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SEO SUCKS At SES San

Posted August 20th, 2008 by Jeremy Schoemaker

Day 2 at SES I thought I would spice it up a bit and wear my “Seo Sucks” t-shirt as a bit of a social experiment to see what kind of reaction it would get. Being at the largest and most respected SEO gathering/conference I was curious to the reaction.

Every female who stopped me and asked about the shirt had a very positive reaction. They all thought it was pretty funny. Most asked me what booth was handing them out…. lol…

On the Males it was a very mixed reaction. I got a lot of double takes and weird looks. Most of the people who know me just wrote me off for the dipshit that I am and knew what I was doing but those that did not were willing to take me to task and have a interesting conversation about SEO and its future. I do not think they were ready to be shown the light ;) .

I would say about 50-60 different people stopped me to ask me why I had a shirt that said “Seo Sucks”. I razzed a few of them and said that I hated SEO and all SEO people just to get their reaction. Then I pretty much said the same thing to most – “No seriously are you telling me SEO has never sucked for you? Its kind of like having pocket aces in poker. For a very very short time you have the nuts (best hand possible) but as soon as the flop comes there is a good chance that goes a way.”

Anyway I really feel like with about anything that SEO does suck. Just consider this.

1 – It makes you stop trying to innovate. When people suddenly rank #1 for their keywords a lot of times they stop working on new things and settle.

2 – Its hard work. Its no joke SEO is hard work and its rules are constantly changing.. which means what you are doing today might not be acceptable tomorrow. While I feel there is no distant future of seo there is defiantly a ton more evolution.

There are several other reasons why i feel SEO sucks at times but right now I am craving a omlette.

Anyway the results might have been a little skewed being I was with some of the the oldest, most respected SEO people in the industry throughout the day. So what was their take? I think all were pretty much stunned at the people who came up to me and were offended. Some even looked at them and said “Do you make money for your clients or not? The proof is in the pudding.”

So probably the most interesting response I got was when one guy came up to me and said “I am with you brother fuck those spammers”. Which was really funny because I was standing right next to David Naylor, Todd Friesen, Matt Cutts, and Greg Boser at the time.

Geez I was going to write about the Google Dance last night too but I will save that for another post ;)

Here are some day 2 Seo Sucks pictures:

With SEO legends David Naylor and Todd Friesen

Social Media and PR Master Chris Winfield

SEO Lee Odin

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- Comment Likes - Comment Dislikes

106 comments. What say you?

  1. Good Comment?
    Richard Vanderhurst

    SEO really do sucks sometimes… :D

  2. Good Comment?
    james

    Really cool t shirt.

  3. Good Comment?
    Arnie | Link Builder

    What happened to the site that was actually selling SEO shirts?

  4. Good Comment?
    Holland Blinds

    I guess next time there will be a booth selling the t-shirts?

  5. Good Comment?
    Erik z

    People’s reactions are so funny, I get a kick out of stuff like that also. People always judge a book by it’s cover.

  6. Good Comment?
    Harish

    SEO really sucks.Every site need SEO

  7. Good Comment?
    CultureMob.com

    Ha! That is like wearing a shirt that says “Bacon Sucks.” People freak OUT!

  8. Good Comment?
    TheWebpreneur.ca

    SEOsucks.com and SEOsucks.net are available for sale!

  9. Good Comment?
    jack

    Nice shirt , you should make it available for the comment winners instead :)

  10. Good Comment?
    Jack

    SEO is like Heart Surgery, it only sucks when it fails!

  11. Good Comment?
    Gossip

    Ur tshirt looks really nice, i wanna have one, :)

  12. Good Comment?
    SEO Tricks

    I like the SEO Sucks T-shirt, Can I have one please :P

  13. Good Comment?
    Aiden Joyce

    What an interesting blog post. Thank you for the share

  14. Good Comment?
    terminator69

    When i first saw you wearing that shirt i thoguht it was just black and you had added the text in with photoshop.

  15. Good Comment?
    Amarnath

    A whole load of things to be learnt from you… thanks Jeremy

  16. Good Comment?
    FJ

    God agrees with Shoemoney people! I mean didn’t you see the signs outside the convention center in San Jose? Photo:
    http://www.conferencenotebook.com/god-hates-link-sellers-seo-sem

  17. Good Comment?
    Eva White

    Now that’s attitude alright. Must say it was quite gutsy of you to do that stunt.

