SEO Theory Sets the Pace for Great Search Optimization
A few years ago hardly anyone used the phrase “SEO theory” to talk about how to manage search engine results. Now it’s almost impossible to find a blog or book that doesn’t sneak the phrase “SEO theory” into its title or content. Some people say SEO is an art. Some people say SEO is a science. The truth may lie somewhere in-between but readers of the original SEO Theory blog know there is no substitute for the hard-hitting, down-to-earth explanations of the searchable web ecosystem provided by author Michael Martinez for the past several years.
Widely acknowledged as very knowledgeable in the field, Martinez is a controversial figure who doesn’t shy away from criticizing his colleagues, sometimes even rebuking them for adopting ideas he strongly opposes. When some members of the SEO community adopted a now-discredited practice called PageRank Sculpting Martinez went on the warpath, making sure to tell anyone and everyone that he felt it was a dumb idea. He must have felt pretty vindicated when, after 2 years of arguing with people who could not prove their case, Google announced it had stripped PageRank Sculpting of its power sometime in 2008.
SEO Theory is an experimental process that demands a close attention to detail and which treats all assumptions with great skepticism. Whereas many well-known “thought leaders” in the field set out to prove their assumptions right by publishing carefully structured “reports”, Martinez uses the SEO Theory site to explain the history and logic behind the processes that search engines, Web publishers, and searchers use in what he calls the “searchable web ecosystem”. Consisting of three symbiontic groups (Searchers, Publishers, and Indexers), Martinez’ vision of the searchable Web simplifies the processes to the level where most people start to get it.
Search engine optimization is not a single process but a group of processes, and these processes address different tasks. Martinez shows he has applied SEO theory both personally and professionally. His skill, knowledge, and experience are generally unquestioned — or questioned only by people who lack the credibility of the undisputed best SEO theorist in the field.