SEO continues to be the talk of the town.

"Are reciprocal links good? Are one-way links better? How do I use Google SiteMap Submission? Does PageRank still count? How many blogs do I need? Who has a bigger index - Yahoo or Google? And does it matter? Which engine is more popular - Yahoo or Google, oh wait I heard MSN is gaining ground. Is it MSN?"

OK, I'm sure you see my point - there seem to be more questions out there than answers. And then if you do get answers, they sometimes conflict with what another SEO firm told you already or what you read in an article last month, or what your friend's little brother did on his site that made him rich overnight. (Don't laugh; we hear those stories all the time)

I'm here to answer these questions, in total and complete honesty. Are you ready? The answer is actually simple and applies to ALL of the questions above as well as any other question you may ask.

The answer is:

It doesn't matter... because you are asking the wrong question!

OK, so what is the right question?

Don't worry - I will tell you - the question is: Are you in the 64% or the 36% group?

Now for the answer ...

I Don't Know...Only You Know the Answer (and have to deal with the results).

Let me explain....

There was recently a study on the results of company's outsourcing SEO (September 2005, by Jupiter). The results may seem shocking, but it is something we see every day in this business.

The study shows that 64% of companies that choose to outsource their SEO do not follow the instructions of the SEO firm they hired! I am going to repeat that again so the full impact reaches you -- 64% of companies that choose to outsource their SEO do not follow the instructions of the SEO firm they hired!

They recognize the need for traffic (OK, off to a good start). They did their research and selected a company (nice, moving forward) and they plunk down the money (and if it's an SEO company that's any good, it wasn't just pennies either). So far it all sounds good. What happens next -

it all falls apart.

The SEO Firm does their analysis of your site and situation, they share with you the most basic items to be fixed (which are often easy to fix with just a little attention) - they tell you this is of the utmost importance, it is the foundation of your whole campaign.

And what do you do?

That depends - are you in the 64% that does nothing and ends up asking all the wrong questions and whining months later when you are still nowhere? Or are you in the 36% that take action, treats their website and their business with the seriousness and commitment it deserves and then get to work with the SEO company to open the floodgates of traffic SEO can deliver? It's simple and it's your choice.

After you have made the commitment to be one of the 36% (something to ponder: how many of your competitors are in the 64% asking the wrong questions and doing nothing - and how quickly can you by-pass them when you are one of the 36% doing it right?) and you have taken the steps necessary to lay the foundation for a solid SEO campaign, you can then sit back and watch the company you hired, with their proven expertise bring in the rankings you desire.

Please understand, I write this article with a little humor to show the absurdity of the situation. I mean, would you hire a mechanic and then refuse to fix what he determined is the problem? No - you probably wouldn't. I want you to understand not following your SEO Firm's instructions can be just as detrimental to your business as ignoring a mechanic's suggestion to fix that smoke coming out of the engine can be to your car.

The more SEO changes, the more it stays the same. The SEO winners are not the ones chasing each new trend and asking the wrong questions. The winners are the ones that commit to their SEO firm and their own business and follow the guidance of the firm they hired. They follow those firms right to top rankings.

So, now that you have asked the right question, made a commitment to the growth of your business and have an SEO firm diligently working for you, and you are just sitting back waiting for the results - you can ponder all you like the details of who's database is bigger - Yahoo or Google or MSN, as well as all the questions out there people ask daily.

However, with the right SEO Firm - you still don't need to ask these questions. Questions like is PageRank still important, how many blogs do I need and how do I use them, and all the others will all be answered. The answer will be in the results the firm got for you based on your cooperation and their knowledge and expertise.

Forget Desperate Housewives - try Desperate SEO Firms - with 64% of clients NOT doing what it takes, no wonder there are rumors of SEO insanity out there. Gain some sanity and take action today to make sure you can ask and answer the right question correctly.