Your challenge got me thinking about the nature of web designers and SEOs. No, I won't be getting into a "look at my huge ranking - ooerr!" exercise, sorry.
Web designers that have a little bit of knowledge about what is called "Search Engine Optimisation" (no z's for me) probably know more than their clients. So this might make them an expert of sorts.
The
SEO goal of getting relevant traffic to a website from search is not really the same as being ranked #1 for "Really Competitive KW" or whatever. So perhaps the challenge is unfair.
If all the "experts" were that good, we would all be joint equal #1. Ranking improvement is a better measure but increased site revenue/traffic is the best.
The thing that really bugs me about a lot of web designer
SEO "experts" is the way knowledge is gathered and passed on. I read a good deal of BS about
SEO (even a bit on this forum) that is information obviously not based in first hand evidence. There are two main ways to find out about
SEO:
1) Read other peoples opinions on it.
2) Speculate and test it yourself.
I think I know where most of the stuff I read comes from - No 2 takes time and effort.
Many of the really good SEOs are pretty shy in letting anyone know their activities - at least until they "come out" and doing some high profile consulting.
So, perhaps the test of a true
SEO expert is, when asked "Are you an
SEO?" they mutter something about espionage or being in the SAS.
Thanks for a thought provoking challenge - maybe I will have a stab at winning the voucher some other time
Rob