SEO is not Web Design: Why you should not leave SEO to your web designer

SEO is not Web Design: Why you should not leave SEO to your web designer: "So I am driving through Syracuse yesterday and I noticed two familiar and quite popular fast food restaurants. The first one was Kent..."

Why you should not leave SEO to your web designer

So I am driving through Syracuse yesterday and I noticed two familiar and quite popular fast food restaurants.  The first one was Kentucky Fried Chicken and the second was Taco Bell.  Now what struck me as peculiar is that they were actually in the same building.  I could not help but think a few thoughts.  The first thought was is fast food not bad for us enough? Is there truly a pressing reason to make the lazy and unhealthy even more healthy and lazy?  My second thought was, "I finally found out how they came up with chicken and waffle establishments!"

As a freelance SEO specialist I can't begin to tell you how many clients and prospective clients that I encounter who tell me stories of how their past SEO "professional" was actually their web designer who agreed to perform their SEO as an "additional service." Let me be honest and clear about a few things.  First off, SEO is by no means rocket science or a mythical service provided by a secret society of mages that agree to only share the algorithm secrets with one another.  Secondly, by no means should SEO be treated as an "additional service".  No, its not a mythical magic but by no means is it third grade math either. 

Web design, web development and SEO services require a thorough understanding of a mixture of separate components.  Web designers typically need a comprehensive understanding of html, CSS, PHP and W3C compliant practices.  Web developers typically need to have a mastery of PHP, C++, ASP.Net 3.5 or whatever languages and platforms they specialize in.  SEO specialist should have their minds focused on the changing trends within the SEO community, trends such as do-follow link acquisition, SEO wheel creation and social network marketing.  Each trade should be mastered by anyone that is providing their service for financial gain.  Professionals have a professional responsibility to provide the best product available to their client base.

Hiring a "jack of all trades, and master of none" is not a practical solution for anyone looking to maximize their ending product and their hard earned cash. 

So yes, for some reason it is safe to get waffles and chicken wings in the same place, chicken and tacos at the same establishment, and perhaps even chicken and freelance SEO services (I might consider that offer).  However, leave web design to web designers, web development to web programmers and SEO to SEO specialist.