Yahoo filed a patent last month to automate the SEO process.  On the surface this may sound like a real threat to SEO firms and their very way they make a living.   It all most seems like Yahoo has found a way to make SEO a no brainier.  Is Yahoo saying that it is no effortless to optimize a web site for their search engine?  Well, maybe!

Yahoo's patent is to automate the process of website SEO. It is done by using keyword analysis through the frequency of searches on Yahoo.  The keywords will be analyzed and then relationships of keywords will be strung together in order to determine what will work best for a website.  Depending upon what your site is about; Yahoo will determine the type of traffic you will get.  This automated process, according to Yahoo, is going to direct lots of traffic to your site.

Lots of traffic to your site sounds great. Except if it is not the type of traffic your really want.  Let's say you are trying to sell Left Handed Blue Widgets and Yahoo determines that your SEO should include Whatchamacallits as well.  We all know that Left Handed Blue Widgets cost 10 times more than a Whatchamacallit .  You have a real niche market for Left Handed Blue Widgets and want to market to only those people but the Yahoo automated SEO process has decided that you should market to the Whatchamacallit crowd as well. Do you see the problem here?  Niche market websites could be killed by this automated process and Yahoo will send lot of traffic your way except they are looking for the cheaper Whatchamacallits and can not afford your more expensive Left Handed Blue Widgets.

In theory this all sounds good but in the end I think this will only be good for people who like to do their own website design.  Good luck with this one Yahoo.