There’s a book that I’ve been meaning to read for a while - David Graeber’s Bullshit Jobs.
Sadly Graeber passed in 2020 but I’ve enjoyed reading snippets of his work.
If he was still around I’d have been nervous to ask him his thoughts on what I do for a living - I’m fairly sure I know what he would have said.
Without sounding too nihilistic, I think it’s important to think about these questions and to ask yourself to honestly consider such things from time to time.
Is being an SEO (or even a “Marketer”) a bullshit job?
I’ve been guilty in the past of performing mental gymnastics when considering whether being an SEO consultant is a bullshit job.
Perhaps in this case those gymnastics weren’t anything too strenuous (maybe a fairly sloppy Roly poly) - I would argue that my job was important because I helped small business owners to get found on Google and thus helped them to make a living.
Nothing wrong with that really - a decent, honest, fairly Millenial job… kind of.
Dwelling on this a bit longer, and based on a lot of current events, I’ve got serious reservations about most, or all, of the above.
Whilst it might be true in essence (we do help people find websites), I think if we go deeper we might discover why it could still be deemed a bullshit job. I’ll try and explore some of these reasons below…
(I should point out that this is a fairly personal post and so you may very well disagree with my own thoughts. My aim in writing this isn’t to cause hurt or to encourage anyone into some kind of midlife crisis - going out to get “Live Laugh Love” tattooed across their back (or whatever else constitutes a decent midlife crisis) - it is simply to address the topic and to delve a bit deeper).
Reason 1 - Our reliance upon tech is out of control
Google loves to state its importance at any given opportunity - sharing how many searches are made at any moment (189,815 searches per second), how they enable customers to find important information at the touch of a button, and so on.
But what if all this data based on usage is merely a reflection of a society which has developed an unhealthy obsession with technology?
If we zoom out from the marketing spin and we begin to understand the true elements that make up the polycrisis (climate change, artificial intelligence, rising inequality, racism, mental health, food, energy), maybe we will begin to understand that actually, maybe our obsession with technology (like Smartphones, and using Google to query absolutely everything) isn’t actually going to be that much help.
If we want to solve any of our most pressing issues, I would argue that the use of Smartphones, the internet in general, and of course Google won’t do much to help.
Maybe we need to put down our phones for a bit and start connecting with people in our local community instead? Of course the internet can be used to help make those connections - but we need to be mindful of how we use it.
Just because lots of people go to Google and are quick to search for stuff, this doesn’t justify the role of an SEO consultant, especially if we could argue that this is instead the sign of a slightly damaged and unbalanced society. One that has lost the ability to exist in nature, perhaps.
Reason 2 - We are helping to drive damage to our environment and society
Going back to the specific role of an SEO consultant for a moment - if we are to genuinely argue that we help people to better find information on the web (by helping to optimise websites for search engines), then I would probably argue - is it something that someone really needs to find/to purchase?
A lot of SEO consultants will be working for clients where there will firstly be a budget available to hire an SEO, or to hire a marketing team.
And if there’s the finance available to hire an SEO, there’s a chance that there’s a decent profit margin in whatever is being sold.
And because most businesses have the sole objective of generating profit (without much thought for environmental or societal impact - unlike the Doughnut Economics framework for example), I think we should be a bit more critical about our roles within this process.
If we’re working for an ecommerce client, we should be willing to ask ourselves firstly whether the item they are selling is really an essential good, and then secondly are they minimising their environmental impact (and how?) and then are they taking care of their staff?
And if our clients aren’t in the ecommerce space, that doesn’t mean we’re off the hook. Many sites that provide informational resources are only able to do so because their web pages are covered in intrusive adverts (which sell even worse products or info packs). I think many consultants aren’t even aware of the carbon emissions of such “data-heavy” websites.
Service based industries might not be much better, for those SEO consultants (like me) who tend to work with clients that provide services for users often locally. A plumber or an electrician would fit this category. And whilst these might be industries where many vital services are being provided, there will still be occasions where you will question if it is really a valuable service being offered. Do you really want to help a brand that is trying to reach people looking to hire out a private jet?
Ultimately as SEO consultants we should be able to think about whether we really want to support the company that has asked for our help - when we’re in the position to be able to do so.
Reason 3 - My ‘unofficial’ boss supports the Genocide in Gaza (and other issues with BigTech)
Recent current events - or Israel’s genocide of the people of Gaza - has given me further reason to consider the nature of my work. Ultimately, if we’re being honest with ourselves, Google is the main focus of our work - it is still the most popular search engine in Europe and the US.
