What Barack Obama Can Teach You About SEO

Writing by Nick Stamoulis on Tuesday, 4 of November , 2008 at 11:33 pm

Now that the election is over, Search Engine Optimization Journal can congratulate Barack Obama on becoming the first black president in U.S. history. This is a landmark event. But how he got there is just as important and telling as being there. Here are a few tips that Obama’s political campaign can teach about search engine optimization:

• Don’t be too confident. Maintain some humility and bear in mind that no matter how good things look for you now, there is still work to do.
• Don’t put all your keywords in one basket. Barack Obama new that winning an election meant campaigning in a multi-tiered fashion. You can’t target just one demographic. You must appeal to every segment of your market in terms that they can understand.
• Start early. Barack Obama has been campaigning for two years. Online, age is a factor. Start early and stay on top.
• Newcomers can beat old veterans. First it was Hillary Clinton then it was John McCain. Just because the other guys have more experience doesn’t mean that the guy with new ideas can’t come out on top.
• Don’t spend all your time in areas you know you’re going to win. You must target the swing states - that is, there are segments of the marketplace that can go your way or move closer to your competition. Focus on those segments and make a strong case for yourself.
• Choose a team that makes up for your weaknesses. Obama picked Biden and that made a huge difference. What Obama lacked in experience his running mate made up. Pick your team in a similar manner and charge ahead.
• Stay positive. No matter what the enemy throws at you, keep it positive and stay focused. Have the audacity of hope.
• Change. Make sure that if you offer change that it is change we need.

Remember, search engine optimization is not a zero sum game. Like many losers of political elections, you can come back later and win. Barack Obama has lessons to teach us all - about SEO and about life.

                      Category: SEO