hinking about hiring an SEO?

As more and more small businesses look for opportunities to grow, the term SEO (Search Engine Optimization) always seems to come up. Someone has a story about some business who made millions off tweaking a meta tag, and people get very excited. But before you go running out and hiring someone, there are a few things you need to know.

Don’t fall for the get rich quick story.

For one thing, let me be the first to tell you that a lot of stories about SEO are either exaggerated, or simply untrue. Yes, you can make a lot of money from SEO, there is no doubt about that. But in talks with people at parties, or other social gatherings I hear more and more "SEO stories" that sell a too good to be true situation and you should be aware of it. If they are unaware of my SEO background, they even tell me this stuff. They talk about some kid who tweaked a few tags and made millions of dollars off his blog, or a company who boosted their profits 300% in a month from a little SEO. I’m not sure where these stories originate, but you must keep in mind that SEO is new, but the same old rules apply. There is no get rich quick method, and you won’t get something for nothing. SEO will certainly be a positive addition to your business, but it requires hard work and sacrifice just like anything else. Which brings me to my next point.

Manage your own expectations

SEO is good, it’s obviously what I base my SEO website on. It’s what I do for a living, and I don’t want to try and downplay it’s importance. However, it is by no means a silver bullet that will make any business successful. It’s not the "secret trick" to make you rich. It’s something you do to grow your business and it works, but don’t expect millions to pour in every night.

SEO takes time

SEO is a long, continuous process that requires work and maintenance. Gone are the days where you could hire someone to tweak some code, and sit back to collect the riches. It takes a long time to get going, and requires maintenance. It could be months, or longer before you see any improvement in traffic and sales. Many times I’ve seen people talk in forums about hiring an SEO, seeing no immediate results and feeling "ripped off". While it’s certainly true in some cases, in other cases the person or company actually did positive things for your site, and it took a while to kick in. It can take days, months or even years for the effects to be seen, so be patient. Content has to be spidered, links have to be built and indexed, and the major search engines do this at their own pace. While there are anomalies here and there, for the most part top rankings come with time.

There may not be a crowd of people waiting to find you.

This has been the hardest point for me to sell to a customer, and something I’ve personally been involved in before. Let’s say your business sells webkinz. If I work hard, and get you ranked up high, you’ll get thousands of new customers a day, because webkinz are hot. There are 7 million people a day searching for webkinz of some type. This is a hot term, and will get a lot of traffic (and will also have a lot of competition). But what if your business sells heating elements for clothes dryers? If I manage to get you a top spot, should you expect 7 million people a day? Of course not, in fact around 1,900 people a day search for this, and at best you can expect 10-20% of those people if you have a number one spot for it. Then, you have to convert those 190-300 visitors into sales. It may not yield the results you were expecting. That’s why you need to analyze your business, and your market. Are a lot of people searching for your product?

SEO is not always the answer.

I may get rotten tomatoes thrown at me, but there are times where you shouldn’t hire an SEO. If you are a small business that runs on a shoestring, and you have a small market, and an extremely limited niche market, it may not make sense to pay thousands for some top SEO company to get you a ranking. You may be better off grabbing a copy of SEO for dummies (which is actually a decent book for beginners) and seeing what you can learn on your own. Another option is, finding an SEO that’s "creative" enough to find other search terms and streams for your business. The final word on this is, don’t expect too much but make the best of what you can get. I have worked with several companies who were fully aware that only 300 people a day were searching for their product, but wanted to dominate the listings anyway for branding purposes. As a business owner this is your choice to make.

Ask up front

If you’re hiring an SEO, ask up front what they are planning to do, and what it’s going to cost. Make them go into detail. If they are concerned with trade secrets you may have to sign a non-disclosure agreement. But ask them specifically "what are you going to be doing to get these ranks". And do a little research. If they say they are going to buy 1000 links from various sites, look up some things on google, or SEO forums to see what ramifications this method has. Ask the SEO for this information, and if they aren’t totally up front and honest with you, don’t hire them. I tell my customers exactly what I’m going to do, and why I do it, if they are concerned. Transparency is key, if they are trying to hide it from you it might be something sinister. Note: Don’t ever let a company tell you they can guarantee rankings. Nobody but Google can guarantee you a spot. Keep that in mind when talking to your sales person.

