The most important thing to look out for are the promises - includes the ones they don't make. This will tell you a lot about the SEO, his experience and whether he really knows what he is talking about.
Here are some examples of what you should look out for:
1. "I'll definitely put your website on the top 5 results" This is misleading and unrealistic to say the least. If you're lucky, there will be a few hundred thousand web-pages competing with yours on any given keyphrase. Any of those *could* beat you to the top. SEO projects are dynamic and depend on many factors, which makes is impossible to predict results.
A good SEO will merely provide a guide as to what the results may be (or are likely to be) since they are beyond his control.
2. "Yahoo, MSN and the others" If the SEO starts to promise rankings on search engines other than Google, beware! Why? Well... 1. Google holds 70% of the market 2. High rankings on Google almost always mean high rankings elsewhere, and a SEO should know this. 3. Other SEs are extremely easy to climb in comparison to Google. 4. This is an easy way to divert trick you into thinking you're reaching a large share of the market, when in fact, if you're not on Google, you don't have much of a market.
A good SEO will briefly explain the most popular search engines and how they differ. Then he will explain why Google has such a majority and how his work will reflect this.
3. "I'll create another website/domain name" One ridiculous technique employed by several companies in the UK is to create a website (or a page on another website) that will rank highly for a search term, then use that page to link to, or even worse, redirect visitors to your site. What's wrong with this? Well... 1. It's a common 'black-hat' technique. Say no more. 2. It adds no real SEO value to your website/domain. If you end your contract they pull the plug and you're back to square one (minus a small fortune). 3. One of the most important aspects of SEO is on-site optimization. It's about how your content is delivered to the visitors and how your content is organized and what exactly your content is.
A good SEO will carry out a thorough analysis of your website's code, linking and content then suggest how these can be improved for optimum search engine exposure. External links are a separate topic...
4. If the explanations are vague... SEO is a huge field and there are millions of variables involved, but in my opinion it all comes down to content delivery. SEO is about getting all the fundamental parts of your website working as smoothly as possible so that your content organized, clearly defined and accessible to visitors and spiders.
If a SEO can't explain in detail what his strategy is, then it's likely to fail. I explain every detail of what I do to my clients, not because I want to bore them with jargon, but because SEO is actually made up of many very simple tasks, all of which can be understood by anybody who's ever used a computer.
A good SEO will be able to explain every task to a lamer (non-technical computer user).
5.a) You'll be #1 in searches for your company's name, or... 5.b) You'll be #1 in searches for "yellow socks delivery in london sw3 on Thursday afternoons by midday" SEO should enable your clients to find your website before knowing it evens exists. Searching for your company's name doesn't require SEO - the user knows what he/she is looking for. This may sound obvious but I have been offered such a service from a SEO company, apparently approved by Google.
A good SEO will thoroughly research the keywords (and variations) most commonly used by people looking for your content/services. He will come up with a list of 2/3 keyword phrases and explain how he'll target each of those individually. "blue fishtank delivery in london sw3 on Thursday afternoons by midday" should be "fishtank delivery" or "fishtank delivery london", depending on how fierce the competition is...
6. "We'll see the results in 5 months" It does not take that long! If SEO is done via the appropriate means, you should be able to analyse results within a couple a weeks. In fact, much of the work to be done by a SEO can be thoroughly tested, tweaked, fine tuned and analysed even before the project begins. This means the SEO should be able to provide reports on many aspects of SEO even before the search engines update their ranking, which allows you to keep track of your projects progress. Being in the dark for months and praying for good positions is a thing of the past.
A good SEO will have a range tools/techniques (although he may not want to share these with you) that will allow him to keep you informed of developments throughout the project.
I hope this helps anyone thinking to hire the services of a SEO expert/company. If you agree or disagree with me, post your comments below and I'll be glad to discuss it...
If you are a serious business website owner, chances are you are constantly on the lookout for ethical means to promote your website to your target market. Chances are also good that you probably read somewhere or heard from someone that your most practical promotion solution is the optimization of your website through as series of processes collectively called Search Engine Optimization or SEO.
If you are familiar with the term but do not have the expertise to properly implement SEO for your website, then you might want to consider hiring a Search Engine Optimization Company to do that work for you.
What is a Search Engine Optimization company? It is an organization whose objective is to provide the necessary tools and expertise to optimize your website towards the goal of securing for you a first or second page ranking in the search engine's list of keyword-responsive sites. A Search Engine Optimization company's role is that of an influencer, i.e., the strategies it employs for your website are geared towards influencing the search engine's 'spiderbot' to give it a high relevance rating which, in turn, influences its ranking. A Search Engine Optimization company's indirect role is also to influence the searcher to visit your website but is not responsible for what happens to the visit.
There is many a Search Engine Optimization company that has hung its virtual shingle in cyberspace, with many more sprouting up each and every day. With so many choices available, it is important that you are guided in selecting the right Search Engine Optimization company that best suits your requirements and budget. Here are a few tips in selecting that Search Engine Optimization company:
- Always Go for Reputation and Experience This is pretty much a common sense tip. When you are headed for the unknown, it always makes sense to go with a guide who knows what you don't. A Search Engine Optimization company that has years of experience as an organization and has people working for it with years of individual experience is normally a good choice. Experience, however, is just one half of this selection criterion, the other half being REPUTATION. A Search Engine Optimization company may have the experience, but if it has a track record of unethical or even illegal SEO activity, then the experience counts for nothing.
- Avoid companies that Spam A Search Engine Optimization company that sends spam email to promote itself is not a good Search Engine Optimization company.
- A company that hides everything, has something to hide Beware of the Search Engine Optimization company that has a 'black box' solution for everything that ails your website, i.e., you don't need to know how it works; you just pay. In all likelihood, what this type of Search Engine Optimization company is hiding from you is, at best, unethical, or at worst, illegal. It is very important for you to understand what is going to be done with your website (in lay man's terms) because, at the end of the day, it IS your website and you will have to live with whatever the Search Engine Optimization company does to it.
- Go Window Shopping Like with every important purchase decision you make, you must check out more than one Search Engine Optimization company before you make a decision. Ask for a list of the websites they claim to have worked on, and do your own research. Also, ask each Search Engine Optimization company you are considering about what they think of the other candidates in your list. Be wary if they launch into a negative marketing pitch about their competition. A really good Search Engine Optimization company will rarely badmouth a competitor. Even if the competitor is really bad, the worst that a good Search Engine Optimization company will do is objectively point out their strengths and weaknesses.
- Go with the Clear Deal A good Search Engine Optimization company will always be very clear any work proposal it makes. It clearly spells out the terms of reference, timelines, commercial aspects, guarantees, penalties, any other items that it and you may find relevant towards meeting your expectations. That way, you know what you are getting into and what (and what not) to expect.
These are but a few tips on how to select the expert that will take care of optimizing your website for you. Approach a Search Engine Optimization company like you would any other company that you are considering to handle some work for you, and you are covered.
Both Www.fyneworks.com & Seomul Evans are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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