Website optimization

[Steve]

Have you ever used a website optimization service? I thought these were interesting questions to ask such a service before you hire them. Questions to Ask Your Potential Search Engine Optimization Company Do you require that I make changes to my website content?" Any search engine optimization companies that answer "no" to this question are either using shady tactics or are only scratching the surface of true search engine optimization. Certainly, there are some elements that can be changed on a website that are largely transparent to the user, including title tags, meta tags, and alt tags. While making changes to these elements can create a boost in rankings, it will not give you the search engine dominance over your competitors that you desire. "Will you be adding additional pages to my website?" If a search engine optimization company answers "no" to this question but answers "yes" to the question above, it likely means that it will be employing what I call the "shoehorn" approach to optimization. This means that the firm will try to shoehorn keyphrases into existing pages on your website, rather than expanding your website to include new content. "What will you be doing besides working on my site directly?" If a prospective search engine optimization company tells you that it will only be making changes to your site itself, this means that it will not be spending any time working on your site's link popularity. Link popularity plays a tremendous role in determining rankings in every major search engine. Simply put, sites that have a good number of quality and relevant incoming links are held in a higher regard than sites that do not. This is because a link from another site is considered a "vote" for your site - but all votes are not equal. "Will you be adding additional pages and targeting additional keyphrases over time?" This is a very important question. Even search engine optimization companies that have a reputation for providing quality initial results can fall short on this, but it is one of the most important aspects involved in improving your optimization results over time. "Can you give me references and case studies?" This one seems obvious, but there are search engine optimization companies out there who claim that their clients all wish to remain anonymous, so that it is impossible to provide any specifics. This is usually a smokescreen designed to defer proof of concept. Certainly, there are businesses that hire a search engine optimization company that wish to keep it a secret, but these are generally in the minority. Forward-thinking companies generally enjoy showing off their success stories, so you should insist on seeing some real (not anonymous) case studies and talking with some references.

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I agree with all of the points in that article. You need to make sure that the person / company you are dealing with puts it all out on the table right away. Know what you are getting and what you can get from them in the future.