Aaron Wall, author of the popular SEOBook, is wondering if he should change his business model:

“As the field of SEO has grown and my share of voice has grown I have attracted far too many wankers….“

More specifically:

  “The people buying PPC stuff are already looking to spend money, but many of the people who are attracted to SEO are attracted to it because they are lazy, want a free ride, and refuse to add any value to the world around them. This is exactly why the target market for a PPC book is so much nicer than the target market for an SEO Book.“

Hit the nail on the head there, Aaron.

SEO does need a budget, and does need to be thought of within a sales/marketing framework in order to work well, but too often, SEO is perceived as a free quick fix.

It’s neither, of course, but that perception is widespread.
I, for one, would like to see Aaron do a regularly updated book on PPC.