Adrenaline Rush - Cyclist Heart Rate flickr photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/15257553@N05/2110134576/
Cycling (the discipline of riding one’s bicycle enough to consider the sport a habit) and SEO (the process of optimizing one’s online presence for search engines and people) have many parallels. Both “sports,” by nature, include:
- Discipline to be consistent, focused on one’s goals;
- Awareness of one’s surroundings, what others are doing, how they are doing it;
- Technical Skills to know what to do, what tools and equipment to use, when to perform;
- Riding solo during times of pin-point focus;
- Socializing with like-minded people to build relationships, to share, help (and link) to each other;
- Competitive drive to push hard;
- Adrenaline!!!
Cycling and SEO can each produce an adrenaline rush during times of intensity. Such were my thoughts after a couple recent stints of intense SEO focus followed by a high-intensity workout on my fixed-gear bike.
I won’t explore the parallels of discipline, awareness, and technical skill. However, I will explore the following commonalities …
Riding Solo
Intense focus requires an SEO consultant and an avid cyclist to ride solo, at times, with little socializing.
Years ago, my cycling coach gave me a piece of valuable advice. He said,
“If you want to be a competitive racer and win, you have to like riding by yourself. Your friends will not be on your training plan.”
How true! As an only child, I grew up entertaining myself, so I easily learned to embrace riding solo when needed on various training days. The tradeoff:
I had to learn to say “no” to group rides and hanging out with friends or chatting along the bike trail when it was necessary to “go it alone” for long-term gain.
Dana Lookadoo learned to train "Riding Solo"
SEO also requires time of research, analysis and focus when one is working alone with spreadsheets, keywords and search engines. Not only does this require a high work ethic, but there may be little time for socializing. SEO, at times, can feel like riding solo!
I’ve experienced this lately but realize it’s temporary and sometimes necessary. The tradoff:
Personal emails may go unanswered, forum posts unread, fewer Twitter and Facebook updates.
Riding solo can be a little painful yet a necessary discipline at times. How does that saying go?
No pain, no gain!
Socializing
Cycling and SEO also require times of socializing. As a “herd animal,” I thrive on engaging with other people, both online, offline and on-the-bike (and so do many of you)!
- There are times when a cyclist cannot get the intensity needed to be competitive unless he or she rides in a group.
- Deep friendships can result as well by sharing long rides with friends.
- Cycling is also a great way to network and meet other professionals. (Dare I say it’s more bonding than playing golf?)
- Social media engagement is key for building SEO-related relationships and friendships, including increasing one’s visibility.
- Engaging in relationships on Twitter, Facebook, forums and other sites builds awareness, knowledge, and opportunities for building links. Twitter is more than an online water cooler and now a key way SEOs keep abreast of the latest findings in search.
There is a time to ride solo and a time to socialize …
Competition
Few parallels need to be drawn between the competitive nature of cycling and SEO. Racers and website owners work hard to place in the top 10. A podium finish in the top 3 is penultimate!
Most cyclists and SEO consultants will participate in activities that are competitive even if one is not racing or focusing on top SERP placement. I’ll share two competitive situations this past week:
- A guy passed me on my recent high-intensity, solo bike ride. He passed me! This is not always a big deal, but the adrenaline was pumping. I sized up his muscles, his riding style, pace, and his bike. He was bigger, looked stronger and had a nice wheels. I figured I could use my experience and momentum to pass him and pick up the pace. I caught his wheel, got into a solid groove and rode by. Shortly after, he passed me again. I recovered, caught my breath and passed him again …
- During my recent highly-intensity SEO stints, I sized up the other websites who were ahead of us in the search results, analyzed their strength, their messaging and their authority to determine if we could pass them. I spent hours determining what keywords and marketing copy would work best to outperform and beat them in the search results. We shall pass them …
Passing the Competition
Adrenaline Rush
Ahhh … the adrenaline rush from intense focus!
Ahhh … the competitive nature of cycling and SEO!
Hard work can be healthy and often has benefits that outlast the chemical rush.
My recent bike ride (race) was extremely intense. My legs burned with lactic acid. Adrenaline rushed through my system, especially as I beat the guy to the top of the hill. After coming down the other side, we finally spoke. He said,
“Good ride. I didn’t realize I was going to race!”
I replied, huffing and puffing,
“Thanks! I’m on a fixed-gear. I have to use momentum. You were a good carrot!“
A hard workout on the bike will produce more than adrenaline rush. You will gain stronger muscles, enabling you to perform better and prepare for podium finishes.
Adrenaline Rush of a 1st Place Podium Finish
A highly-focused SEO initiative can produce the same longer-term results. You produce focused-pages of quality content that gain strength and momentum. Continued effort will improve ranking, conversion and overall site authority. Your site will perform better, and you’ll have the ability be top 10. Plan and work it for the long-term gain. Aim for the podium, to be #1!
The intensity can be painful, but the adrenaline rush of passing the competition can’t be beat!
Are you are a cyclist or an SEO consultant? If so, then you know the adrenaline rush. You also know the competition is your carrot!
{ 6 comments }
Hi Dana, You draw some great parallels here, and I especially relate to the competitive quality of SEO. It is fun to pass the competition and get your client on page one. It never occurred to me before, but if I were hiring an SEO specialist, I’d definitely want someone with competitive sports on the resume.
Brad, thanks so very much for taking the time to comment! You just reminded me of an HR post recently in which they suggested managers consider employees or consultants who were athletes because of their energy level and discipline. I guess the competitive nature of sports fits well with that.
Today, while on a ride, I thought about the necessity of maintaining one’s fitness. Our websites are similar, since we have to constantly work our SEO efforts in order to remain competitive.
Thanks again for sharing about the parallels and taking the time to stop by!!
Dana, thanks for writing the article I’ve wanted to write for 2 weeks now. I’d like to also mention that even though we (both SEOs and cyclists) love to ride alone, we still need a solid team behind us.
We need a domestique (spouse, assistant) to keep us refreshed, fueled and motivated.
We need someone to pace us up tough spots (SEO friends, friends).
And we need helpers that, when working together, assist us in getting the job done (graphic artists, content writers).
All of these team members help us attain the podium/rankings.
Good stuff, keep it up.
Will, YES! You are spot on about the importance of a team! Well said.
I especially appreciate the “domestique” comment, because I couldn’t do what I do without my husband’s support. In addition, we are able to “draft” behind our friends and co-workers and learn from them, saving energy and making us more productive. That’s why socializing and collaboration are so key and vital!
The Tour de France is the epitome of the necessity of teamwork. So many lessons can be learned by watching how a cohesive team can perform and “out rank” the competition. Now, we could start a blog post related to SEO and drawing parallels about Team Astana, Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador!
Thanks Will, for the thoughts! Go ahead and write that blog post, and feel free to stop by and put the link in the comments. I’ll look for it on Twitter, @TechLH!
Great analogy Dana
The times I like the most in SEO are the adrenaline moments, of course. Though I don’t recall any of my competitor’s SEO people ever congratulating me afterward for the good race…
Alan…I’m laughing so hard I can hardly type!
Now, let’s see, how can beating your competitors in the SERPs help them? I often tell businesses they should become good friends with their competitors for link opportunities… Cycling parallel? A racing opponent one year might be a teammate the next!
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