  18. Good Comment?
    Wii Downloads

    love the shirt and that you wore it to that conference awesome. not to be a kiss ass but i totally agree i hate seo. As soon as i think i get it, it changes! damn you GOOGLE

  19. Good Comment?
    Elite Blogger

    SEO does suck at times….

    BUT

    That font sucks even more…

  20. Good Comment?
    Agent Magenta

    Whats with the comments that start and end with [...] ? Please excuse my ignorance, it’s probably something really obvious :)

  21. Good Comment?
    Lowongan Kerja

    yes.. seo sucks.. thats why i made lot of comments here… lol

  22. Good Comment?
    Lee Odden

    An even better phrase for a t-shirt that came out of SES San Jose was from Jill Whalen: “If you suck at SEO and you get paid for it, you suck.” Priceless.

  23. Good Comment?
    Lee Odden

    It would actually be cool if my last name were Odin, a pretty big nod to Norse Mytholgy (Odin is akin to Zeuss in Greek Mythology) but the reality is that it’s just plain old Odden. Pronounced, “Oh – den” rather than “Ah-den” – a note to all the SES moderators and friends at WebmasterRadio.FM. :)

  24. Good Comment?
    Dick

    A good PR will enable businesses to grow faster.

  25. Good Comment?
    Mark C

    That’s pretty funny.

  26. Good Comment?
    RingRain

    “I want that “SEO Sucks” T-Shirt too please”

    Then go to cafepress or zazzle and make the fucking thing yourself.

  27. Good Comment?
    BlogSavvy

    Shoe! You’re Awesome! Oh and nice shirt btw. Keep the attitude up dude, it’s great.

  28. Good Comment?
    Vishnu

    Ya me too need it….

    It rocks..>SEO really sucks.

  29. Good Comment?
    Brisbane Marketing

    I’m thinking you need to start selling them SEO Sucks T-shirts to the masses. I suspect you’ll get a few hundred sales at Google at least.

    My “Matt Cutts can Bite Me” T-shirt has been a big hit at conferences in Australia.

  30. Good Comment?
    Agent Magenta

    Surely SEO is going to suck even more in the future as an ever increasing amount of competition for a limited number of top spots increases? There can only ever be one number one for any given keyword and over time the competition can only ever increase right?

  31. Good Comment?
    Reid

    haha very awesome! i bet that was one hell of a day

  32. Good Comment?
    Dilson Decano

    cool “seo sucks” tshirt and the font is comic sans serif. seo not totally sucks.

  33. Good Comment?
    Dilson Decano

    I want that “SEO Sucks” T-Shirt too please

  34. Good Comment?
    Rek

    SEO Rocks!! :@

  35. Good Comment?
    Billy

    SEO does not suck all the time. But seriously, SEO does suck when applied towards wrong clients who would have a lot more to gain via other advertising venues besides natural search.

  36. Good Comment?
    cheap used cars

    this is a trick shoe learned from calacanis, and I have to say he does it pretty well.

  37. Good Comment?
    Scot

    Comic Sans? What the hell are you thinking lol

  38. Good Comment?
    sergio.dares

    in fact – SEO really sucks :)

  39. Good Comment?
    domainpubber

    Great Slogan Jeremy but you know all that’s going to change is the buzzword. You may not call it SEO in 10 years but gaming algorithms to improve authority and getting more eyeballs will outlast every one of us.

    As Internet Marketing finally becomes a mature industry, perhaps it is time to adopt your more all-inclusive view of building a successful Web site as you constantly remind us instead of focusing on SEO as some kind of holy grail. Its only one trick you need in your bag if you want to pay the bills and SEOs selling Clients on SEO as a sure bet are like the snake oil salesman of the Web.

    Thanks for telling it like it is.

  40. Good Comment?
    Travel blog

    I like the idea of the name/links you posted above the images :lol:

  41. Good Comment?
    Agent Magenta

    If you are a webmaster trying to get a site to rank then SEO sucks. If you are a webmaster with a site that ranks or an SEO expert then SEO is the nuts!

  42. Good Comment?
    Dick

    I think this shirt looks a little roughness. However, the time has been chosen well, this is a fact.

