Search engine optimization is a process of choosing the most appropriate targeted keyword phrases related to your website, and ensuring your site ranks high in the search engines so when someone searches for those specific terms, it returns your site on top.
Search Engine Optimization basically involves fine tuning the content of your site along with the HTML and Meta tags, as well as an appropriate link building process. The most popular search engines are Google and Bing Search.
Search engines keep their methods and ranking algorithms secret, to get credit for finding the most valuable search results and to deter spam pages from clogging those results. A search engine may use hundreds of factors while ranking the listings, where the factors themselves and the weight each carry may change continually.
Algorithms can differ so widely that a web page that ranks #1 in a particular search engine could rank #200 in another search engine. New sites need not be “submitted” to search engines to be listed. A simple link from a well established site will get the search engines to visit the new site and begin to spider its content. It can take a few days to even a few weeks from the referring link of an established site for all the main search engine spiders to start visiting and indexing the new site.
Now a days, an SEO expert can get a web page indexed on Google in minutes. I know this sounds impossible or too good to be true, but an expert in search engine optimization or online marketing can make this happen. The question is whether it is a permanent ranking or something that will only last a few days due the nature of the content. For example, the freshness of news content which ages quickly, or if social media techniques were used, etc.
What you have to watch out for and be skeptical about, is if the seo expert “guarantees” they can put your web site on the 1st page of Google in just a few days. One thing is getting a blog article indexed in minutes, but another is getting your website on the first page of Google using ethical or white hat techniques.
A promise like that would definitely be a red flag because no responsible search engine optimization expert will guarantee results that are beyond their control.
One thing for sure, is never respond to unsolicited emails that promise you these kinds of results. No legitimate SEO company will send you an unsolicited email (spam) peddling their service. If they do, that tells you they’re likely to use black hat techniques (techniques unapproved by search engines) to promote your site. This is very risky because if your business depends on web traffic and you get banned by the search engines, your traffic can dry up overnight.
At Local Marketing Today we get good results for our clients, but I will never guarantee a first spot listing or a specified time frame to make it happen. Just think of it this way, it’s no different than an attorney guaranteeing that he/she can win your case. Any responsible lawyer will not. They may be very good and have a great track record, but a responsible professional will never guarantee those kinds of results.
SEO is not difficult to learn, but if your busy running your business and don’t have the time to do it yourself, you should outsource it to an outside professional or hire an employee you can have trained in SEO.
Search engine marketing and promotion is key to your online marketing success. If you’re ready to take your business to the next level and you have not invested in search engine optimization, I can evaluate your site and make recommendations to increase your search engine ranking and website traffic.
I can also provide ongoing consultation and reporting to monitor your website and make recommendations for editing and improvements to keep your site traffic flowing and your search engine ranking high. As your search engine optimization expert I can work with your web designer to build an integrated plan right away so that all aspects of design are considered at the same time.
The biggest mistake most people make with their website is they hire a web designer instead of getting marketing or SEO advice first. The designer in 90% of cases has no SEO training. It’s not their fault, it’s just simply not what they do. Their expertise lies in visual design not following algorithms and keyword research.
I can’t tell you the number of times I get calls from business owners or entrepreneurs that have just launched their website and call me for marketing help. When I tell them their website will need to be edited and restructured, they think I’m BS’n them. What happens is they go and find someone else who’s eager to take their money and tells them what they want to hear.
If you haven’t designed your website yet, do yourself a favor and contact a reputable search engine optimization expert first. You can find a competent seo professional by asking your business friends or colleagues if they know an SEO they’ve had good results with that they can recommend.
If that’s not possible, make sure whoever you hire shows you the websites they have optimized. Then call the website owners and ask them for a reference on this individual. Do your due diligence and verify because anybody can claim they’ve optimized a website but how do you know for sure?
