I have been in the SEO industry for about 4-5 years, and one of the things I keep seeing every other day is the usage of the word ‘Guru’. At first, it used to be ‘SEO Gurus’, but now with the evolution of AI, it is ‘GEO /AEO Gurus’.
I come from India, and in my culture, the word ” guru ” holds a lot of deep meaning. We have immense respect for our Gurus. For context, a Guru is the one who guides their disciple. A counselor, if you will. They were considered equal to or higher than God because of the knowledge and wisdom they shared to reach God themselves. They used to mould the values, share experiences, guide the disciple in both good and bad, teach them all the subjects, and even help them achieve the moksha (liberation from the cycle of life and death).
In Sanskrit, there’s even a mantra that’s dedicated to the great Guru:
गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः गुरुर्देवो महेश्वरः ।
गुरुः साक्षात् परब्रह्म तस्मै श्रीगुरवे नमः ॥
The mantra translates to: The Guru is like Brahma (the creator). They create the desire for knowledge. The Guru is like Vishnu (The preserver). They help the student keep and use the knowledge. The Guru is like Maheshwara (Shiva, the Destroyer). They destroy ignorance and bad habits. The Guru is the supreme reality itself, standing right before your eyes. I bow and offer my respects to that great teacher.
Then I came across how the word ‘guru’ is interpreted in Western culture. Even Wikipedia says that “the term is sometimes used in a derogatory way to refer to individuals who have allegedly exploited their followers’ naiveté”. I also looked this up elsewhere, and the sentiment is the same. It somehow got linked to the fraudsters and the Ponzi scheme kind of people, the ones who exploit people for their own gain.
In the context of SEO, I think it refers to people who are using shady tactics to fool people or their clients. Honestly, I get it. I, too, don’t like people who do or share things that do more harm than good, and the snakeoil salesman kind of folks. The ones who see their own benefit before anyone else’s.
I am not here to invent words or teach people what to do. In an ideal world, the word Guru would be replaced by something like SEO fraudsters, or SEO wannabes or something. But in the real world, I can hope people stop using the word in the wrong context.
Funny side story: I never had good relationships with my teachers, both in school and in graduation. They used to demoralize me, say all sorts of hurtful personal things, and even humiliate me in front of the class and my parents. There were, however, some good teachers who inspired me to keep doing good things. Those are the ones I am grateful for.
The other thing is how the industry has ruined the word “Guru” for me. It used to have a special place in my heart. But ever since I came across how the word gets used in the Western context, it has lost that charm for me.
That’s all I have to say for this topic, honestly.
See you next time.
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