I’m thinking a lot about what it takes to make something successful/how to be successful myself in certain fields..I think if you understand the factors you can manipulate them to your favor and make them work for you…by choosing a career that overlaps with your strengths or by targeting the “sneezers” to make your “idea spread”, etc..

So being a relative newbie to SEO and internet marketing (well 2 years), I’ve been wondering what it takes to be successful at SEO. Before I started, I thought it was all about technical computer stuff..but now I’ve come to the c onclusion that if youre working on your own sites the “aptitude” that sets a great SEO apart from an average SEO.

Anyone of average intelligence can probably learn enough about how the search engines work if they’re really interested in it. But what makes great SEOs more successful than another SEO is the ability to manipulate those factors to their favor (that, btw, is why I think it’s silly when SEOs say “Google keep their algorithm a secret, because if people knew how it works everyone could rank no.1″ – everyone knows they need links from authoritative relevant sites, but everyone cant get them).

Links are clearly the most important factor to manipulate (that everyone can’t do) these days and the main talent to be able to do that seems to be creativity to me.

If user data ever becomes really important, people will find out that they have to create (favor) content that makes their users stay longer on their site, etc. but creativity will be the factor that’ll allow people to create that kind of content.

Those are just my thoughts, though and I’m not really sure! What do you think of this?

If you had to predict who’ll be the better SEO – all else being equal – would you rather pick somebody with

A. high intelligence, somewhat above average creativity

or

B. somewhat above average intelligence, but high creativity

?

PS: Of course passion, drive and strategic thinking are very important, too!

Actually, I’m into analytical thinking a lot (as you might have noticed), but if I think about it deeply I’d say analytical intelligence (or “general intelligence” whatever that is) doesn’t seem to be the decisive factor in SEO – meaning it’s just a threshold..but whether somebody is good at it or off the scale doesn’t really matter..whereas it seems to matter with creativity!

However I think that Outrider in the Netherlands is unique. In the Netherlands we’re building an individual search unit in which we have a lot of freedom and room for creativity. Of course it’s a challenge to maintain that as we’re growing… (but than I can go freelancing again ;-)..)

Which is why they outsource to people like me for things like linkbait.

I think also that seo companies attract a certain type of person who just wants their paycheck and then Friday comes and they are out of there. I think the self employed ones are a bit more obsessive and passionate about the industry.