Is this SEO??

[ihelpyou]

I found this at another forums. I started chuckling with bursts of laughter. Do web design firms and any other type firms really think they need ONE person who really and truly does all of this?
SEO Strategist

DESCRIPTION

• Develop and drive Firm's Search Engine Optimization product strategy not only internally, but for hundreds of our clients.
• Responsible for maintaining a current understanding of SEO best practices
• Actively pursue an understanding of the needs of our clients and their customers, and utilize this understanding to determine opportunities that adds value to our Clients
• Prioritize all SEO opportunities based on greatest impact to traffic
• Analyze effects of SEO-related changes and offer reports to Clients
• Translate and communicate those effects to the Client
• Active participant in sales and associated strategic initiatives
• Manage and foster on-going relationships with Clients

RESPONSIBILITIES
(include but not limited to):

Customer Focus
The SEO Product Manager will drive our company’s efforts to ensure our Clients’ sites are continually optimized for search engines. While the SEO Product Manager will also offer internal guidance on search engines, the Manager will be primarily responsible to develop and implement these products with our existing and growing Client base.

Strategy
The SEO Product Manager will develop and productize SEO services to our existing and new Clients. These on-going products will be key revenue drivers for the company and necessary services for our Clients. The overall strategy that the SEO Product Manager sets must be communicated effectively via standardized reporting mechanisms to both management and Clients, at least once each month.

Execution
The SEO Product Manager will also work closely with our graphic designers to manage optimization efforts. Additionally, the Manager will also set benchmarks for success with both Clients and management and will provide regular reports. A major component of the SEO role will be client consultations for their PLM (Paid Listings Management), PI (Paid Inclusion), Natural (SEO) & Media campaigns.

REQUIREMENTS


• 3 years’ experience in the interactive industry with SEO focus
• Undergraduate degree required
• Understanding of interactive marketing, experience in real estate is a plus
• A proven track record of creative thinking with at least a basic understanding of design principles
• A history of developing and managing strategic plans to excellent results
• Experience managing both internal and external relationships successfully
• Strong analysis skills, and the ability to turn search engine ranking data into actionable information, understandable to the Client
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Exhibits ease while discussing goals and objectives with Clients
• Strong background in developing and giving presentations to a variety of audience types and sizes
• Understanding of the latest technologies and concepts, such as ‘Web 2.0’, media convergence, user-generated media, and the effect these concepts have on search engine rankings
• A proven track record of passionate pursuit of meeting Client needs
• Proficiency with Windows applications including PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, Excel, MS Project
The firm name has been deleted.

Okay; if a person has ALL these skills, why the hell would they work at some kind of design firm who obviously has no idea about how to build a real estate site the right way? What also caught my eye was the requirement of some kind of degree. LOL Having a degree has zero to do with your SEO skills as SEO is NOT taught in universities at all.

I also get peturbed by the total lack of knowledge of design firms..... in real estate especially. They are totally clueless firms. This person also does not know the difference between SEO and SEM and lumps everything under "SEO". Also, no mentions about site usability or conversions, etc.

Thoughts about this?

Don't know about you all, but the person qualified for all of this should demand about $200,000 per year, right? LOL

[Mel66]

I agree with you, Doug - it's pretty apparent that they obviously don't really understand SEM at all.

That said, I see this all the time. Most companies, especially those looking to hire in-house, don't have any idea what they're looking for because they don't understand SEM in the first place. So, they mix up terminology and lump everything under the sun into one position.

On top of that, they expect the new hire to relocate cross-country (at their own expense, of course) and offer to pay them $35K per year. And then they wonder why they can't get any qualified applicants.

Melissa

[ihelpyou]

On top of that, they expect the new hire to relocate cross-country (at their own expense, of course) and offer to pay them $35K per year. And then they wonder why they can't get any qualified applicants.
Yep. The kicker is if they simply learned a thing or two themselves, they could save that 35K to begin with. Also; they will certainly hire someone for that kind of money, but then wonder why things aren't working out down the line. What they should be doing is teaching their developers how to build a se friendly site to begin with, and outsourcing the PPC stuff to a firm qualified.

