Sam's Club is a great retailer. From deals on bulk pretzels to discounted computers, Sam's offers super deals across-the-board thanks to bulk purchasing (and, unions would argue, a too-cozy relationship with China).

But now, business community, rest easy. Sam's Club is offering SEO services to businesses in a convenient package, to be purchased in a box much like a giant pallet of baked beans.

What's wrong with this picture? Where do I start.

First Sam's simplifies things for consumers. 62% of U.S. online consumers are now searching for local goods and services, their website declares. Then Sam's further helps out U.S. businesses by telling us how to capitalize on this trend. How?

For just $25 dollars a month Sam's will ensure your site is getting in on this whole "SEO" thing by:

• Establishing a local search profile
• Having your site submitted to major search engines

I clicked around the site for more information, but had to fill out a form telling me just how Sam's would take my business deeper into the Web 2.0 world.

I again want to thank Sam's Club for offering me both discounted George Foreman grills, as well as solid SEO services, in one convenient shopping cart.

And therein lies my beef with Sam's: SEO is a highly technical, personalized, and customer-specific offering best tackled by firms taking a great deal of time to understand your business. SEO is part artform, part science, and even among experienced experts we find opinions run the gamut.

Put twenty SEO experts in a room, and you'll get 20 different takes on SEO. This is healthy of course; the debate around search is in constant flux, as everyone in this field continues to learn, expand and grow literally every day.

SEO is about making you findable online. Simple enough, but Sam's Club is dumbing down this concept to laughable extremes. Telling the public that search engine submission and creation of a local listing equals SEO is simply misleading, in terms of educating the business public about what SEO can and should be expected to do for your business.

Search success depends on a one-on-one partnership, where a business must sit down with an online marketing firm and learn exactly what makes you tick. It's a highly personal relationship requiring constant nurturing and adjustments.

Good SEO means going down to the front lines, and truly understanding your business goals. Then the variables become apparent, and only then do the tactics for success begin to crystalize.

I'm wondering, for example, where the hours and hours of keyword research come into play with this $25 dollar offering. Someone straighten me out: Who's worked with Sam's SEO team? What was their advice on subdomains vs. subdirectories? And their advice on H1 headers as related to CSS and font changes?

What's Sam's take on Google's algorithm? Do they offer the deep insight into SEO your business demands? Based on the simplistic and condescending home page outlining their offerings, I challenge someone to surprise me.

The good news: This is yet another sign SEO is going mainstream. If Sam's is offering SEO to customers, this is an indication search is gaining the seat it deserves at the marketing table.

I do remain insulted in the way Sam's offers SEO services in convenient packages, as if what we do for clients is similar to bulk-purchasing frozen shrimp cocktails.

I'm waiting for Sam's public relations offering. "Click here and we'll get you covered in 2 out of 10 magazines your audience may potentially read! Need a speech? Click here for our automated Speech Generator! Employee communications an issue in your firm? Buy some shower curtains along with our ready-to-go employee email newsletter!"

I know with certainty our industry can and will educate clients on why such a big-box solution is a sham for gaining online presence and prominence. I just hope in the meantime quality SEO work isn't sent Sam's way, instead of to the very qualified firms devoted - heart and soul - to helping build businesses online.