  43. Good Comment?
    tate

    LOL @ the shirt, I wish I had a similar one

  44. Good Comment?
    Travel blog

    why SEO sucks ?
    PPC would cause you a lot.. so SEO rocks.

  45. Good Comment?
    Cameron

    SEO may suck but not being ranked for any keywords sucks worse ;)

  46. Good Comment?
    JumboCasher.com

    @SEO Sucks And Shoemoney Swallows At SES: Send shoe a picture, he might just post it…

  47. Good Comment?
    JumboCasher.com

    btw when do you plan on promoting shirts rather than t-shirts…

  48. Good Comment?
    JumboCasher.com

    whats on the back side?

  49. Good Comment?
    Big Ben Patton

    I agree everything sucks about SEO. The amount of time and research or even money. And the investment is never ending because of no clear cut public standards in an ever changing world of search engines.

    Here lets just have a cold beer and ease the pain, no wait back to SEO on your blog!

  50. Good Comment?
    lurksteraz

    The guys who were taking the shirt too seriously probably live with their parents.

  51. Good Comment?
    Tinh

    Nice pics, thanks. One question is that which WP plugin are you using for comments?

  52. Good Comment?
    rajan

    Yo Shoemoney. Start selling those shirts on your site. I will take one in large.

  53. Good Comment?
    River Girl

    Always the rabble rouser, Jeremy!

  54. Good Comment?
    Nick Stamoulis

    LOL Pretty great… always a rebel.

  55. Good Comment?
    Ze

    Let me spell what this post means…L I N K B A I T

    Good one too. SEO doesn’t suck, it made you rich.

  56. Good Comment?
    dougymak

    That’s awesome! That’s like the guy who walked into a WoW convention with a Glider cap :D

  57. Good Comment?
    TYCP Entertainment Magazine

    LMFAO See? Us women have more of a sense of humor than men do!

    Nice shirt.

  58. Good Comment?
    Tim

    Well done, sir! Some of these SEOs are the biggest bunch of goddamn primadonnas you’d ever want to meet. Then again, some are pretty cool. Wished I could have made it down but some of us SEOs have to work for a living and there are too many good conferences ’round these parts. Hopefully next year.

  59. Good Comment?
    Andrew

    it’s written on the back of the t-shirt too ?

  60. Good Comment?
    SawanM

    I could use the same principle to make many more t-shirts.

    Nice stunt though

  61. Good Comment?
    lasvegascom

    it is funny because it is true…

  62. Good Comment?
    IamJustinM

    Well in that case, does PPC, affiliate marketing, web development, conversion rate optimization, this blog, life…

    lol

  63. Good Comment?
    Justin Cook

    Well, considering that half the people there make their day-to-day income on SEO (as do I), it’s no wonder they’re reluctant to adopt your viewpoint. I don’t agree with you on your SEO’s future thing by the way.

  64. Good Comment?
    steven wilson

    What a great way to bring attention to yourself during this.I like the idea,plus sometimes it is fun just being a dip shit.

  65. Good Comment?
    Andrew

    I have to get one of those shirt or make one. You’re idea was awesome

  66. Good Comment?
    Bryn Youngblut

    That is pure awesome, I love people who don’t give a shit and have the balls to do and say what they really feel. Good on you Jeremy.

  67. Good Comment?
    Zak Show

    Nice T-shirt Jeremy :D

  68. Good Comment?
    Jonathan Volk

    LOL. I love that shirt. I want one.

  69. Good Comment?
    jim of Blueprint for Financial Prosperity

    You can tell it’s a joke because the font is Comic Sans!

  70. Good Comment?
    Mary

    The sheep avatar is cute!! How about I get a different colored one for each successive comment :)

  71. Good Comment?
    Role of Commissions in Choosing a Niche

    I wish I was there as well, I know the information is priceless, too bad the registration was so pricey!

  72. Good Comment?
    Mary

    Love the shirt!! Where or how did you get it? I’ve tried cafepress before, but their quality isn’t that good and the logos come out too small. Or maybe it’s something I’m not doing right.