Ask about their rankings.

Ask them what rankings their company has. Check on them, and see how well they do for SEO. Because after all, what kind of SEO company wouldn’t employ their own tactics for themselves? Presently my website sits at the number one spot for "Portland SEO" on the big three, and has for quite a while. But am I the busiest SEO in Portland, Oregon? Not by a long shot. There are companies who are doing 10 times the amount of business I am, and they are nowhere to be found in the search engines. They employ traveling salesmen and cold calling to sell their product to hundreds of customers. Think about that for a second. If they are so great at SEO, how come they aren’t able to squash the rankings of a "little guy" like me? Why do they spend so much money on print ads and telemarketing? I’ll leave that up to you to decide. Would you hire a painting business who had a building that looks like it was painted by a group of preschoolers? If the answer is no, then don’t hire an SEO person or company who isn’t able to get their own site in the rankings (without paying for google ads).

Understand the Process

I can definitely sympathize with the business owner who doesn’t have time to learn SEO. You’re a business owner, a lawyer, insurance agent or painter. You’re not a marketer or computer programmer, and that’s why you hire an SEO. If you had the time, you’d do it yourself but that would take away from your own role. I have heard this from customers before, and I understand completely. However, knowledge is power. The more you understand what’s going on, the more you can control and contribute to your own site’s success. Browse through some SEO forums or websites in your spare time, or pick up a book on it. You can still hire an SEO but at least you’ll have a better understanding of what they’re doing, and maybe even be able to pitch in some valuable ideas. Who knows your own business better than you?

Be prepared to contribute

In a perfect world, you would be able to hire and SEO, throw them a small amount of pay and sit back and watch the numbers go up. But it’s not that easy. Be prepared to contribute and help out. Make sure your SEO knows everything you know about your customers, your business, and your market. The standard marketing rules apply here. Know your product, why it’s great and how it helps people. Know what makes you stand out from the competion, and know who you’re selling to. Then turn that information into power for the person doing SEO for you. Bounce ideas off them, answer their questions and help them out. You’ll get a lot more bang for your buck.

Treat SEO like any other service based investment.

To conclude, treat this like any other business investment. Take care to make sure that you are being treated well, and getting the most for your money. Get as much information as you can, and use common sense rules when searching for an SEO. If you can do this, and you get the right company or person you will go far and grow your business. Good luck to you all.

By: Jeremy Morgan

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Search engine optimization (SEO) is a substance foreign to many people. Rarely a day passes when I do not get asked a few questions on the topic. So I decided to publish this article in the FAQ hopes it will help people to understand the basics, and make them a little more comfortable with the whole area.

Q: Why Search Engine important to me?

A: 85% of all website traffic is driven by the search engines. The only online activity more popular than research is a messaging service. 79.2% of American users do not go to page 2 of the results. 42% of users click on the no.1 result. For the under-40 years, the Internet will become the most used in the media the next 2-3 years.

Q: How do search engines decide their ranking? SEO Expert

A: IMPORTANT: You can not pay a search engine in exchange for a high ranking in the natural results. You can get a high if your content is deemed relevant by the search engines.

The search engines to identify content for their search results by sending spiders robots exploration (analysis) and index your site his (record) details. Complex algorithms are then used to determine if your site is useful and should be included in the search engines search results.

Q: Can I simply not pay for a senior?

A: No. The biggest concern for companies search engine like Google and Yahoo is to find the content that will bring them more traffic (and thus more advertising revenue). In other words, their results must be relevant. The results relevant is a good search engine; irrelevant results allows for a short-lived search engines.

Most search engines these days with two kinds of results, whenever you click Search:

“X Natural / Organic is the real search results. Results that most users are looking for and which form the largest part of the window. For most searches, the search engine displays a long list links to sites with content that is related to the word you searched. These results are ranked according to their relevance and importance.

“X Pure Paid advertising. This is how search engines make their money. Advertisers pay the search engines to display their ad whenever someone is looking for a word that is related to their product or service. These ads are similar to that of search results, but are usually labeled Sponsored and normally take a small portion of the window.

