Majoring in SEO

SEO is a major deal, and many feel that it should be taught at university level. Why isn’t there a degree? Is it because (as some state) that SEO is too fluid, and the l;andscape changes too rapidly, leaving techniques behind?

No more so than any other computer or technological related field. There are basics to SEO that everyone can learn, that have stayed fairly static over the years. The industry changes, true, but it comes down to strategic marketing in the end and there are core fundamentals that stay the same.

Medicine is another industry that changes at an breakneck pace. Tax law is constantly updated, architecture evolves… Changes are everywhere. The search industry might have more changes than some, and these can and do sometimes invalidate theories from a month or six months before, but it is not a world of absolutes.

The excuse that an industry changes too rapidly is a ridiculous justification for it to be neglected in our teaching systems. Search is what drives the internet; the internet is the future. It’s just that simple. The fundamentals can at least be taught, with constant refresher courses to help everyone stay on top of things.

There is a horrible lack of truly qualified people in search currently. There are organizations like SEMPO and the DMA working to develop/create training and certification programs which should help, but real action is still some time away.

SEOs have been complaining about being looked down on and dismissed for years. At the same time, many are still against the thought of SEO being taught in colleges. If SEO became part of the marketing curriculum in mainstream universities across the country, the industry could finally be legitimized and accepted.

We need to become more proactive to present a united front and gain acceptance for the industry. If SEO was something official, maybe we wouldn’t have to explain what the letters stand for when someone asks what we do for a living!