I'm stealing this idea straight from these four guys (1, 2, 3 - and 4 - thanks Emil) and adapting it to the world of SEO/M. Here's my take on what the various levels of knowledge are in the search microcosm - I've tried to provide examples as well:
Level 1: Confused
New website owners or developers who think to themselves... "Hey, don't I need meta tags to get Google to like me? And maybe I should buy that $19.99 submission service to the top 40 search engines - after all, if it ranks #1 at Google, it must be the best advice around!" fit this category quite well.
Level 2: Learning
These are the folks you see attending their first SES show, posting and reading at the SEO forums and generally taking a deeper stab at the world of search marketing. Some of these people have even bought AdWords or Yahoo! Search Marketing ads, but haven't played with it much.
Level 3: Novice
If you've read the beginner's guide, you're automatically at this level (maybe even level 4 if you paid close attention). These people know basics like clean URLs, internal linking and title tags are critical to rankings. They also have a basic understanding that links influence rank, though they may still be stuck on PageRank in the toolbar as a metric.
Level 4: SEO Newbie
At level 4, you gain the title of "SEO" - you know why the meta description tag matters, why some links are better than others and how to create a search-friendly site from the ground up. You may even have a few tricks up your sleeve and have some deeper knowledge about a particular niche - where the good links come from, why certain sites rank where they do, etc.
Level 5: SEO Professional
At level 5, you know enough to provide professional help to others. 301 re-directs are a new best friend and you've done link building work to a degree that makes you competent in nearly any niche. Keyword research is now a basic task and fixing up search-unfriendly features like select boxes and multiple URL parameters is old hat.
Level 6: Master SEO
Sixes are in a unique club. Chances are that to have this much knowledge, you read 10-20 SEO blogs each day. You're so plugged in to the search world that you've got a fair idea of what Google's last update affected in the algo and what types of spam are still effective at each engine. You're a whiz at diagnosing penalties, finding solutions to difficult search problems and quickly dominating the SERPs in less competitive sectors.
Level 7: Dark Lord of Search
I would assign this level to a select few in the world of SEO. At this level, you're often someone who's well-known in the SEO community - you might run a blog or simply be a "big time" name in the field, regularly speaking at conferences and getting pegged by Fortune 500 brands to provide insight. These guys & gals know exactly where to place links or create pages to help overrun a negative piece of press and have the connections to make nearly any type of campaign possible, assuming the motivation & money exists.
Level 8: Johns, Naylor, Boser & Ballie
I've only met four people I'd put at level 8 - Ammon Johns, Dave Naylor, Greg Boser & Jake Baillie. These guys know not only search, but coding, marketing & business like the back of their hand. Show them a problem and they'll come up with a solution that solves ten issues you didn't even know you had. Show them a sector and chances are they've optimized at least a few sites to top rankings in it (assuming it's profitable). From spam to technical analysis to scraping, re-direction, content strategies and analytics, they are nothing less than the very best our field has to offer.
So, where do you rank yourself?
p.s. I would say that a ranking chart like this isn't as relevant in our field as in others, as great levels of specialization in a particular sector must be weighed against the brilliant generalists, but it makes for a fun post, eh?
p.p.s. Had to amend this post to add DaveN - not sure how I could have forgot about him, as he's clearly a level 8. BTW - There may be many more folks who are Level 8, but I haven't personally gotten to witness it in action - my list is not meant to be comprehensive, or exclusive, just based on my own personal experiences.
Can I pick sideways '8'?
You know, you may have missed a level Rand, for those guys that could be in the 7/8 range, but keep a really low profile. Think back to the 2003 days of SEOchat and some of the big members there that for whatever reason stopped posting everywhere -- I like to think that it is a hidden level, similar to '8' in terms of knowledge, but acting almost as a lurker, quietly printing money.
Cygnus
Damnit rand! Stop teasing like that, they all link back to the CSS one I wrote, gimme the link love! ;)
Btw, I would say I'm a level 5 in terms of SEO. Going for the 6.
I've been drinking now for about 4 hours...
Pretty sure that I'm a 7.85
Cheers!
As the others have said, Rand, a great post. You might have added a personal touch to it by injecting a bit of color. Hats are already taken and you've collared the shoes, so why not go for colored belts. It seems to work in another highly competitive sport.
Colored SEO belts are used in a forum I left long time ago. But I'm not going to rip up in that, but instead congrats Rand with another great post.
Classic post and intriguing mentions of things that lesser seos aren't doing / understanding yet. How about a rating system based on padawan / knight /master etc? ;)
And is it just me or is the url of this blog post not SEO'd ?!
I think when you write this article, you are level 8 :)
It is really good ranking.
It keeps u updated about your ranking.
I think i m on 4 level.
hopping some suggestion to get the upper level.
Now you just need to update your quiz and hand out dandy badges to post on our blogs!
Suberb post again, Rand I'll put myself at the early to mid stages of a level 6, and as I read on it seems sooooo far to get to a level 7. This has to be the biggest jump on the list. With the amount of time that I spend doing SEO now, doing more seems almost impossible. Then again, I know some big-named people in the SEO world (Level 7ish) who I doubt have the experience or expertise that people think that they do. They are merely self-marketers.
I want my SEO to go to 11. See, while most other SEOs only go up to 8, my SEO will go to 11. That way when I have a client that is doing pretty well and I'm giving them level 8 quality service, I can turn the SEO up to 11 and dominate every SERP in their niche!
Now, some of you might be asking, why not just make 8 more awesome? See, Blackbeard SEO will go up to 11, which is higher than 8. Thus, making it more awesome.
Great post - a kind of roadmap for everyone professionally involved in SEO - very inspiring.
Can you tell us what are your 10 favourite SEO blogs at the moment?
got knowledge of a professional, but newbie experience. i still need more projects to sharpen up my skillz.
What level is Danny Sullivan? :^)
I, too, would put myself between Level 4 and 5 right now, with some elements of Level 6.
Hmmm I guess a 5.5. :) Cool ratings system!
Great Article!
Yes, this is a fun Post, but you could have a far better title for this post. I think I'm getting to the newbie level although I already subscribe to 10-20 SEO blogs.
what about you? You didn't told us what's your SEO level.
Great list! I can only strive to hit level 8 in my lifetime.
Oh, Search Engines WEB belongs in an ultimate, unprecedented class that, unfortunately, isn't mentioned in this article. Perhaps, because so few evolve to that point. But, CERTAINLY above 8. :D