Search engine optimisation in the classic sense of link spam, referer spam, buying ads, keyword optimisation, starting link farms, sending off "link exchange requests", etc. is dead. Content driven SEO which means creating compelling content constantly using a Web 2.0 site is not only a more legitimate method to get high search rankings; it's also the only way that really works in 2005.
From Seth's Blog: In violent agreement!:
"Search marketing is more than buying ads -- SEO is the search world's equivalent to public relations. It also doesn't mean that you have to link spam, comment spam or content spam. Content-driven SEO -- I'm writing more about this next week -- is something anyone should be considering.
You can have all the great content you want. Neglect some basic things to make your site search engine friendly, and you aren't getting in. It's like saying that you need never reach out to the press, they'll just somehow magically discover you've launched a new product, done something interesting. Search engines are better at discover, but outreach still helps -- SEO is that type of outreach."