So what's the trick?  How do these folks who run around calling themselves SEOs actually know SEO?  Do they just make it up? Is there a class you take somewhere?  This week Rand looks at exactly this question: where do these guys (and gals) learn the stuff they know and how do they stay on top of the ever-changing search landscape to make sure they're putting forth best practices for their clients and projects?

Watch this week's Whiteboard Friday to learn where you should focus your efforts if you want to learn SEO. You'll find it's not as complicated as you may think. In fact, it's pretty simple, but not necessarily easy, especially when you start talking about IR and patent analysis, conducting research, collecting and analyzing correlation data, building ranking models, and other fancy strategies. But, as SEO extraordinaire and all-around awesome dude, Dave Snyder, adroitly demonstrated in his recent post about how he got started in internet marketing, hard work, talent, and a little luck are the backbone of success in this industry.

p.s. Here's the original post on Ben's Ranking Models from the SEOmoz/Distilled London Training Seminar