Why We Can’t Teach SEO
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David Edmundson-Bird discusses the challenges of teaching SEO in academia, emphasizing the rapid changes in the industry that make it difficult to equip students with lasting skills. He argues that while universities can teach foundational concepts of SEO, practical skills are best acquired through on-the-job experiences, internships, and live projects. The emphasis should be on providing students with the intellectual tools to understand SEO's evolving role in digital marketing rather than focusing solely on current techniques.
Why We Can’t Teach SEO
- 1. Why we can’t teach SEO David Edmundson-Bird Principal Lecturer in Digital Marketing & Enterprise Manchester Metropolitan University
- 2. Who the hell do I think I am? • Principal Lecturer in Digital Marketing & Enterprise • Course Leader for MMC PT MSc Digital Marketing and FT MSc Digital Marketing Comms • Original background AI systems for strategic management decision- making (I was a backward-chaining, case-based reasoning and pattern-matching specialist) • Formerly Chief Learning Architect at Academee • I helped set up Manchester’s 2nd web design agency in 1995
- 3. Where this rant comes from • Every networking event ever: • “Hey Dave, why don’t you teach students how to do programmatic on your course?” • “Hey Dave, why don’t you teach students how to do PPC ad buying on your course?” • “Hey Dave, why don’t you teach students how to use Radian 6 on your course?” • “Hey Dave, why don’t you teach students how to do SEO on your course?”
- 4. So why can’t we teach SEO at University? • I asked my friends in the SEO world what was technique in 2014 and what was technique in 2017 • Imagine I’m teaching about SEO to first years in 2014 • If they did a 4 year sandwich they’d just have graduated and be in their first roles • So what would I have been mentioning to students learning about SEO for the first time?
- 5. Teaching SEO in 2014 • Yeah site speed is not a big factor • The PR team do all the outreach stuff, that’s why there’s a PR course • What do people type into the search engine? • Hey – no shitty links m’kay? Find them all and get rid of them • Think about keywords and phrases
- 6. Teaching SEO in 2017 • OMG SITE SPEED MOBILE AAAARGH • OMG You need to do proper PR outreach as an SEO • OMG You need to think about the user experience • OMG You should be doing AMP • OMG You should be thinking about voice • OMG people type words that have meanings and are questions • OMG this thing called Knowledge Graph • OMG schema • Oh - and no one is bothered about shitty links, they don’t do much anyway
- 7. My Dilemma • I want to make my grads work-ready • I want to give them skills that have a shelf-life beyond 24 months
- 8. Work-ready SEOs • University might be the best place to learn about • WHEN to do SEO • WHY do SEO • WHAT SEO is • WHERE SEO fits • WHO does the SEO • The best place to learn about HOW to do SEO (and how we do all the other tactics and channels) is ‘on-the-job’
- 9. Where to learn HOW to do SEO • On-the-job • Short-term and basic • In-course internship (gains live skills) • In-course live projects (gains live skills) • Part-time work (supplements income, gains live skills) • Medium-term and intermediate • Summer job (supplements income, gains live skills) • Long term and deep • Year-long placement (Provides a salary, gains live skills) • Degree apprenticeship (Provides a salary, gains live skills)
- 10. On the University Programme • WHEN to do SEO • On advanced units about understanding the role of tactics in the digital marketing mix and the customer journey • WHY do SEO • On introductory units about channels and platforms • WHAT SEO is • On introductory units about channels and platforms • WHERE SEO fits • On advanced units about understanding the role of tactics in the digital marketing mix and the customer journey • WHO does the SEO • On advanced units about understanding the role of tactics in the digital marketing mix and the customer journey
- 11. Your Takeaways • I need you to give them on-the-job and live experiences in SEO • I will give them the intellectual tools to be in a state of constant curiosity about SEO and its role in the broader digital marketing environment • I need some specific SEO projects (short-term and basic) right now https://goo.gl/XfE76e
- 12. Thank you – Ask Me Anything! • Connect with me @groovegenerator • Or search for ‘David Edmundson-Bird’ on your search engine of choice • Or search for ‘groovegenerator’ on whatever is the latest social platform • Or give me one of those SEO projects (short-term and basic) https://goo.gl/XfE76