Most Important Questions About SEO

1. Aren't all SEO firms the same?
2. What kind of value should search engine marketing generate?
3. Which type of search engine marketing is appropriate?
4. Which SEO firm is best for the task?
5. My SEO provider says you can't possibly rank for good phrases unless you use spam techniques. Is this true?
6. What investment will bring about the results we need?
7. I want a guarantee for my money!

1. No, SEO firms differ in the quality and depth of the optimization they provide. Many providers are simply Web design firms trying to cash in on a new area of Internet marketing. Others are Web masters who have read a few books and have a superficial understanding of SEO. The quality of your results will come down the knowledge and experience of one person who will focus on your site.
2. Value generated depends on your investment. The more you invest in developing your Web presence and implementing search engine optimization, the higher your ROI. You can expect thousands of new qualified prospects. You'll gain greater loyalty from your current customers because your company will be present when they use the search engines to check competitor's offerings and information. How much is just one customer worth to you and what is your cost of acquisition right now?
3. The type of SEO services you need depends on your budget and timeframe. If your site is not established or you need quick advertising, pay per click campaigns with the major search engines and directories may fit the bill. If you have a sufficient budget and want to gain visibility in the free search engine listings, you will have to organize and develop your Web site. This involves modifying your site slightly or could mean a major revision of your copywriting and internal linking along with creating online partnerships. This approach builds lasting value.
4. Which SEO company is best? There are hundreds available but only a few have good skills and experience in corporate or e-commerce environments. You should consider expertise, flexibility and the quality and quantity of results they've produced. How long did they work with a particular client? If they worked with them for some time, they must have been producing results. Choose your provider based on their level of expertise and whether they will be around next month to continue to serve your company. Do not choose something for nothing, opportunistic, fly-by-night operators because they may endanger your site's presence and delay your legitimate rise to the top. Even if they do manage to get you to the top, it's inevitable your competitors will report their misdeeds and you'll lose then. It happens all the time.
5. No, you don't need to spam even if it does work. For corporations with a lot at stake, spamming represents a huge risk. Spammers eventually get caught and that can result in your site disappearing altogether. The search engines don't care that your SEO did it without your consent. The fact is, you hired them.
6. You need to invest anywhere from 5K to 30K to dominate a keyword are and generate a significant return.
7. Guarantees are a certain route to spamming. It is very competitive and when your provider can't get it done, they will resort to something unethical. That's when your site is in danger.

Negative Signs:

• guarantees top ten rankings
• uses multiple or numerous domains
• uses mirrored domains (duplicates) and then interlinks the sites
• can't get rankings in Google or Yahoo
• is overly dependent on one or two keyword phrases
• overly dependent on one or two key link partners
• Web sites have minimal content or value for customer
• can't come up with innovative content ideas
• exclusively uses link exchanges with partners that have nothing to do with their industry - also known as FFA (free for all) link exchanges
• excessive use of links on page
• excessive use of keywords
• uses popular keywords they don't have a hope to rank for
• uses hidden text (keywords) somewhere in the pages
• buys placement with shady search engine advertising firms that employ pop-ups and software generated re-directs of unsuspecting Web surfers - these people aren't interested.
• doesn't offer customization based on your company's needs.
• can't write search engine optimized copywriting that still promotes the brand
• doesn't understand Google's anti-optimization filter
  

This isn't to say that the search engine optimization business is an easy one. Many SEOs do face challenges from clients who have heard they can have everything for nothing through SEO. That exploitative attitude can kill legitimate and effective search engine marketing. I know first hand how exploitative some clients can be. They destroy the excellent opportunity they have in front of them when they demand the use of cheap spam tactics and they damage the integrity of their brands. Fortunately, most clients are patient and smart and a pleasure to work with.

Is there accreditation for SEO firms? No, it is still considered an art and although there are courses available, they are for beginners. High level optimization requires many skills primarily in HTML and CSS coding, copywriting and marketing. An awareness of Web programming techniques helps in the optimization of e-commerce sites. In the final analysis, the fusion of optimized content is what produces good results for corporate sites today. Check the variety of training they've had because they'll need all of it.

Good advice is to budget a reasonable investment. You get what you pay for but SEO is still very cost-effective to use. It won't break the bank and the results speak for themselves.

Make Bay Street SEO your choice for legitimate search engine optimization. We build, improve and focus Web sites so they are more valuable, communicate better and meet search engine's needs.