The search industry, an industry that I’ve been proud to be a part of for the past 20 years, needs a Hall of Fame. The industry as a whole, which includes search engine marketing, PPC, internet marketing, website marketing, search engine marketing, etc. etc., should recognize those who are responsible for making the industry what it is today. Here are several reasons, along with some names of people that I think should be considered for the Search Hall of Fame.
Why We Need It
There are a ton of reasons why I think we need to establish a Search Hall of Fame, here are a few that I can think of:
— Other industries and competitive sports have a Hall of Fame. Football, Baseball, Swimming, all have Halls of Fame, and even the domain industry has a Hall of Fame, the domainer hall of fame.
— Members of our industry need someone look up to. As someone who works in the SEO industry, it’s an incentive to be able to “be like Mike”.
— There are some individuals who have made a huge influence on our industry. It would not be the industry it is today without these people We have awards ceremonies and all, but those are pay-to-play.
My recommendations
I have been thinking for a long time about who I would nominate to be inducted in the Search Hall of Fame, and it really is tough for me to come up with a list. Rather than just be someone who is highly visible in the industry, and very talented, and a standout, there is a higher standard needed for people to be considered for a nomination into the Search Hall of Fame. Like being in the industry for at least 10 years, and having made a significant, positive contribution to shape the industry.
Here are a few names that I’d like to nominate. If there are others, let me know or tweet me, or comment on my Facebook post about this.
Danny Sullivan – There are so many reasons why Danny Sullivan should be nominated into the Search Hall of Fame. Like establishing SES, SMX, SEL, being a voice and an advocate for our industry in the public–such as being quoted and interviewed often by other major media outlets. But there’s so much more.
Matt Cutts – For so many years, the public-facing voice of Google to webmasters and SEOs. I could go on and on about Matt, but he’s a shoe-in for this.
Duane Forrester – Again, for many years Duane has been the public-facing voice of Bing (and Microsoft). An SEO before he stepped into that role at Microsoft, he really understands where SEOs are coming from–and is also a shoe-in for this, as well.
Brett Tabke – Without the creation of Pubcon and Webmasterworld.com, there really wouldn’t be a place for so many SEOs and search professionals to learn from others in this industry.
Rand Fishkin – Rand is one of the original SEOs in our industry. One of the first times we saw the SEO industry recognized publicly was when Rand was featured in Newsweek Magazine. With his yellow shoes on. He created Moz, a staple in our industry.
Alan Bleiweiss – Alan should be nominated into the Search Hall of Fame. Why? Not is Alan a true Search professional and someone who really knows his stuff (he provides great SEO audits), he has done some amazing things to bring this industry together. The search industry wouldn’t be what it is today if it weren’t for Alan. He has helped create and spread the “family atmosphere” that this industry has. Like Alan’s Epic Dinner. And Dana.
Those are just a few that I personally think should be nominated to be in the Search Hall of Fame. There certainly are others, and let’s start some discussions around who should be nominated.
How We Should Decide on Nominees
Essentially, anyone can nominate someone into the Search Hall of Fame. I just mentioned six people. But one way to make is tall more official is to combine the efforts of several different organizations.
— Establish a date that’s a deadline for nominees.
— Establish a date that when the new members are inducted and announced.
— Allow all of the major search organizations to participate. For example, DWSEM, SLCSEM, SEMPDX, KCSEM, SEMPO, etc. could all participate.
— Members of all of the above organizations could nominate and vote. You’d have to be a paying member of one of those organizations, in good standing, to have a vote.
— Establish a Search Hall of Fame organization.
— Members of the Search Hall of Fame organization should include the Presidents of each of the major search organizations, as well as previous members who have been inducted into the Search Hall of Fame.
— Members of the Search Hall of Fame organization would view the nominations and votes, then make the final decision as to whether or not someone should be inducted into the Search Hall of Fame.
This is just some thoughts about who the Search Hall of Fame could be established. I’m putting this out there so we can start thinking about a Search Hall of Fame. Tell me why we need a Search Hall of Fame, or why we should NOT have a Search Hall of Fame.