I respectfully & completely disagree that anyone and everyone can read Google guidelines and all other information found on the web and do SEO themselves.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is an art and a science. Search Engine professionals know what to do to make a site ranked high in search engines. They read, understand, consult, and recommend solutions that are based on search engine guidelines. And they do it ongoingly, not just one time.
The reason a lot of websites DON'T do well is because they have attempted a half-baked SEO campaign.
Retaining SEO experts is no different than retaining other experts who provide professional services such as hiring a designer, an accountant, a website developer, etc. If everyone could do everything by reading guidelines and following the steps that were laid out for them, we would all be out of business -
Search engine marketing professionals are not recognized for their expertise due to low cost providers springing up and offering guarantees for "number 1 placement in Google" or website developers who stuff keywords in metatags, and people who link to every body thinking that will get them visibility.
My two cents.
Nipa Shah - President
Search Engine Optimization Management, Search Engine Optimization Consulting, Paid Search Management