SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
And other online marketing services...9 questions and answers
1. What is SEO?
SEO is a process used to increase the number of visitors to a web site, arriving via search engine. Many have begun to lump all efforts to increase site traffic under the umbrella of SEO.
2. How does it work?
SEO is done by setting your web site code a certain way, assisting you in improving written content, working with you to obtain more links to your web site, and researching any paid directories and yellow pages for your industry that you may wish to join. There are also techniques that involve working with Google Webmaster Tools.
3. Do you guarantee I will be #1?
Do ad agencies guarantee the number of sales you'll make? Do your radio, television and newspaper businesses guarantee the amount of sales you will get from their advertising? Of course not. Honest web advertising can not make that guarantee any more than those other businesses can. I can guarantee your site will be seen. I can likely even get you on the first page. Anything beyond that depends entirely on your own time and financial ability.
4. There are some SEO Companies guaranteeing I will be #1.
Think of it like this: they are telling EVERYONE they'll be number one. There's only room for 1 at the top. Do you really think that ALL of their customers get to be #1? And if they have a client make it to number one, how much money does the client keep spending to stay there? Number one may be a possibility...if you have the financial resources. Most organizations should not assume they'll be number one cheaply, if at all.
5. Will SEO make me #1?
Maybe. Bear in mind that there are literally millions of others out there competing and many of them are doing the exact same thing we are. SEO alone does not guarantee site traffic. You'll need more than SEO to make the site a success. SEO is just the first step.
6. If there is no guarantee that I'll be #1, why bother?
Because it still helps your business, and every bit counts. Your web site is a form of advertising. Like all advertising, it takes repeated exposure to the audience to begin to be effective. Like all advertising, it may take months or a year, depending on your budget, to draw in new customers. No one ever won by not trying. Even if your business is not #1 listed, the higher the ranking, the better the odds that you'll have new site visitors and new customers. Additionally, not all of your site visitors will arrive via search engine. We want to expand the ways people find your site, and that is part of our service.
7. I've heard about keywords, what are those and do I need them?
Meta tag keywords are words in a part of your web site code, unseen by most visitors, that are words people might type into a search engine to find you. However, most of the larger search engines these days no longer use them, or place little emphasis on them. It is good to go ahead and have them, but do not base your entire web marketing campaign around meta tag key words. The keywords you want these days are right there on every page of your site, in your written content. You may also have keywords in your Pay-Per-Click ad campaign as well, which is still different from meta tags.
8. I heard you can hide words in my web site that people would type in a search engine. Will you do that for me?
Absolutely not. This is a form of search engine spamming. If a search engine catches you, your web site will be removed and banned. Can you imagine how bad it would be for business to be banned from Google?
9. I have a lot of hits. Why aren't I getting more customers?
Hits are not an accurate measurement of the number of visitors to your web site. Nor are page views. This can give you a general idea, but they do not always tell you how many of them are unique visitors, as opposed to the same person viewing the page repeatedly, or multiple users at the same location viewing your page. At this time, there is not a means to tell this type of information. Also, many of your visitors may be individuals living in parts of the world you do not provide service to; they found your web site, realized this, and left. However, it can be useful to track how your visitors arrive at your site (for example, from a search engine or link on another web site). At this time, there is not a means to track where the visitor goes upon leaving your site. One thing to keep in mind: lots of traffic that doesn't result in sales may mean it is time to change your site, such as content and/or layout and design.
