Search Trends - Search Engine Marketing

Steve Strauss wrote an article about SEO in his weekly USA Today column. I think it's a good thing to get exposure for the industry in mainstream media like that, but it seems like they never really include accurate, up-to-date information. This article is no exception. He quotes an SEO "expert" who is really a web designer that gives outdated advice. For example, they talk about meta tags and Yahoo directory links. You're about 6 years late on those recommendations. He also talks about creating a more attractive site to increase search engine compatibility...huh? I agree with the idea of having a nice-looking site, but what does that have to do with search engine optimization? The "popularity contest" thing is very confusing to me. I wonder if he was talking about link popularity and it got lost in translation somehow. Anyway, props to Rafeh for getting mentioned in USA Today. That's some great exposure for his business. Can't fault a guy for that.