Reports? What reports? We give reports for PPC campaigns, but zero reports for SEO stuff. The client stats and log files are all that is necessary for SEO.

Another thing; this is a real estate design firm in ONE city. I had deleted the city name and area. Most all clients are in the area.... real estate agents. Could someone tell me how they plan on optimizing all these agents to do well on phrases like:

cityname real estate

Only ten agents can be on the first page, right? They claim they have one hundred clients. LOL

[SEFL]

cityname real estate
cityname homes
cityname homes for sale
cityname (insert 1000 other bullshit phrases)

That'd be my guess.

[ihelpyou]

Well sure; but do you really think each client is going to choose a different phrase than the rest? I highly doubt they know what's going on at all.

[SEFL]

Absolutely not!

I'm with you...the clients aren't going to have a clue what's going on and won't pick a thing. The keyphrases will be assigned by the firm and the firm will give the mushroom treatment to the clients.

"Okay, Firm A, you're going to be cityname real estate. Firm B, cityname homes for sale. Firm C, you're a cheap bunch of assholes, so you're going to be cityname boroughname streetname commercial properties for lease or rent."

It wouldn't be that hard for a shady SEO firm to come up with tens of thousands of phrases like that claim they optimized for them. Just open up a Perly's (http://www.randmcnally.ca/products/191) (or whatever the Yankee equivalent is...sorry, don't know), use all the street/borough names, and you've got a small-scale real estate industry SEO scam. Pull that off over 20-30 cities, you'd pick yourself up a fair-sized chunk of dirty money with next to no effort.

(And no, I haven't thought about it any great detail up until now, nor would I do it. I just put myself in the shoes of a snake to know how to counter them.)

[Connie]

Not trying to be argumentative. But Doug don't you provide all those services? I know you don't personally do all the work, but you do provide the service. Right?

Is that company being unrealistic? Yes. On the other hand if they can hire someone who can guide others in the process, that may be what they are looking for.

For the most part I share your feelings in regard to a degree. However, there are many companies that require a degree as part of the hiring process. The degree does not have to be related to the job.

For the most part a degree shows a company that you have enough personal discipline to start and finish a course of action.

[Connie]

In regard to the degree. I think most companies would consider a job application from someone who has demonstrated through experience that he/she has the skills required.

[ihelpyou]

Yes, but that's not what they say they want. They state they want "one" person to do all of those jobs. LOL Like I said, that person needs to insist on 200k per year. The sad thing is; they will hire some poor chap for 35k per year and think they did a good thing. :D

[Connie]

Doug I think most companies ask for more than what they are willing to settle for.

Shoot for the Moon.

[SEFL]

A few notes I'd like to make as someone who is now witnessing the hiring of people first-hand at most of my clients (office expansions, new growth, etc. And the geek helped put them there :) :

1) The degree issue is one that seems to have a varied opinion. Some people have to have it before they take someone seriously (which is extremely stupid IMHO), some people put it in there because it's a "nice to have" thing; and some couldn't give a damn what piece of paper a prospective employee has if he/she can do the work.

2) I tend to agree with Connie somewhat, and I don't really see the ad itself as being all that bad in relative terms now that I think about it. I see far worse stuff up here in terms of requirements vs. salary. Most companies seem to have the attitude that "if we hire you, you take what we give you and be grateful you're not picking garbage up off the side of the highway." For 35 Gs, if they get 75% of that, they've done well and probably would be happy.

4) Remember, this is an online posting. And what do online postings attract in terms of prospective employees and contractors?

IDIOTS.

Complete, utter, total, clueless, moronic idiots.

And they probably put some of that stuff in there to scare off a few of the slightly more literate idiots and find the idiot that will suit their needs at the dollar value provided.

[Dave Hawley]

Lots of employers (smart ones) give preference to those with Degrees etc that are NOT related to the job at hand. It simply goes a long way to showing that the applicant can knuckle down and focus on something until complete.

[Arnabme]

“Shoot for the moon and if you miss you will still be among the stars.”

Yes Connie, I think all companied want to settle down for much less that what they want.

Company wants in terms of service>Salary for the service.