Hi guys, just a brief introduction to who I am. My name is Scott Webster, and I am currently working at Higherclick on an internship. I am a university student, studying BA(Hons) Business Management at Edinburgh Napier University in my third year now. And until a couple of months ago, I had never heard of SEO. Since starting this internship, I have asked myself “why not?” These days technology is something the youth absolutly love, we can’t live a day without it. Not knowing the way of SEO is a sin in itself, I believe.
So who else has not heard, or even been introduced to SEO at university? Well to my knowledge, pretty much everyone. Should this really be the case for such an important part of online marketing?
Higher Click Director, Gael Breton, has had the experience of conducting a lecture on SEO at top universities, such as Oxford and Harvard Business School. The reason why, because these teachers have had no experience or knowledge to conduct such lectures.
So how can we decide if this unique industry should be taught in university?
Well, what I’m going to do is take you through some advantages and disadvantages of introducing the the world of SEO into the education system from my point of view.
Advantages
1. Compulsory Training
Having a course would pretty much create a specific standard level of knowledge to enter the industry. Everyone who is learning SEO will start at the same place, and learn the same things. Obviously courses would be created and taught by previous “SEO experts”, which for me is perfect. I have seen time and time again that my teachers didn’t have the greatest experience in the workplace. They were just taught how to learn business management, yet had no actual experience from the workplace.
2. Certified Training Methods.
Courses would have the best practices included in the programme. What would be the point in teaching something that doesn’t work. A common trend that I have experienced is that universities try to teach you everything about everything within the subject. It goes into great detail, but never gives you the whole story. It may just be me, but I always think it’s common sense what i’m getting learned. SEO would be different. Its completly new knowledge that I would be learning. The lectures would be experienced, which is essential, but they would only be teaching the white hat techniques that make our work contain much more quality.
3. Standardisation of the Industry
A qualification in SEO would be so beneficial for the industry. It would save so much time, money and resources in training up new employees, such as myself, to the standard that the company wishes. They would be able to do their job, building links, and getting results which is what we are paid to do! Don’t get me wrong, I love the first couple of hours or even days of a new job to be pretty relaxed, getting to know what you are doing etc. But it takes time to teach a new employee everything they need to know about their job. And having SEO as a course in university, would make the first couple of weeks much easier, from the companies point of view.
4. No Houdini’s Who Get Away With Black and Grey Hat Techniques!
Don’t you just love it when you’re driving along the motorway, and then all of a sudden an idiot fly’s by in a car at whatever mph. 10 minutes later your still driving and see the idiot getting arrested for speeding.
Well thats how this would kind of work. As the standard of the SEO expert increases though university, less people will be taught about the black and grey hat techniques. Although it will always exist, people will be more knowledgeable about it, and clients will be more aware if they are hiring a shady SEO service which will harm their website, and effectively their brand name that they have created. We all hate when we see the black and grey hat techniques being used, but could university be the solution to this problem?
Disadvantages
Did you get all that? Yeah, well let’s move on to the next part, the disadvantages!
1. Lack of Qualified Lecturers (Failed SEO’s)
Ever heard the saying “teachers are just failed professionals in their field” Well that’s something that may just happen. If you think about it, only someone with a passion for teaching will be good at their job, not the so called “experienced professionals” who just happens to give up his or her lifestyle to teach you, will be a good teacher. Put yourself my position. I’m working for an SEO company, learning the tricks of the trade as I go. I’m living in Budapest, the best city I have ever been to, and I’m living in a dream world on a day to day basis. Something new and fun every single day i assure you. I get a phone call, “do you want to be a lecturer at our university?” NO, hell no. I wouldn’t want to leave this place. I’m having the time of my life out here and i’m certainly not wanting to go and work a boring 9 – 5 job, with a wage that probably won’t be that much better.
2. Less Diversity
From my experience, University can only lead you so far. You never know the full picture of an industry unless you are working on a day to day basis within that certain niche. Having SEO at university would take the creative approach away, because you will have been told what the best practices are so it will stifle creativity and innovative techniques. Not all techniques would benefit every client you have, would they?
3. Finance
Luckily for me, I’m Scottish and I got to university in Scotland. This means it’s absolutely free for me, lucky I know. But in today’s times, university and further education is a mass investment financially. The average cost of a university course in the UK is currently £8,678.36, the USA is almost $20,000. Although the number of students rise year in year out, predictions have been made that numbers will fall as expenses rise and incomes fall, regarding the financial recession. So I believe, the numbers will fall, and niches like SEO being taught at university would falter, because not only, not many people know about it in the first place, but the demand will fall, so it would not be considered a wise investment on the academic perspective.
4. Ever Changing Techniques
The time I have worked in SEO has taught me that not everything lasts forever. This industry is ever changing. As we have seen in recent months, google updates their search engines, and all hell can break loose on the internet. Luckily I wasn’t here at the time. But the updates such as panda and penguin majorly changed the way that SEO’s go about their business. And know, only the best practices make a difference. Black and grey hat techniques can no longer be used to the effectiveness that they once were. The question is though, can the universities be changed year in, year out to accommodate this every changing industry, my opinion would be no. I still see some outdated information and techniques getting taught at university. And to be honest. I would rather learn the newest, best possible practices. Its just like when the new xbox or playstation comes out. Every wants to have it. And I don’t think universities can adapt to this change.
So, Should SEO be Taught in University?
Well, we have made it back to the first question, should SEO be taught in university? We have heard both sides of the argument, both of which have some great points. In my opinion, I don’t think it’s viable to have a specific course dedicated to SEO. How important is it to make it a course at a university? Not that important I think. You see today, some great SEO companies, such as Higherclick, that have been created from little knowledge of SEO. And look, Higherclick is still standing and basking professionally in the industry. I’ve asked myself throughout writing this, which would I prefer? Learning SEO at university, or jumping into the deep end, and learning it with first hand experience.
Most definitely the later. I’ve learned so much more than I could have imagined, and had a great time doing it. It looks like fully introducing this industry to the education system would hinder the creativity needed to become one of the top experts in the market. At this point, I say no, it shouldn’t be fully taught in university, but I do believe it should be partially integrated to the marketing programmes to give individuals an insight into what SEO is, and how it’s changing the face of the internet.
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