Definition: Search Engine Optimization (SEO): The art of optimizing web pages so they will show up in the ranks of the search engines.
Years ago when SEO first came onto the scene it got a bad rap. Ever since SEO has been overshadowed with this stigma that the art of getting websites ranked and searchable on search engines is somehow some kind of witchcraft or voodoo. The truth of the matter is that it has nothing to do with witches or voodoo, you simply need to be a guru! Get it right people!
Alright, all kidding aside, SEO really has dragged this stigma along with it. The art is now questioned, poked and prodded and to be honest, for good reason. There are so many SEO people right now but only a small fraction of them are actually qualified to do SEO. The biggest problem is that technology is constantly changing and the SEO professionals must keep on top of the search engine trends and algorithm changes. Separating the good from the bad is not as hard as one would think. If you are looking for SEO and do not know what to ask or what to do here are a few great questions you should be asking your SEO expert.
1. Do you submit my website to search engines?
THE CORRECT ANSWER IS: You do not have to submit to search engines anymore. The search engines as long as the tagging on the site is correct will come to you.
2. How many keywords can I use in my META Keywords tag?
THE CORRECT ANSWER IS: META keywords are not used anymore by the search engines, this was dismantled years ago, however, if you do put anything in you should keep your keywords/phrases below 10.
3. Do you have statistical data to show me proven results?
THE CORRECT ANSWER IS: Yes, every SEO should have statistical data to show you based off of other jobs they have completed.
4. What components of a website do the search engines actually currently (2010) look at?
THE CORRECT ANSWER IS:
a) Title Tags
b) Description
c) URL Structure (url slugs)
d) Content
e) H Tags
When choosing your SEO expert be sure to do your homework on what you want from them. There are so many aspects to SEO that often times the expert does not have enough direction from the client. Understanding all the parts to SEO will certainly help you as a client to determine what exactly you want to do. SEO is multi dimensional in scope so be sure to know what you want before contacting your SEO expert. Here are a few aspects of SEO that you may or may not have been aware of.
On-Site SEO: This is dealing with all the tags on a physical website and making the page viewable by search engines.
Off-Site SEO: This essentially is building links to the website from other sources than your website. This is called link building to some. The SEO expert will need to scour the web for sources to have links that go back to your website. This is very time intensive.
Social Network Marketing: This is quickly becoming something that SEO professionals have to contend with. If you want to be found on the social networks you can expect the SEO person to be able to set this up for you and also manage your social profiles for you, however, it is recommended that you be involved in the social networks as well. So do not expect miracles from the social networks unless you are involved in this process yourself. The SEO professional will never know your business better than you know it.
What to Expect
Expecting SEO to be a magic recipe is a common mistake many have made. For some sites SEO is all they need to get a steady flow of targeted traffic, but this is not the case for every site that has SEO. There are simply some genres that are more popular than others and this will always relate to more traffic and ultimately dollars than others. In most cases you can expect a return on investment through simply the traffic and eyes on your website; however, if you are operating an online store, this is something that must have constant management and promotion. With so many business types and models it is difficult to gauge an exact number for the traffic flow. All that can be said is that the traffic that you leverage through SEO will generate targeted traffic, in, more than likely more quantity. Sales when related to SEO can NOT be guaranteed. http://www.numantis.com
Randy Comeau - CEO
nuMantis Technology Solutions
http://www.numantis.com
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