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By Scott Buresh
There are many
factors to consider when selecting a search engine
optimization company. Unfortunately, many businesses
that haven't previously used search engine optimization
to promote themselves are unsure how to evaluate potential
vendors, and many are intimidated by the entire concept.
The following article, divided into five major topics
of consideration, is intended to help in the selection
process.
1. Approach
2. Results
3. Ongoing Support and Reporting
4. Cost
5. References
Topic 1:
Approach
There are many different approaches and levels of
service available to anyone looking for a search engine
optimization company. Some techniques, such as "cloaking"
or "doorway pages" can put your site at
risk of penalization, although they may give you short
term gains. For some, the risks of penalization associated
with such techniques may be acceptable, but most prefer
to play by the rules. You probably also want to be
certain that your vendor doesn't work with your competition.
Here are three important questions to ask your potential
search engine optimization company:
1. Do you create pages,
optimized for my keyphrases, which aren't built in
to the navigation of my site?
If the answer is yes, you are probably
dealing with a search engine optimization company
that creates "doorway" or "bridge"
pages (although most companies will call them by different
names). Such pages may even reside on a different
server and funnel traffic to your site. This technique
violates the terms of service of most major engines.
2. Does your technique
involve showing a different page to the search engine
than to my visitors?
If the answer is yes, than you
are probably dealing with a search engine optimization
company that uses "cloaking". This is when
the website server makes a note of the unique address
assigned to each visitor, and when it notices that
a visitor is a search engine, it feeds it specialized
content designed to rank highly for certain keyphrases.
Many engines specifically warn against this technique
in their terms of service. Google is particularly
harsh on sites that use cloaking, and is known to
remove them entirely (when they find them).
3. Do you guarantee that
you won't work with my competitors while you are working
with me?
The optimization techniques used
for your site could probably be used to help your
competitors. Naturally, you don't want your search
engine optimization company taking the lessons learned
from your site and applying them to a competing site
(diluting the effectiveness of your campaign). Some
unscrupulous firms will go so far as to use the positions
they achieved for your site to sell your competitors
on the need for search engine optimization.
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Topic 2: Results
Almost every search engine optimization company has
a "brag book" of positions that they have
achieved. However, looks can be deceiving. When evaluating
the past results of a search engine optimization company,
there are really five important components to consider.
1. Which engines?
Make certain that the positions the search engine
optimization company has achieved are for the most
popular search engines, not smaller engines for which
they may have a knack. For a current list of the most
popular search engines, visit the Nielsen Netratings
page at Search Engine Watch (http://www.searchenginewatch.com/reports/article.php/2156451).
2. Which keyphrases?
Wordtracker (www.wordtracker.com) is a valuable tool
(free for limited use) in determining if the positions
your potential search engine optimization company
proudly displays actually have any real value, since
it shows the popularity of individual search phrases
based upon actual search activity on popular engines.
When Wordtarcker displays a very low number (or zero)
for a particular term, it is most likely not very
competitive (or beneficial), and high positions for
it are probably nothing to brag about. In other words,
if the search engine company you are considering is
boasting of the high positions it achieved for the
term "dog silverware" and Wordtracker tells
you (not surprisingly) that nobody searches for that
term, know that you shouldn't be impressed.
3. What about an entire
site?
While it's easy to focus on one particularly impressive
position on one popular engine, it's more important
to focus on a broad range of positions achieved for
one site. It's entirely possible for a site to have
one great ranking and be sorely lacking in positions
for all other keyphrases. Ask your potential search
engine optimization company to show you a report for
an individual client that demonstrates good positions
on many popular engines for many popular keyphrases.
An effective search engine optimization campaign will
achieve maximum exposure across a broad range of keyphrases
and engines, not one notable position on one engine.
4. How have results stood
up over time?
When you find a search engine optimization company
that can provide you with the data mentioned in the
previous component, ask to see a report showing how
those positions have held up over time (ideally for
six months or more). Since search engine marketing
is an ongoing process, you want to be certain your
vendor is capable of maintaining a high level of exposure
for your company.
5. Did they really do it?
The most obvious of the five components is to confirm
that your potential search engine optimization company
is really responsible for the positions they are claiming.
