DuckingOutstanding
Senior Member
- Dec 22, 2015
- 1,108
- 769
This is regarding potential reputation based benefits of SEO "Certifications" and "degrees/diplomas in SEO" issued by Universities and Tech Companies - NOT because of their efficacy or any real confidence in the value of the course, content for anyone, with more than
a beginner level understanding of SEO - but because of consumer psychology and perception.
As an experienced freelance SEO with over 10 years experience, I have been considering investing a few months into taking 1-3 of these - but not for the same reasons one would typically take
that I haven't already acquired from years of participation in various seo and marketing forums, countless podcasts and blog posts and years of hands on real world experience, that wouldn't be the point of the endeavor..
HEAR ME OUT - I don't expect to magically gain a wealth of new knowledge from university professors with a textbook level understanding of SEO...
I also realize that the overwhelming majority of agencies who hire for seo positions would be unimpressed by university credentials ( although they might be somewhat receptive to Google/ahrefs/unilever/hubspot etc) as they're more interested in actual achievements, experience, demonstratable knowledge and application of it, and passion for the subject (in that order ) so that would also not be the purpose....
HOWEVER, my theory is that investing a few months into acquiring 1-3 "SEO Professional Certificates" (and/or similar credentials) that are verifiable, and from widely respected institutions, it might actually be a solid investment...
My THEORY is that the real benefit of taking the time / expense required for these could be extracted by capitalizing on potential client's PERCEPTION of it's merit based on:
The reputation of the school itself - such as the various seo professional certifications and/or digital marketing degree or certificates offered by UC Davis, UCLA, Stanford, Cornell, Harvard, San Diego State University, Purdue, MIT, Illinois State Universirty, Northwestern, etc.
OR
Brand recognition end industry leaders/authorities (such as the Google Nanodegree in digital marketing, the Google seo certifications, the Unilever SEO certifications, Hubspot, Moz, Ahrefs etc) in the same way that CISCO, AWS, Microsoft, IBM, Adobe etc certifications help IT professionals
My theory is that, as a freelancer marketing my services to non- agency clients in any niche/vertical OTHER THAN those related to IT and marketing, a credential from an institution who they have heard of and have a positive perception of would, create in foster a "halo effect"..
That it has the potential to dramatically improve their perception of you and your abilities, based on the reputation of the institution in general ( more prestige = perceived higher skill level whether or not there's any truth in that).
Second component of my theory is that it would inspire trust in the fact that your stated accomplishments and level of experience are genuinely YOUR accomplishments and level of experience, as confidence and trust in online reviews is dwindling by the day, due to the prevalence of fake reviews in literally both directions (positive shills and negative review bombing spearheaded by a competitor), rendering "social proof" nearly useless at this point...
Third ( and final) point for consideration is that - if the previous two points didn't already win them over in and of themselves, and it's coming down to a choice between you and I don't know it competitor - perhaps even a more experienced competitor - this could potentially prove to be "that one thing" that put you over the edge vs a competitor (yes, even one with more experience)
The reason i say this is simply because they would subconsciously feel "better" paying somebody for specialized services with a tangible and verifiable certification from somewhere they have heard of and (again) have a means of verifying your credential themselves directly with that same institution that they have some degree of familiarity with than they would paying for the same specialized services relying solely on YOUR representations of your own successes with past client results (and trusting that this actually was your past client and that the work that you performed was in fact responsible for effecting said results), and potentially dubious testimonials and reviews that they are well aware can be manipulated, etc.
Based on the above, i'm thinking it could be a game changer ( definitely make my client acquisition rate explode and, if I chose to, allow me to command higher rates if I were to get 1-3 of these..
Again, not because of any specific content within any of these programs or even any earth shattering revelations inspired by any of these, as I wouldn't expect anything close to either - tbh quite the opposite, and as someone who has been working in SEO for years, i'm still unconvinced of the level of mastery, a university professor who is not themselves immersed in this particular subject - living eating and breathing seo - could be anything beyond basic textbook and conceptual.....
That said, putting myself in a potential clients shoes ( perhaps they are a lawyer, dentist, CPA, or small business owner) and taking everything and that I know firsthand about SEO and the industry out of the equation entirely, and approaching this subject from their perspective - based on what I believe ( again theory/opinion, untested), they would be likely to think and feel in that situation- as any marketer of any kind with his salt knows that people buy based on good feelings and positive perceptions infinitely more so than facts and numbers ( particularly those that they can't independently verify) and ultimately by hiring you they are "buying" YOU(re services) ...
i'm thinking this would likely be how it ends up playing out more often than not...