I’ve joked before that I work as a voluntary lapdancer for Google - Google tells us what it likes, and I ensure that (through my client’s websites), we cater to Google’s needs.
They might not be paying my wages directly, but we all operate within Google’s world. So when you hear about Google’s $1.2 billion cloud computing contract with the Israeli government and military, or how Google’s co-founder calls the UN ‘antisemitic’ after their report on Gaza, and has denied the Genocide privately, it really makes you consider whether at all you should be focusing on optimising for visibility on what is clearly a troubled company.
Recently they were also found to be in another deal with the Israeli Government, this time to run propaganda ads on the Google Display Network and YouTube.
There are hundreds more legit reasons why Google isn't a company that should be trusted, from the fact that they’re a monopoly and operate in an unfair and unethical manner, through to tax avoidance, advocating for energy and water-hungry AI, and lots more… but for me, being supportive of the Genocide in Gaza is perhaps the straw that broke the camels back and which lead me to (again) question my choice of work.
Reason 4 - Many of us are working towards the goal of infinite growth - there is no end goal
I remember working in an SEO agency earlier on in my career. One of the first months we were working with a new client, traffic and revenue were both up by a lot since the launch of a new website. This might be positive news (and it was for us), but it also meant that in months 2, 3, 4 etc we had a hard act to try and grow sales beyond what we’d already achieved.
And this is the main problem with capitalism and our growth obsessed economy - we always want to see more growth - we’re never satisfied. And our clients are (often) also the same. It’s never enough to show a 10% month-over-month increase in traffic or revenue - we have to continue to grow this the following month. And again, and again, and again.
There’s never an end point or goal. Even if you hit a client’s sales targets, you can be sure that next year the targets will be raised. Everything is tied to sales figures and arbitrary metrics that don’t really mean much to you on a human level.
SEO consultants are then placed under a lot of pressure to continue focusing on growth, and as we know there’s going to be a limit to what is achievable. This pairs quite nicely with the saying from those who speak out against our obsession with constant GDP growth - “Anyone who thinks that you can have infinite growth in a finite environment is either a madman or an economist”.
Reason 5 - Very few of us probably chose this line of work… maybe that tells us something?
This relates to a lot of the above too, but basically, how many of us actually chose to become SEO consultants? How many of us are actually living our dreams? Most of us fell into this line of work for a variety of reasons… maybe that should explain why some of us struggle to find much meaning in it?
I started off building websites from my bedroom as a teenager before optimising them for Google and generating money from adverts and affiliate commissions.
I’ve definitely changed a lot since those days but I did realise that I didn’t want to become someone who just made a living from their bedroom, only making money for themselves without really giving much back to society. I decided to go to University and studied Marine Conservation.
I left after my course (I didn’t want to pursue a full degree at a different university, which was required to find a job) and I was off put by the idea of studying for many more years, getting into a lot more student debt, only to still have low chances of finding paid work (many people work voluntarily in this sector). So, I went back to doing the thing that I knew was easy enough to do, and which made me a living, which was working as an SEO consultant.
I decided then to try selling my services to other businesses - as a way of trying to help others using the skills I’d taught myself years before. Basically, I wanted to feel that I was helping other people, not just focused on helping myself.
It could be argued that if there were more jobs available in the area of conservation, and if student debt on loans was lower, I’d have ended up finding a more meaningful job in that space - and I wouldn’t be here writing this article.
Is this the fault of our capitalistic, neoliberal society, or more a reflection on my unwillingness to roll my sleeves up and grind it out? Who knows (the truth probably lies somewhere in between).
The main point I wanted to get across here is that - many many people (not just SEO consultants) ended up doing jobs because they pay the bills often with some money to spare, and not because they fill us up with feelings of self-worth, importance and purpose.
And I think this is probably also why I have been driven to spend a lot of time volunteering for causes and movements which aim to push us away from capitalism (I’m involved in the degrowth movement and have fairly recently setup a PostGrowth community for those trying to find ways of living in a post-growth society).
Ultimately I do blame our capitalist society for pushing many of us into these so-called bullshit jobs - and I sometimes daydream of the amount of good work out there begging to be done (building local food networks, creating domestic local energy supplies, restoring biodiversity levels at a community level, and so on).
This is the biggest frustration for me - knowing that there is really important (critical) work that needs to be done… but most of us are tied to our desks carrying out busy-work whilst the world slowly falls to pieces.
Owning the fact that I have a bullshit job - or - learning to adapt
I appreciate that not all SEO consultants will feel the same as I do.
This is probably a good thing, to a certain extent (at least, good for their own mental health and their feelings of value and self-worth).