It is not unheard of for unethical companies to take
credit for the work of others in order to increase
their chances of landing a sale. In some cases, vendor
claims are easy to confirm (such as when a client
site includes the vendor's name or logo). If you can't
confirm that a particular search engine optimization
company is truly responsible for the positions by
looking at the site, don't be afraid to pick up the
phone to do so.
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Topic 3:
Ongoing Support and Reporting
As previously mentioned, search engine optimization
is an ongoing process, rather than a one time "quick
fix". If you intend to use your search engine
optimization company to help you maintain your positions,
you should ask to see a sample monthly report. As
the quality of reporting can vary from firm to firm,
consider the following three items in your evaluation:
1. Engines
Reports should always be based on the most popular
engines, not the engines that the search engine optimization
company has had success with. Be sure that the sample
report includes only popular engines based upon current
figures (once again, visit http://www.searchenginewatch.com/reports/article.php/2156451
for a current list).
2. Overviews
Your reports shouldn't be solely comprised of raw
data that details individual positions (although this
should be included). It is impossible to tell how
your site is performing on search engines over time
by looking at a slew of individual positions on individual
engines and comparing them to the previous month.
The sample report should provide easy-to-understand
overviews of ranking performance, such as an ongoing
chart that covers a long period of time and shows
trend data such as "top 40 positions by month"
or "top three page appearances by month".
3. Recommendations
You don't want to pay a search engine optimization
company merely to report on positions- you want to
be sure that they are looking over your ranking performance
on a monthly basis and are actively making the recommendations
necessary to maintain and improve your positions.
Be sure that the sample report contains monthly observations
and recommendations specific to the site. Otherwise,
you may be paying somebody to simply compile reports,
not to promote the ongoing success of the campaign.
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Topic 4:
Cost
Obviously, this is a large consideration for most
companies, but focusing too much on cost and not enough
on results can hinder your chances for success. Some
things to remember:
1. Search Engine Optimization
is NOT a commodity product.
Unlike selecting a gas or electric company (where
the quality of the product is largely the same regardless
of vendor), your choice of search engine optimization
vendors will have a dramatic effect on the overall
results. If price is your largest consideration and
you are unable to find a vendor within your price
range with which you are confident, it may be advisable
to wait until you can afford one that meets your criteria.
2. Prices are all over
the board.
As with most businesses, the vendors with the best
reputations and the proven track records command the
highest fees. However, it is possible to find a competent,
lower-priced search engine optimization company without
a proven track record that will do an excellent job
(every optimization firm has to start somewhere).
Just be aware that there may be risks associated with
unproven vendors, and be sure that you are comfortable
taking them.
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Topic 5:
References
If a search engine optimization company you are considering
is unable to provide you with references, you may
want to look elsewhere. In almost every business,
excellent references are a necessity when considering
expenditures over a certain dollar figure. Why should
choosing a search engine optimization company be any
different? Some optimization firms may cite "confidentiality"
reasons, but search engine optimization is no longer
considered the black art that it once was. Every legitimate
firm should have at least two clients (past or present)
that you can call upon. Here are some important questions
to ask when you do:
1. Did you enjoy working
with them?
This doesn't bear much explanation, but you should
find out how available the vendor was for questions,
whether they met their deadlines, and how the company
would classify the overall experience.
2. How reasonable were
their requests?
Some companies will ask you to make changes that seriously
compromise the visitor experience on your site. It
is important to find a search engine optimization
company that can find a balance between the needs
of search engines and site visitors, not a company
that goes for high positions at any cost.
3. What overall effect
has it had on your business?
This is the most important question, and the most
important overall factor to consider when selecting
a search engine optimization company. While high search
engine positions and more site traffic are an admirable
goal, the true value of search engine optimization
is found in positive effects on customer acquisition
costs and bottom line revenues.
Conclusion
Search engine optimization can drive numerous, targeted
prospect directly to your website, typically at a
fraction of the cost of traditional marketing. However,
as with most things, your results will only be as
good as the people you work with. By taking the time
to carefully evaluate search engine optimization vendors
before signing a check, you will take much of the
guesswork and uncertainty out of the process- and
greatly increase your long-term chances for success.
© Medium Blue 2007
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