise – with more and more, moving faster and faster each day. When we think of something, a word, a song or articles about marketing, management whatever, a plethora of information is at our fingertips faster than we could go to the library or hire a consultant just 20 years ago. So much so that learning institutions have a hard time keeping up and staying relevant with the times.
So if knowledge or information is power, and we have an over-abundance of it, why then are so many companies – small & large – not keeping pace with the amount of information out there. Why are many failing in one way or another? I.e. Missing their mark when it comes to creating the right Kewyword Mix, Creating consistent On-Page footprints, Getting a robust linking campaign going, reaching sales/conversion goals, creating a culture conducive to profitable business and meeting revenue goals?
When I studied Physics back in University we learned P=VI. (Power equals Voltage times Current.) Current is information. Voltage is the impetus to deliver that information. It is the combination of these two, that is truly powerful. That is,
Information + Implementation = Transformation.
(Some see knowledge as an end gave. The physical laws of the universe don’t.)
Companies that fail, spend a lot of time placing importance on information, having the best tools and people who keep up with the latest trends in their fields. They go to trade shows to garner more information. Yet most who attend these as employees – and I know this feeling well – sigh, as they know that the culture, management or internal process of the company that they work for can not, or is not open to creating, processes that would allow them to make practical use of this newfound knowledge. The company has no means or impetus to implement the things that they paid the employee to learn. Happens all the time. But alas, the networking and parties at conferences are great! :)
But today companies are tightening up and I believe want to be more efficient in a leaner economy where budgets are getting pitted against results. Companies that have strategy, a plan and a clear method of implementation. I.E internal processes and people that support that strategy are the ones that will consistently win. Those that don’t, typically don’t because they haven’t acknowledged the need to transform and change with the times. I.e. Only trees that bend in the wind remain standing. And the bigger the company, the more important (and challenging) this is.
(Notice that while information is a readily quantifiable thing, implementation can be more difficult to gauge because it requires structure, method, people and performance measurement.)
So it’s really not how much you know. It’s how quickly and efficiently you can take basic information, like SEO Best Practices, and implement it. If you focus on the whole picture, you’ll be sure to lead the pack!
Lawrence Touitou brings you the best SEO tools, tips and advice on his SEO blog: SEOWithoutBorders.org - a collection of some of the best, SEO best practices from the most prominent SEOs in the industry.