Am i overthinking myself into a big chunk of wasted time and money? Or am I onto something here? Has anybody here ever pursued these certifications? If so, what sort of impact has it had in acquiring new clients? Or has there been any noticeable benefit in that department at all?
a beginner level understanding of SEO - but because of consumer psychology and perception.
As an experienced freelance SEO with over 10 years experience, I have been considering investing a few months into taking 1-3 of these - but not for the same reasons one would typically take
that I haven't already acquired from years of participation in various seo and marketing forums, countless podcasts and blog posts and years of hands on real world experience, that wouldn't be the point of the endeavor..
HEAR ME OUT - I don't expect to magically gain a wealth of new knowledge from university professors with a textbook level understanding of SEO...
I also realize that the overwhelming majority of agencies who hire for seo positions would be unimpressed by university credentials ( although they might be somewhat receptive to Google/ahrefs/unilever/hubspot etc) as they're more interested in actual achievements, experience, demonstratable knowledge and application of it, and passion for the subject (in that order ) so that would also not be the purpose....
HOWEVER, my theory is that investing a few months into acquiring 1-3 "SEO Professional Certificates" (and/or similar credentials) that are verifiable, and from widely respected institutions, it might actually be a solid investment...
My THEORY is that the real benefit of taking the time / expense required for these could be extracted by capitalizing on potential client's PERCEPTION of it's merit based on:
The reputation of the school itself - such as the various seo professional certifications and/or digital marketing degree or certificates offered by UC Davis, UCLA, Stanford, Cornell, Harvard, San Diego State University, Purdue, MIT, Illinois State Universirty, Northwestern, etc.
OR
Brand recognition end industry leaders/authorities (such as the Google Nanodegree in digital marketing, the Google seo certifications, the Unilever SEO certifications, Hubspot, Moz, Ahrefs etc) in the same way that CISCO, AWS, Microsoft, IBM, Adobe etc certifications help IT professionals
My theory is that, as a freelancer marketing my services to non- agency clients in any niche/vertical OTHER THAN those related to IT and marketing, a credential from an institution who they have heard of and have a positive perception of would, create in foster a "halo effect"..
That it has the potential to dramatically improve their perception of you and your abilities, based on the reputation of the institution in general ( more prestige = perceived higher skill level whether or not there's any truth in that).
Second component of my theory is that it would inspire trust in the fact that your stated accomplishments and level of experience are genuinely YOUR accomplishments and level of experience, as confidence and trust in online reviews is dwindling by the day, due to the prevalence of fake reviews in literally both directions (positive shills and negative review bombing spearheaded by a competitor), rendering "social proof" nearly useless at this point...
Third ( and final) point for consideration is that - if the previous two points didn't already win them over in and of themselves, and it's coming down to a choice between you and I don't know it competitor - perhaps even a more experienced competitor - this could potentially prove to be "that one thing" that put you over the edge vs a competitor (yes, even one with more experience)
The reason i say this is simply because they would subconsciously feel "better" paying somebody for specialized services with a tangible and verifiable certification from somewhere they have heard of and (again) have a means of verifying your credential themselves directly with that same institution that they have some degree of familiarity with than they would paying for the same specialized services relying solely on YOUR representations of your own successes with past client results (and trusting that this actually was your past client and that the work that you performed was in fact responsible for effecting said results), and potentially dubious testimonials and reviews that they are well aware can be manipulated, etc.
Based on the above, i'm thinking it could be a game changer ( definitely make my client acquisition rate explode and, if I chose to, allow me to command higher rates if I were to get 1-3 of these..
Again, not because of any specific content within any of these programs or even any earth shattering revelations inspired by any of these, as I wouldn't expect anything close to either - tbh quite the opposite, and as someone who has been working in SEO for years, i'm still unconvinced of the level of mastery, a university professor who is not themselves immersed in this particular subject - living eating and breathing seo - could be anything beyond basic textbook and conceptual.....
That said, putting myself in a potential clients shoes ( perhaps they are a lawyer, dentist, CPA, or small business owner) and taking everything and that I know firsthand about SEO and the industry out of the equation entirely, and approaching this subject from their perspective - based on what I believe ( again theory/opinion, untested), they would be likely to think and feel in that situation- as any marketer of any kind with his salt knows that people buy based on good feelings and positive perceptions infinitely more so than facts and numbers ( particularly those that they can't independently verify) and ultimately by hiring you they are "buying" YOU(re services) ...
i'm thinking this would likely be how it ends up playing out more often than not...
Am i overthinking myself into a big chunk of wasted time and money? Or am I onto something here? Has anybody here ever pursued these certifications? If so, what sort of impact has it had in acquiring new clients? Or has there been any noticeable benefit in that department at all?
