A couple of days ago, I was watching the classic cartoon called Curious George. You all know it, I’m sure. The tall lanky guy that’s always dressed in yellow, and of course, George, the money that is… well… curious.

Anyway, “the man in the yellow hat” (can’t remember his name), was taking part in a science fair, and nothing was going his way. His devices weren’t working properly, everything was reacting different than it should, and he was getting flustered because of the complete disaster that was unfolding. Then, when he finished, he actually received a standing ovation, and was praised because, quote: “The Scientific Method is such that experimentation, and failure, are necessary in order to advance knowledge and discovery.”

The phrase that caught my attention, while watching Curious George with my 2 year old, was “The Scientific Method”. Within The Scientific Method is the process called “iteration”, and I wrote about that a few weeks ago here at OMG (see here). But even more than iteration, The Scientific Method is not only the core of successful SEO methodologies, but is 100% necessary to continue your march up the rankings for your targeted keyprhases. Let’s take a deeper look into The Scientific Method, and see how it all ties into the art and practice of search engine optimization.

Here’s Wiki’s take on The Scientific Method:

Scientific method refers to the body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. It is based on gathering observable, empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning. A scientific method consists of the collection of data through observation and experimentation, and the formulation and testing of hypotheses (view source).

As a professional SEO, I live with perpetual “questions” and “what if scenarios” such as: what’s the best way to build links? Will Google blow me up if I do this, that, or the other…? How can I increase client volume, yet still manage to deliver fast, powerful results to each individual client? How can I leverage blogs into my SEO program? Is link exchanging still valuable? How about directories? What’s the best way to utilize anchor text? How relevant are meta-tags? And which meta-tags carry more weight and influence ranking the most? How relevant is on-site content, and what is the optimal keyphrase density?

All of these are valid questions! And they are questions that I ask myself, and ponder, each and everyday. However, it does me no good just to sit and think about all of these issues and wonder if one thing works better than another. In order for me to deliver fast, effective results to my clients, I must pursue answers, and I must seek out knowledge that is necessary for me to remain competitive. Because one thing’s for sure, in the coming years, there is going to be no shortage of SEO’s in the market place.

So, even today - even now, as I write this posting - I’m experimenting with different methodologies, trying out new strategies, applying and exploring new theories to link building and SEO. I have different testing grounds established to where I can compare results from one strategy to the next.

I guess the point of this posting is to encourage you also to pursue your own strategies - devise your plans - burn your own path to success. And not only in SEO, but really in any aspect of life. Ponder the what if’s, and then test and pursue them. Prove their validity, or lack thereof. Don’t be afraid to fail, and learn to welcome failure as valuable data that can tell you a lot about your theory, and then learn from the data and go back at it…

The Scientific Method is the process that is necessary for any long term, successful SEO undertaking. And, The Scientific Method will be required because as something is discovered that works, then it will become saturated and diluted to a point where the value is ultimately removed. Don’t be the person waiting for someone to release the newest, latest, and greatest strategy - be the one who discovers it, and then leverages it for success.

As always, I’m grateful to Bryan for giving me this opportunity to share, and I thank you all, the readers here at OMG, for the opportunity as well…

For those that don’t know, Robert Holland is the SEO Consultant for OMG. He offers great prices, and fantastic service for bloggers and owners of static sites. Give him a try for your next SEO campaign.

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