  73. Good Comment?
    AzAkers

    Doh! Missed another SES – drat

    But, I’d like to congratulate you on your whole ‘counter-culture’ experience. Kinda like showing up to a rodeo with a “Bin Laden for President” t-shirt on. Sasha Cohen would be proud :P

  74. Good Comment?
    Nicholas Chase

    Jeremy, Great photos, and what a great way to wake up those sleepy booth attendents! Trade shows need a bit of controversy, otherwise it’s just another sales pitch. Respectfully, Nicholas http://www.donotreadthisblogunless.blogspot.com

  75. Good Comment?
    wesley

    Awesome way to get reactions out of people, props :)

  76. Good Comment?
    Winning Startups

    Looks like some good times. Did you make that t-shirt or did someone send it to you?

  77. Good Comment?
    Nick Throlson

    haha love the SEO sucks t-shirt hook me up with one shoe great post!

  78. Good Comment?
    techdude

    @ cheap used cars, haha… “any press is good press” @Bubba, in a way you are marketing shoemoney right? People will still come check it out!!!

  79. Good Comment?
    Erica DeWolf

    Awesome social experiment- thanks for sharing the results!!

  80. Good Comment?
    Aryeh

    I love the I am a tool tshirt- Use me. Its perfect

  81. Good Comment?
    cheap used cars

    @Bubba I think shoe would love that idea. Any press is good press!

  82. Good Comment?
    cheap used cars

    that’s some pretty sweet real-life linkbait!

  83. Good Comment?
    Kashif

    Wow jeremy every day u have a new Tshirt. I call you as a Tshirt Man.

  84. Good Comment?
    Bubba

    I just ordered 500 T-shirts that say Shoemoney Sucks. I will give them away for Free to whoever wants one.

  85. Good Comment?
    Shoeb

    I’ve never claimed to be an seo expert – in fact I kinda think that seo experts by definition are frauds.

  86. Good Comment?
    Mudassir

    SEO sucks because it is like SCHOOL. And of course everybody knows, School Sucks right.

  87. Good Comment?
    Javaun Moradi

    I agree with Chris Kovac — can’t believe I’m missing the fun.

    I’m on to you though Jeremy: you’re using that t-shirt to meet women, just admit it. It’s like PPC, only in real life. Stop-em-in-their tracks messaging that’s a perfect excuse to come talk to you. Have you A/B tested followup lines on your “landing page”? What is your conversion rate?

    I’m showing up at the next conference with a wounded puppy dog.

  88. Good Comment?
    Owais

    I also hate SEO because it sucks many times.

  89. Good Comment?
    Travel blog

    lol
    lets wait for a blast :D

  90. Good Comment?
    Zack

    Makes me laugh… You should have shot some video of you walking around. I bet some of the expressions were priceless.

  91. Good Comment?
    Goran Website

    By the way there is a picture of you on Marketing Pilgrim with this SEO Sucks tshirt. Great marketing as usual Jeremy..

  92. Good Comment?
    techdude

    Putting a twist on things, ehh Shoe???

  93. Good Comment?
    Chris Jacobson

    Jeremy needs to work on his style… enough with the t-shirts… time to mature. :)

  94. Good Comment?
    Le Melon

    Interesting that that women found it more funny than the men!
    Maybe you have a woman’s sense of humour! ;-)

  95. Good Comment?
    David

    My opinion, SEO will only die if the web and search engines die. Otherwise as long as there is a G or any other search engine giving results, there will always be webmasters trying to figure out how to get on top.

    You may want to call it spam or black hat whatever it is, it will die only when the web dies.

  96. Good Comment?
    Chris Kovac

    I cannot believe I am missing out on all the fun at SES! Great post.

  97. Good Comment?
    Michael D

    A lot of truth to #1, especially if you are in a niche that’s not too competitive. It’s easy to get lazy and lose sight of who is moving up. Sucks when you wake up one day and you are no longer on top and you have not paid attention on how to stay there.

  98. Good Comment?
    gusma

    You have a “SEO SUCKS” t-shirt written on comic sans? Ohh. You’re really in for the linkbait. Ha ha. Looking forward to meeting you somewhere here at SES.

  99. Good Comment?
    axioblogger

    Really, SEO sucks if you are not the 1st, but if you are the 1st LONG LIVE SEO. Another reason why SEO sucks is because each search engine has its own rules. What you do for Google, you cannot do for Yahoo and MSN search. Now there is Cuil. It would soon bring its own rule. WHAT THE HELL!!!

  100. Good Comment?
    Shannon @Babiesonline

    Ha, that’s great. I want the t-shirt too!

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