But - for me it’s important that if you feel this kind of friction within your work, that you don’t suppress it but try to embrace or explore it.
Sometimes I think the biggest learnings come from moments in which others have made you feel uncomfortable as a result of them airing their views (within reason of course). It might hurt somewhat because it has touched a nerve, or has caused this kind of discomfort.
In my case I have been trying to adapt how I work in order to feel better about my role in society. I’m not sure if it is working but anyway - here are a few things I’ve tried to do to compensate or atone for my work.
Try to work with clients that align with your own personal values
This is probably a fairly obvious one. Instead of just saying yes to any client, try and spend a bit of time thinking about who it is you would or wouldn’t want to work with. Why don’t you want to support them? What would a dream client look like, and why? Set yourself some boundaries and try to stick to them.
I appreciate that this stance might not be available to everyone. Sadly in some SEO agencies you won’t have much say as to who you work with. And if you’re struggle for work as a freelancer you might feel an obligation to say yes to any work that falls your way. I should acknowledge my white male privilege here, and being born in the UK where I’ve had a lot of advantages given to me (access to affordable, reliable broadband and electricity for example).
For me I’ve tried to work with environmental organisations and businesses that I feel care about improving society in some way. Sometimes this creates headaches for me - it’s not always obvious when someone is greenwashing for example.
You have to learn to spot these such clients, and it takes time to be able to do this. But if you do care about the clients you support, then in my opinion it’s worth the trouble. It feels good to support those clients that do genuinely align with your own values, where you’re not just doing it for the money.
Provide pro bono support to those charities that clearly need some help
I’ve provided a lot of voluntary SEO and digital marketing/web support over recent years. Sometimes it goes really well and I love doing it. Sometimes I feel like I’m being taken advantage of (and in those situations, I rarely hang around).
It’s really important to have a clear idea of the support you are willing to provide, and the time you have available, and the scope of the work offered. I got involved with a small marine conservation NGO many years ago, to help with SEO, and within a few weeks they were asking me to redesign their logo (!). If I’m offering my services I want to ensure they’re being utilised in the right way.
When it comes to finding those organisations that need your support, I’ve had a lot of joy out of simply emailing them to offer my services pro bono. You have to accept that many might ignore your email, which is probably the worst-case scenario. And even then you won’t know if anyone ever saw your message.
I’ve managed to work with some great, small organisations that really align with my values simply by sending a cold email offering to help.
Of course you need to first know which organisations you want to help. I wouldn’t recommend just blanket offering help to anyone simply because they’re a charity. Try and spend time really thinking about those causes that mean something to you.
As an SEO consultant you can likely spend a few minutes on their websites looking for things that may need fixing.
Find on the ground / offline opportunities to make a difference
Sort of related to the above - if you find you are struggling with a lack of purpose or that your job as an SEO doesn’t really light you up - perhaps finding some other work on the side could help?
This could be volunteering in person for organisations that mean something to you, or just trying to get more involved in your local community.
I’ve been guilty of always going to the web to satisfy my needs or to try and solve my issues, when instead there are probably local ways in which I can be made to feel useful.
Think Global Act Local is a bit of a cliché saying these days - but it’s probably quite apt here. In my very local case, one thing that has always been on my mind is the fact that here in Galicia we’ve lost nearly all our native woodlands due to the planting of Eucalyptus monoculture plantations. These are incredibly damaging to local wildlife, and it's a very low quality timber which ends up used as paper or pump (often being shipped over to China).
So - I’ve tried to get involved with local organisations that are trying to put a stop to the planting of such crops (side note that I did also try to solve this digitally by creating RewildingGalicia.com - but this was mainly to try and build connections in the local community).
I think trying to get your hands dirty, and getting involved on the ground where you are, can help a lot if you are struggling with finding much meaning or value from the work you do. That is of course, if you are able to find the time for such opportunities.
Do you have a Bullshit Job? How are you coping with it?
I think I won’t be the only person who feels this way. I’m sure countless others feel the same way, but they just struggle to see a way out of it. There’s this resignation to those people who feel this way, similar to the resignation many feel when they realise capitalism is going to kill us all (eventually). It’s not easy to get out of this way of life - ultimately we all have bills to be paying.
I don’t think SEO is the only bullshit job out there - it is just one of many thousands - arguably most of the above would also apply to any marketing job.
I think the key point here is - acknowledge or own the fact that you have such a job - and figure out either a way intro a more meaningful, purposeful career, and/or find a way to turn things around so your job better aligns with your personal values even if that’s just a temporary fix.