Q: How can I get a good ranking?

A: There are four stages:

Step 1 – Use the right words on your site

Step 2 – Get lots of relevant sites to link to yours

Step 3 – Use the right words in these links

Step 4 – Have a lot of your content and add more regularly

Q: What is search engine optimization (SEO)?

A: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the art of creating a Web site that is search engine. That means:

1. using the right words in your copy

2. using the right words in your HTML

3. structure your site correctly

4. design your site

For more information on these elements 4, download our “SEO eBook” Secrets of Seo Services .

Many people use SEO also describe the other ingredients in a high-ranking, “Link Popularity”.

Q: What is the link popularity?

A: Think of the search engines as a big election. All sites in the world are candidates. The backlinks are votes. The more votes (links) a candidate (website) has, the more important it is, the higher its ranking. Link popularity is all about the number of links you have, and how you can get more.

Links to your site on search engines to tell how your site is important. They assume that if it ¡| s important enough to many other sites to link to it ¡| s important enough for them to appear at the top of the ranking. Links are the most important factor in the ranking. In general, the more you link to your site from other sites, the higher your ranking.

Q: Are there any links better than others?

A: Yes! Ideally, such as those related to:

1. from relevant sites (sites that use the same keywords);

2. comes from important sites (have a good ranking);

3. include your keyword within the text link;

4. includes various link text (not the same link text each time), and

5. comes from a page that contains links to several other sites.

When a search engine sees a link that meets most or all of these conditions, she said, Hey, this site must be credible and important, because others in the same sector are pointing towards it.

Q: How do I get lots of links to my site?

A: There are several possible ways to generate links. Some are dubious (like auto-generation software and sites set up by webmasters simply to host links to other sites) and I won’ t discussed here. Others, such as those discussed below, are legitimate.

1. Add your site to DMOZ and Yahoo directories (and other free directories)

2. Check where your competitors links are from

3. Write and submit articles for publication on the Internet

4. Swap links

5. Partner websites

6. pay for the bonds

Q: What do you think is the best way to get a good number of links?

A: Article PR. Writing articles useful and leave other webmasters to publish free of charge in exchange for a link in the byline. PR of the article, you do not have to pay for the link, you determine the content of the page containing the link, you determine the link text and the link is more or less permanent. A single article can be replicated hundreds of times, and each time is another link to your site!

For more information, read divinewrite.com / seoarticles.htm or visit ArticlePR.com.

Q: How can I write a good article PR piece?

A: See divinewrite.com / seoarticles.htm.

Q: How can I get a good classification using free reprint content?

A: See our signature.

Q: How long does it take to get a high rank in search engines?

A: A long! It is impossible to say how long you will need to spend generating links, but you can be sure it will be a while, whatever the method of generation link you are using. You just have to keep at it until you have achieved a high ranking. Even then, you will still have to devote some time during the task, otherwise your ranking declines.

Q: What is the Google Sandbox, and is it true?

A: The Google Sandbox theory suggests that whenever Google detects a new website, it withholds its rightful ranking for a period while it determines whether your site is a genuine, credible, long term site. It does this to discourage the creation of SPAM websites (sites which serve no purpose other than to boost the ranking of some other sites).

There is a lot of anecdotal evidence supporting the theory, but there are also many discount. Nobody categorically proved its existence.

Q: What is the link Google depreciation filter, and is it true?

A: The depreciation Google Link Filter theory suggests that if Google detects a sudden increase (ie several hundreds or thousands) in the number of links to your site, they can sandpit for a period (or in fact penalize you by lowering your ranking Or of a blacklist of your site).

There is a lot of anecdotal evidence supporting the theory, but there are also many discount. Nobody categorically proved its existence.

Q: What do I SEO firms beware of?

A: Beware of SEO companies that promise or guarantee results within a given time frame, especially if they will not expand their ways to link to your site.

Q: I am confused by all the terms used in SEO, can you help?

A: See our signature for be SEO Expert.

Q: What is keyword analysis?

