Before selecting a search engine optimization company, there are some questions you need to ask.
What is a search engine optimization?
What services do search engine optimization companies provide?
Do you need a search engine optimization company?
How do you choose a search engine optimization company?
What is a search engine optimization?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the development of HTML web pages, so web sites have a very good chance of appearing near the top of search-engine results for specific keywords/keyphrases.
Over 80% of web users start with a search engine to find what they want. A top priority for web site owners should be to get top rankings on search engines and directories. Although SEO is constantly changing, anyone can get high rankings for web sites and keep them there. It just takes a lot of hard work and a lot of time. If you aren't able to put in the time, consider hiring an SEO Company.
What services do search engine optimization companies provide?
There are many Search Engine Optimization (SEO) companies, all with different service options.
Free Services
Some SEO companies offer a free initial service. An example is a ranking report for your current keywords/keyphrases. Or a detailed analysis of your site and suggested improvements.
Search Engine vs. Directory
Good SEO companies will explain the difference between a search engine and a directory. They are different and require different optimization strategies, including the approach taken to optimize your site. SEO should be part of your existing structure, however this isn't always possible.
Search Engines and HTML Design
SEO companies have a good knowledge of HTML and understand how search-engine spiders work. They can explain how some design features, such as frames and dynamically generated pages, affect how a search engine ranks sites.
Money-Back Guarantees
Consider a SEO company who offers a money-back guarantee if they cannot achieve promised rankings. Offers are different from company to company, so be sure you understand what the guarantee includes. Although it's impossible to guarantee search engines will list and rank a site successfully, you should expect to get rankings for your web site in the top 20 for your keyword set, on half or more of the top search engines. Directory results may be restricted because the submissions are manually edited, making a well-written description and category selection important.
Selecting Keywords/Keyphrases
SEO will usually focus on keyword phrases instead of single keywords, depending on the competitiveness of the keyword chosen. Don't expect any SEO company can achieve a top 10 ranking for highly popular single keywords like "web" or "Internet". Ask the SEO company you're considering if they research relevant keywords/keyphrases based on your recommendations. Working with the SEO company to develop a highly relevant keyword set will more likely bring you traffic.
Directories
Being listed with Yahoo, Open directory and LookSmart is important and requires effort. Many SEO companies charge separately to submit to these directories. Before submitting, be sure they are talking about the database of the directories itself. And not the databases provided by partners of those directories. For example some of Yahoo!'s search results are provided by Google. Good SEO companies will have up-to-date knowledge of all of the top search engines and directories. They can advise you on submission search tools such as Inktomi's paid inclusion and GoTo's pay-per-click program.
Do you need a search engine optimization company?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) depends upon your company's needs. You can correctly do SEO in-house if an employee has the knowledge and skills. If you don't have an employee who has the knowledge and skills, consider hiring someone who already has experience or use an SEO company.
If you use an SEO company, there are several pricing options to consider. Some options are pay-per-click through, pay-per-listing and packages.
Pay-per-click through means users click through to your site from a link, it can be tracked and you are billed for each click. With this method, you pay only for actual traffic, however there are no guarantees that visitors are buying anything. Using this option, be sure traffic coming from search engines uses agreed-to keywords/keyphrases.
Pay per listing means the SEO company will charge for each ranking achieved. Usually a predetermined price for top 10 rankings and a lower price for top 20 rankings. Often a price limit can be set and rankings achieved over this limit will not be billed.
Packages have pre-defined terms.
Pricing is important but results should be more important.
How do you choose a search engine optimization company?
Before deciding which SEO company to use, consider the following:
Is monthly maintenance included?
Where will the optimized pages be hosted?
Do we need to buy a new domain for the optimized pages? If so, who is the domain owner?
Will we be kept informed during the development process?
Will we get reports on how our web site is doing?
Who's the project manager in charge of our web site, and can we contact them?
Will they help us research keywords?
Can they explain which search engines are most important?
Do they offer a money-back guarantee?
What pricing options do they have?
Do we have anyone in-house who can do this or can we train someone?
How long are we obligated to use the service?
Will they consult with us on how we can improve our web site for better results?
About the Author:
Carol Gevers is the owner of Seedegy, an internet services company. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree and is a Certified Internet Professional. Visit http://www.seedegy.com or e-mail info@seedegy.com.
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