I was reading about someone who has posted to a freelance job finding site, trying to get someone to list their site in the Dmoz directory. This person wants to pay someone to get the site listed immediately. There were five people who replied. One claimed to have done this before, for payment. The problem with that is a Dmoz editor is unpaid. If an editor is caught taking payments or bribes they will be removed from the directory. It helps keep things honest and fair for everyone submitting their site. Of course, this doesn’t happen much outside of the business sites.

For me it is interesting to read about these plots and plans. I can’t remember being offered a bribe before. I have been pressured to list a site. Whether I do or not depends on the site, if it’s a decent site or a spam farm. It icks me that people try to be so spammy and pushy. I think they have it all wrong.

First, a business should be focused on getting local attention. How does it help a business in Toronto or Montreal or New York to have people from Brazil finding your business. How likely is someone from Brazil to hire a copywriter, a bottling company or a shoe designer from outside of their local area? It’s silly to get so caught up on being listed in a search engine. What does placement matter if the people in your own town have no idea you’re there and available and looking for their business. Focus on what’s right in front of your face and stop obsessing about search engine optimization. Talk to your local newspaper, radio station and the people who hired your competition. Put your time into real promotion rather than something that has you spinning your wheels and wasting your money.
[tags]seo, promotion, advertising, optimization[/tags]