Dexter Dings SEO: Why Do Hollywood Writers Keep Giving Search Engine Optimization A Bad Name?

Yesterday, I saw a few tweets go by noting that the popular show Dexter on Showtime mentioned SEO and said that “Google was so 5 minutes ago” while typing in the URL: eliotsearchengine.com* – which supposedly “uses an algorithm to aggregate content without getting tripped up by SEO bull$h!t.”

Because Dexter shows are behind a paywall on Showtime’s website, our own Rob Snell posted a short video clip of the segment (your sound may need to be turned up) from the episode that aired Sunday, November 20th:

[youtube width=”560″ height=”315″]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUHmR3u4emM[/youtube]

It’s unfortunate that another real search engine didn’t get an opportunity for product placement in this episode.

Previously, I’d written about SEO getting a bad rap on the CBS show “The Good Wife” — where all SEOs were equated to spammers, so this isn’t the first time Hollywood writers have twisted search engine optimization into a bad thing.

Sure, it’s a matter of sensationalizing in the name of entertainment, but clearly, the SEO industry might need to take out a full page ad in Variety and begin a PR campaign before awards season rolls around.

Submitted For Your Consideration: SEO Doesn’t Suck

Here’s Google’s recent defense of SEO:

[youtube width=”560″ height=”315″]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS75vhGO-kk[/youtube]

Here’s our recent contribution:

[youtube width=”560″ height=”315″]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF515-0Tduk[/youtube]

Our video is part of the many resources about search engine optimization designed to educate people on our What Is SEO / Search Engine Optimization? page.

Postscript: Per the comments below by regular watchers of the show Dexter, the eliotsearchengine.com domain noted above redirects to a Facebook game based on the shows, which is terrific example of cross-channel social media integration.