Tags |
|
|
Links |
|
|
Actual for You - Shopping for an SEO Consultant: 5 Key Questions to Ask
Artists beware! By far, the most difficult areas in creating successful and agreeable business plans have to do with working within proposed budgets and agreeing upon realistic time constraints. Typically, from my experience in providing the service of wedding photography, there are many hidden hours working on projects where clients typically underestimate processing time, skill level, and time spent in correspondence with them. I worry about my client accepting the cost of what it takes to pull together a top-notch product.For instance, if I had a set of photographs on hand for a project and showed the pictures to a client prior to writing up a business plan, in many cases, the client would want me to throw in the
Many aspects of search engine optimization are technical in nature. But you must remember the audience you ultimately want to win over consists of people, not search engines. This is where writers come into the picture.
All too often, I see Internet marketing managers and website owners develop SEO tunnel vision. These people become so concerned with "pleasing search engines" that it clouds their judgment. "Search engines will love this copy," the argument goes, despite the fact that the copy sounds like a four-year-old wrote it. (No offense to any literary prodigies out there.)
Search engines are not your ultimate goal. They are only a path to your ultimate goal. For these reasons and many more, it's critical for an SEO c
There are two kinds of capital: debt and equity. Both kinds are typically used by a company during its lifetime. Lenders have different objectives than investors and therefore look at different factors about a company when deciding whether or not to invest or make a loan.Debt Debt is money borrowed, which must be repaid at a set time period and generates income for the lender over that time period. Lending sources include not only banks, but also leasing companies, factoring companies and even individuals.Lending sources look primarily at two factors: how risky the loan is; and whether the company can generate sufficient cash to pay the interest and repay the principal. The growth potential of the co
Unfortunately, SEO professionals do not have to pass a competency test or obtain certification. All kinds of folks refer to themselves as SEO consultants, regardless of their actual qualifications.
So how do you tell good from bad when shopping for an SEO consultant? By asking the right questions, that's how. Here are five key questions to start with:
1. How do you go about choosing the right phrases?
Search engine optimization centers around two things -- key search phrases and visibility for those phrases. But it all starts with the phrases themselves. If an SEO company or consultant has trouble answering this question, or if they say, "Our clients usually handle that" ... then keep shopping.
A good SEO company will get to know your company, your products or services, and your audience. And they will (or should) help connect these things by incorporating the right language into your website.
2. What kind of "black hat" techniques do you use?
In the SEO industry, black hat techniques are those techniques that violate Google's guidelines for webmasters. They include such tactics as cloaking, domain masking, hidden text, and other attempts to trick search engines into thinking a site is larger or more relevant than it really is.
Such techniques can get your website banned from Google. Yes, your website could actually be purged from Google's database. It happens every day. It happened to a European division of BMW, a major online printing company, and hundreds of others who thought they could outsmart the system. Just enter the phrase "banned from Google" into any major search engine and see what I mean.
I know what you're thinking. "How can somebody who gets paid to improve search engine rankings afford to get clients banned from a search engine?" Easily. They do it until their reputation goes down the toilet. Then they close up shop and re-launch under a new name. Of course by then, you're out thousands of dollars and your website is banned from Google. Ouch!
Ask yourself this. Is manipulating your way to the top of the search engines worthwhile if you later lose your rankings entirely? Could you handle scrapping everything you've worked for and starting over again from scratch? Probably not. So if an SEO company gives you a list of the black hat techniques they use, tell them goodbye.
3. What SEO techniques do you use in general?
If an SEO company tries to keep secrets from you, there's probably a reason. A search engine optimization company should be proud to talk about their SEO techniques. Unless, of course, their techniques have caused more harm than good (see question #2 above). "Sorry, but we don't disclose our techniques" can usually be translated as "We're ashamed to disclose our techniques."
4. Do you have a writer on staff?
Many aspects of search engine optimization are technical in nature. But you must remember the audience you ultimately want to win over consists of people, not search engines. This is where writers come into the picture.
All too often, I see Internet marketing managers and website owners develop SEO tunnel vision. These people become so concerned with "pleasing search engines" that it clouds their judgment. "Search engines will love this copy," the argument goes, despite the fact that the copy sounds like a four-year-old wrote it. (No offense to any literary prodigies out there.)
Search engines are not your ultimate goal. They are only a path to your ultimate goal. For these reasons and many more, it's critical for an SEO c
I work with people who have left the corporate world and have established or want to establish themselves as Independent Business Consultants (IBC) in their area of expertise, whether that be HR, Marketing, IT or sales.One of the most common assumptions many of them make is that they don’t need any help and they become a “lone ranger”. This is often based on a set of beliefs such as* “I can do everything myself”* “I can’t trust anyone else to help me in my business”* “I can’t afford to pay anyone to help me”* “I’ll get someone when I’m more established.However, leading and managing a successful consultancy is about more than just delivering the consultancy services. A consultancy b
A good SEO company will get to know your company, your products or services, and your audience. And they will (or should) help connect these things by incorporating the right language into your website.
