For the time being? Yes. Search Engine Optimisation is still relatively unknown to the non tech savvy and is still a bit of a mystery to the I.T. Crowd. The mystery no doubt comes from the many different opinions that even experienced SEO's have on different subjects. Most SEO's for example agree that reciprocal linking doesn't help rankings but that doesn't stop nearly every directory out there telling you to place a link on your site for a quicker review. Its a baffling world if you take the many conflicting advice from the different expert blogs. One of the only ways to be sure what works is to test things out for yourself but that's not always possible.
SEO however can be boiled down to a number of processes. These being competition s not rresearch, picking keywords, on page optimisation and link building. Its not rocket science but there are a lot of factors to consider and getting just one of them wrong can negate the value of the rest. So its a constant juggling act where results have to be scrutinized closely to figure out which methods are working and which aren't. Now I am starting to see where the mystery of seo comes from.
Although Google are openly for the optimizing of web sites they are making it harder and harder for optimizers by devaluing things like keywords, reciprocal links, certain directories and filtering out duplicate content and excessive linking. It could get to the point where there is only so much on page work an optimizer can do and link building is all thats left.
I am of the opinion that if simple techniques were taught under the umbrella of web development then it would lessen the need for optimisation. The web developer could perform basic on page optimisation along with a check list of certain directories submission and google submission. But here's where it falls down. By creating a website that validates to w3c standards, is not flash based and does not contain javascript, creates quite a restriction on creativity and ideas. Add cross browser compatibility to the mix and you've got a lot of frustrated web developers.
Which is why the current situation actually works quite well and I can see it continuing. Designers and developers can build and create unhindered while attempting to adhere to standards and the seo company can then clean up and optimize the site.