A: The first thing you need to do when you begin to run after a good search engine ranking is deciding which words you want to rank well. This is called conduct a keyword analysis. The keyword analysis involves a bit of research and a good understanding of your business and the benefits you offer your customers.

For more information, download our free ‘SEO eBook “Secrets of SEO Expert.

Q: Should I submit my site to search engines?

A: Theoretically, no. But I do not want to risk not to do so – especially since it’s free. As soon as you register your domain name, submit it to Google! Even if you haven ¡| t built your site, or thought about your content, submit your domain name to Google. In fact, even if you have not fully articulated your business plan and marketing plan, submit your domain name to Google.

For more information, download our free ‘SEO eBook “Secrets of divinewrite.com / seosecrets.htm.

Q: Should I submit my site to search engines more than once?

A: No need. Although some search engines let you do this, there is really no need.

Q: What are the directories and do I submit my site to them?

A: Directories are sites (or Web pages), which lists simply great site and give a brief description of the site. Some are free and some require you to pay for an ad. Free directories are useful because you get a free link. However, the links are not worth much. Paid directories can be good if they are relevant, but can be expensive in the long run, so choose carefully.

An essential for any directories website is the DMOZ Open Directory Project.



By: Sonu Seo

About the Author:

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The new trend of outsourcing in SEO (Search Engine optimisation) business from USA/UK has brought thousands of SEO job openings to India. SEO professionals who are looking for a more challenging opportunity and professional environment are now diverting towards USA/UK managed SEO companies, who provide better SEO careers.

Indian SEO professionals are taking advantage of the career opportunities at these small to mid-size SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) companies. With a wide range of reputable clients on board from the UK, US and India, these companies are now providing great potential for growth oriented SEO professionals. This new breed of SEO companies focus on the quality of the SEO, rather than the quantity, requiring a steeper learning curve from all their employees.

M-organic SEO is one of these more recent UK managed SEO (Search Engine Optimization) companies, which has started its operation in the twin cities of Hyderabad/Secunderabad in India and is providing openings for Indian SEO professionals for its outsourcing operations. M-organic SEO is growing at a very rapid rate given its professional UK style management and of its highly effective SEO strategies.

M-organic SEO is looking for SEO professionals who are more result and growth focused. Opportunities are unlimited here in M-organic SEO for SEO professionals who are aspiring to excel in the SEO industry, who have the capability and drive to take on projects and have the enthusiasm to perform better. The SEO career opportunities provided by M-organic SEO are one of the best in the industry.

M-organic SEO’s business objective is clear, in that it is to become the best SEO Company, not necessary the biggest. Focusing its resources on researching SEO techniques, strategies, and creating new tools, ensures that all of its employees are stretching their abilities and reaching their full potential as SEO professionals.

It is well understood that SEO careers in some large companies move at a snails pace and do not provide growth opportunities for SEO professionals in comparison to those SEO job openings within small to mid-size companies. M-organic SEO’s career progression is directly related to professional performance. M-organic SEO has its major client base established in the UK and is expanding its wings in India. It has already set up a wide client base here in a very short time, owing to professional management and employing skilled SEO professionals.M-organic SEO is rising at an unprecedented rate in comparison with other SEO companies and thus is exceptional SEO career opportunities to Indian SEO professionals.

M-organic SEO values SEO professionals with a corporate attitude of relating their own growth with the company’s growth. The SEO job opportunity in M-organic SEO can be seen in conjunction with contribution towards growth of company and with self-driven and motivated mind set to deliver the best.

SEO professional should be able to come up with new ideas and techniques and should have skills to implement them fusing with different methods and tools available, for a wide range of projects, giving the best output.

M-organic SEO have a range of SEO openings the twin cities of Hyderabad/Secunderabad in different job profiles, from fresher’s, to SEO technicians to experienced managers. M-organic SEO working on its expansion plans with a great enthusiasm, providing the best opportunities available in the SEO industry.

Thus if you are an SEO professional with a hunger for growth and feel that you have the skills required for the opportunities available and zest to grow fast visit www.morganicseo.com and submit your CV for one of the many profiles available.



By: Morgan Barke

About the Author:

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