Avoid SEO rip-offs

So, you want to be on page one of Google? We can get you there within the week! Kerching, another sucker bites the dust...

Despite the regular loss of money to rip-off merchants the SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) marketplace continues to be one of the best to legitimately lose large sums of money. Now, don't misunderstand me, there are many good SEO Companies out there, doing a good job and charging reasonable rates. There are also numerous who will be happy to promise the earth and deliver very little. Do yourself a favour and understand a little more about SEO.

SEO Myths

Firstly, forget being on page one of Google, that's not what you want or need. Disagree? Just ask yourself why you want to be there, it's to increase sales isn't it? So, whatever position my site ranks on Google is irrelevant if I'm getting the sales I want. You might reasonably suppose that if your sites ranks highly then you can expect more traffic but it's what it ranks highly for that's important. For example, ComputerMedics is in the computer services business for home users. Let's try a Google search. First attempt, I tried 'home computer support' (without the quotes). Guess what? I got 165 MILLION hits! How the hell am I going to stand out in that? Even if I narrow it down to 'home computer support north yorkshire' and click the UK only option I still get 111,000 hits. Clearly, those keywords are not going to get me on page one.

To emphasize this, take a look at Google Adwords and put the ComputerMedics website in (I'll save you the trouble - just download the results here). What this tool does is scan your site, suggesting keywords. Well, we've got all the ones we expected people to use to find us on Google, the problem is, so have thousands of others. If keywords are to be any use to me I need some unique keywords that people will use to search. Or I need another plan. To illustrate this go to Google and type in 'andy jameson barnmore' don't worry about whether the browser is set to UK. Check your results. In case I've slipped down the rankings when you read this I've taken a snapshot here. This shows that the top three sites at that time were Slagthemoff, The 50+ Blog and AndyOwesUsMoney respectively and those sites are all mine!

So, I can get you on page one with the right keywords but only by using a combination of techniques. Amongst others, I used keywords and links.

Link exchange

It's been said that exchanging links with sites that do rank highly is a good way of boosting your own ranking but there is much disagreement about this. Google is said to detect reciprocal links (i.e. you give me a link and I give you one). Also, if your site ranks less highly than the one you exchange with what do they get out of it? Or, in other words why would they link exchange with you? Far better to drop links into other sites, such as blogs, wherever you can. A good way of doing this is to find a blog that allows 'raw' links (i.e. you can click it and get redirected to the site it links to and it shows the site URL when you hover the mouse over it). Hover over ComputerMedics above for an example. Not all sites will allow this embedding of links and not all sites will be of value as their ranking is not sufficiently high. You'll need to work with whoever does your SEO to establish where best to drop links. However, the sites should be relevant i.e. the sort of people you want to attract already visit the site(s) you link from so they are more likely to follow links to your site. Additionally, having multiple links will raise your profile on Google for your name i.e. ComputerMedics is highly placed on Google due to links dropped in blogs and free-ad sites such as Gumtree.

Content

Content plays a major part simply because Google has a voracious appetite for text. Good quality content that gets changed or updated regularly is high on the list of priorities and, increasingly, richer content such as images, audio and video. Images are not too difficult to deal with but I would caution anyone believing they can create DIY audio or video - nothing looks worse than the amateur actor!

So, content is best created by professionals then? I would say yes but the business should be able to give a clear brief in terms of the message(s) the content should get across and have final, editorial say.

Written content can be divided into several areas, technical advice like this FAQ; general information such as our home page or leaders for products such as this one about VMware amongst others.

What you should get from SEO

Well, you said you wanted to be on page one of Google but it's really more sales you want. So, select an SEO Company that will work with you and try to understand your business. Ensure they don't want all the money up-front, they should be paid a monthly fee for an agreed series of changes. SEO is constant i.e. you are on page one today but others are continually changing their site so yours gradually slides down the rankings. It's a constant maintenance process to keep your ranking so budget a monthly amount and be realistic.

Try and select unique keywords that people will actually use to find you. Remember that big Companies have enormous budgets for this sort of activity so, unless you have deep pockets, keywords/phrases such as 'cheap digital cameras' is probably not going to get you noticed.

Use blogs and other Internet sites to get your 'brand' noticed. For example, Gumtree will link directly to your Facebook account and publish in both places for minimal effort. Each site handles links differently so you may need some help here.

Agree the results you expect and get everything in writing. Don't forget simple things. Bad grammar and spelling look unprofessional. Proof-read your site or get a professional to do it for you.

Don't ignore traditional media to push customers to your site i.e. we get extra custom by advertising in print then prospects search for us on-line by name and, of course, we're top of Google for that!

If you're still unhappy about how it all works then why not give us a call on 07748-472194 and ask for Paul.