Top 10 Lists are Overused

Top 5 Reasons Why Top 5 Lists are Becoming Lame

July 17, 2007 - Feeling a little feisty today after reading more of the same old, tired and worn out TOP 10,5,7-this-and-that blog posts from the self-proclaimed, professionals in the SEO industry.

It's lunchtime, so I figured I'd join the fray with a perspective from someone who is actually working more - and speaking, blogging and hyping less.

1. What you are writing has been written before
   Most SEOs already know your eloquently displayed recommendations. It's just the same old information sliced, diced and word-smithed differently in an attempt to make yourself appear smarter. When I see the same people, churning out the same repetitive content day after day, I can't help but wonder why if you are really that good at your craft, why aren't you working on client projects all day instead of blogging, Digging, Twitter-ing and RSS-tinkering?
2. Top-whatever Lists are now cliche
   Remember waaay back when, during the period of the dancing, Cool Spot? All of a sudden, every web page in the 90's was sporting an animated GIF. Same with Flash. Then came RSS buttons. Now the cool thing in web development is sporting 750 different button links to 750 different social networking services. Top 10 lists have joined this level of cliche and social networking has become the new "free directory submissions".
3. Your intent is obvious to other SEOs
   Let me be the first to say it out loud - SEOs creating top 10 lists are doing so in an attempt to increase their search engine authority first and foremost. Since the name of the on-page game is content - ever-changing and evolving content - SEOs are churning out Top 10 lists in mass simply for self-serving reasons. ...then, link-building hopefuls, or friends of the particular SEO, add some useless comment to the post such as, "Great post, Mr.SEO" with a link to their own site in hopes of some search benefit for themselves. A very incestuous group.
4. The best SEOs stay incognito
   Again, my opinion, but I believe the best in our industry rarely stand up and share all the knowledge. Why would they? We all provide the basics of optimization on our web sites, in client meetings and email newsletters, but rarely do we share our real, daily usage secrets ...the real hacks ...the real game plan. You don't have to be a Black Hat SEO {dislike that nomenclature} to keep your individual techniques secret.

Doh! My lunch is finished and and it's time to get back to client work. I will have to sign off with just the Top 4. Number five won't pay the bills.