Rhea Drysdale writes an interesting post on Search Engine Journal calling for the Death of SEO Transparency. She says that the successful SEOs are the ones who actually keep their mouths shut. In a post that is complete with interviews of top industry experts, she also makes the analogy that not everyone is a top chef:

This post is my plea to the community that you become a chef. Ingredients themselves don’t change and neither will the fundamentals of search, so being able to follow a recipe doesn’t make you great, it makes you competent and worth your salary. Being great only comes when you can take Fundamental A and Fundamental B and build something beyond anything else others are doing. And, while you’re developing that perfect recipe, are you going to share the process? When you’re done, will you teach everyone how you did it? Keep in mind that in the search industry, unlike culinary arts, if you give away your secret recipe, the meal is spoiled for everyone! Is it worth your five minutes of fame? What drives you? Fame, a comfortable life or the challenge?

Not everyone agrees that silence is the answer. Some feel that since there's money on the line, full transparency is important. Others, however, believe that they need to tuck away their secrets because if they share them with the world, their colleagues (who may be practicing the same exact tactic) will be disappointed for sharing that information.

The goal is that we should be challenged consistently. Let's not let everything hang out. If you share too much, you'll be removed from the circle of trust.

Forum discussion continues on Sphinn.

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