2. What kind of "black hat" techniques do you use?
In the SEO industry, black hat techniques are those techniques that violate Google's guidelines for webmasters. They include such tactics as cloaking, domain masking, hidden text, and other attempts to trick search engines into thinking a site is larger or more relevant than it really is.
Such techniques can get your website banned from Google. Yes, your website could actually be purged from Google's database. It happens every day. It happened to a European division of BMW, a major online printing company, and hundreds of others who thought they could outsmart the system. Just enter the phrase "banned from Google" into any major search engine and see what I mean.
I know what you're thinking. "How can somebody who gets paid to improve search engine rankings afford to get clients banned from a search engine?" Easily. They do it until their reputation goes down the toilet. Then they close up shop and re-launch under a new name. Of course by then, you're out thousands of dollars and your website is banned from Google. Ouch!
Ask yourself this. Is manipulating your way to the top of the search engines worthwhile if you later lose your rankings entirely? Could you handle scrapping everything you've worked for and starting over again from scratch? Probably not. So if an SEO company gives you a list of the black hat techniques they use, tell them goodbye.
3. What SEO techniques do you use in general?
If an SEO company tries to keep secrets from you, there's probably a reason. A search engine optimization company should be proud to talk about their SEO techniques. Unless, of course, their techniques have caused more harm than good (see question #2 above). "Sorry, but we don't disclose our techniques" can usually be translated as "We're ashamed to disclose our techniques."
4. Do you have a writer on staff?
Many aspects of search engine optimization are technical in nature. But you must remember the audience you ultimately want to win over consists of people, not search engines. This is where writers come into the picture.
All too often, I see Internet marketing managers and website owners develop SEO tunnel vision. These people become so concerned with "pleasing search engines" that it clouds their judgment. "Search engines will love this copy," the argument goes, despite the fact that the copy sounds like a four-year-old wrote it. (No offense to any literary prodigies out there.)
Search engines are not your ultimate goal. They are only a path to your ultimate goal. For these reasons and many more, it's critical for an SEO c
In previous parts of this series, I showed how using Google Adsense and other merchants’ affiliate programs will generate profits from your blog. However, there are even more options to monetize your blog. Here are a few to consider.The first option to consider is Chitika. What is Chitika you ask? Chitika is a very innovative contextual advertising program because it can serve very detailed advertisements to your blog that fit perfectly with your blog theme.For example, on your technological gadget blog, Chitika will show advertisements for tech gadgets such as iPods. They show them in different tabs: one for “Best Deals”, another for “Details”, another for “Reviews” and so on. This way, it is more of an info
Such techniques can get your website banned from Google. Yes, your website could actually be purged from Google's database. It happens every day. It happened to a European division of BMW, a major online printing company, and hundreds of others who thought they could outsmart the system. Just enter the phrase "banned from Google" into any major search engine and see what I mean.
I know what you're thinking. "How can somebody who gets paid to improve search engine rankings afford to get clients banned from a search engine?" Easily. They do it until their reputation goes down the toilet. Then they close up shop and re-launch under a new name. Of course by then, you're out thousands of dollars and your website is banned from Google. Ouch!
Ask yourself this. Is manipulating your way to the top of the search engines worthwhile if you later lose your rankings entirely? Could you handle scrapping everything you've worked for and starting over again from scratch? Probably not. So if an SEO company gives you a list of the black hat techniques they use, tell them goodbye.
3. What SEO techniques do you use in general?
If an SEO company tries to keep secrets from you, there's probably a reason. A search engine optimization company should be proud to talk about their SEO techniques. Unless, of course, their techniques have caused more harm than good (see question #2 above). "Sorry, but we don't disclose our techniques" can usually be translated as "We're ashamed to disclose our techniques."
4. Do you have a writer on staff?
Many aspects of search engine optimization are technical in nature. But you must remember the audience you ultimately want to win over consists of people, not search engines. This is where writers come into the picture.
All too often, I see Internet marketing managers and website owners develop SEO tunnel vision. These people become so concerned with "pleasing search engines" that it clouds their judgment. "Search engines will love this copy," the argument goes, despite the fact that the copy sounds like a four-year-old wrote it. (No offense to any literary prodigies out there.)
Search engines are not your ultimate goal. They are only a path to your ultimate goal. For these reasons and many more, it's critical for an SEO c
Envelopes are very important in mailings. They are widely used for sending printed materials. But envelopes can contain more than just another mailing for your customers. Envelopes can be a great eye-catcher for your prospects. They can add marketability to your business. You just need to get a hold of the right one to be able to leave a good impression on your prospects.To make an impact, you need a totally compelling business package. And that includes a professionally-designed envelope. Direct mail marketing is not effective if the envelope doesn’t appear nice.For that reason, it’s important that you know the elements that make up a good envelope design. Considering the elements will allow you to come up w
Ask yourself this. Is manipulating your way to the top of the search engines worthwhile if you later lose your rankings entirely? Could you handle scrapping everything you've worked for and starting over again from scratch? Probably not. So if an SEO company gives you a list of the black hat techniques they use, tell them goodbye.
3. What SEO techniques do you use in general?
If an SEO company tries to keep secrets from you, there's probably a reason. A search engine optimization company should be proud to talk about their SEO techniques. Unless, of course, their techniques have caused more harm than good (see question #2 above). "Sorry, but we don't disclose our techniques" can usually be translated as "We're ashamed to disclose our techniques."
4. Do you have a writer on staff?
Many aspects of search engine optimization are technical in nature. But you must remember the audience you ultimately want to win over consists of people, not search engines. This is where writers come into the picture.
All too often, I see Internet marketing managers and website owners develop SEO tunnel vision. These people become so concerned with "pleasing search engines" that it clouds their judgment. "Search engines will love this copy," the argument goes, despite the fact that the copy sounds like a four-year-old wrote it. (No offense to any literary prodigies out there.)
Search engines are not your ultimate goal. They are only a path to your ultimate goal. For these reasons and many more, it's critical for an SEO c
Employers invest money into the recruiting process. It is a tedious task and it feels as if it is a never-ending process. They spend a few seconds skimming resumes on a daily basis looking for that one to “pop out”. They call in several candidates and ask them a few questions. Based on answers and gut feeling, a person is hired.Things seem to go okay with that new employee, but then once the “probationary” stage has ended, this candidate becomes the employer’s biggest nightmare! With attitude problems to possible theft, the employer is overwhelmed and not sure where to go. Conflict is everywhere and morale has decreased! The employer is “afraid” of the law and that they might get a lawsuit filed against them
Many aspects of search engine optimization are technical in nature. But you must remember the audience you ultimately want to win over consists of people, not search engines. This is where writers come into the picture.
All too often, I see Internet marketing managers and website owners develop SEO tunnel vision. These people become so concerned with "pleasing search engines" that it clouds their judgment. "Search engines will love this copy," the argument goes, despite the fact that the copy sounds like a four-year-old wrote it. (No offense to any literary prodigies out there.)
Search engines are not your ultimate goal. They are only a path to your ultimate goal. For these reasons and many more, it's critical for an SEO company to have in-house writing talent. If an SEO company tells you they don't think copywriting is a big part of SEO ... then beware. Your web pages will likely be written for search engines only, with little thought given to the art of persuasive, well-written copy.
5. Have you ever operated under a different name?
Don't think you're being invasive by asking this question. You're being smart, and you're looking out for your company's best interests. Remember, you'll probably end up paying thousands of dollars for comprehensive SEO services, so you deserve full disclosure.
Why ask this question? Let me illustrate with a personal story.
A couple of years ago, I had a pool put in my backyard. We conducted a lot of online research to find a pool builder. One company we screened was practically off the radar. I couldn't find anything about them on the Internet, despite the fact they claimed to be a local pool builder for over a decade.
So then I asked if they'd ever operated under a different name. They said yes, and I diligently began searching for their previous name online. Yikes! What I got was a series of unresolved complaints, disputes and other red flags. The company had "earned" such a bad reputation that they had to close down shop and reopen under a new name.
This happens in every industry, and search engine optimization is no different. So ask the question, even if you feel uncomfortable doing so.
Conclusion
Obviously, these are not the only questions you should ask an SEO company. These are just the questions people often overlook. Add them to your own list of pre-screening questions, and you'll have a much better chance of finding the SEO consultant that's right for you.
* Copyright 2007, Brandon Cornett. You may republish this article online if you retain the active hyperlinks below.
HTTP = HTML link (for blogs, profiles,phorums):
<a href="http://www.actual4u.com/article/76277/actual4u-Shopping-for-an-SEO-Consultant-5-Key-Questions-to-Ask.html">Shopping for an SEO Consultant: 5 Key Questions to Ask</a>
BB link (for phorums):
[url=http://www.actual4u.com/article/76277/actual4u-Shopping-for-an-SEO-Consultant-5-Key-Questions-to-Ask.html]Shopping for an SEO Consultant: 5 Key Questions to Ask[/url]
Related Articles:
Desperate Architects: Want to Know a Secret About Architectural Drafting?
Reflections in the Glass Ceiling
Why The Content Of IAHBE Can Work For Your Online Business?
Bookmark it:
|