subject: What To Look For When Choosing A Website Promotion Services Expert [print this page] Finding the best search engine optimization (SEO) consultant can be a daunting job, especially when you do not know your PPC from your SEO let alone what questions to ask them. The skills and know-how required of an SEO consultant are constantly changing, as are the behaviors of the Google Bot (AKA God). In a competitive market the things that got high rankings last month WILL NOT necessarily get high search engine rankings this month, as the cutting edge marketers get better and better, out doing each other with the latest SEO strategies. SEO consultants are constantly monitoring their results, testing their systems as they keep their eyes on the so known Google Dance.
So what should you look for in a Website Promotion Expert?
Qualifications
There are some consultants who have a technical background (such as HTML coding or xml or anyone off that other jargon I don't really understand) and maybe some paper certificates or fancy university degrees too. You will find though that best SEO consultants are probably those that have little or no technical background, but an abundance of internet marketing expertise. The type of consultant you should be looking to hire are those who continue to successfully market their own products on line. Look for "top of google", not "top of class" qualifications.
Specialization
The internet marketing wants of a local florist shop differ dramatically from those of say, Amazon. It is important to find a consulting firm who are knowledgeable about the type of SEO you need. Listed below are some totally different areas of specialization, though an effective SEO strategy consultant should be effective in all of these areas:
Organic Search traffic
These are the search results that appear on the left hand side of most search engines. If you can capture lots of it, this is the most effective traffic due to its relevancy (matching the wants of browser to the content they are searching for) and economical (because its free)...other than the fees of a good SEO consultant! A good Search Engine Optimization Consultant will target a mix of traffic (free, paid and borrowed) but will generally focus mainly on free or organic traffic.
Paid traffic
Pay-Per-Click, called so because the advertiser pays for each click his advert gets from the browser. Adverts are placed on search engines outcomes (search network) and websites (content network). The advertiser pays for every click on, regardless of whether they're possible customers or not. The amount the advertiser pays is decided by means of a bidding process, with more competitive keyword phrases costing as much as $50 per click. Many keyword terms price for less than $1 per click but this depends entirely on how many people are bidding on that keyword. Finding a knowledgeable consultant who can set up your PPC campaign is a must, as in the wrong hands a PPC campaign can be both expensive and ineffective.
Industry
Some website promotion services experts concentrate on one, or just some industries such as lawyers or a particular niche, such as golf. Others might focus on a particular geographical area or type of customer such as small businesses or entrepreneurs. It is really a matter of finding a consultant who understands what you need and proves that he/she can deliver..."show me the top ten google rankings"
Technique
Strategies are typically divided into two areas, on-page search engine optimization and off-web page SEO. On-page search engine strategy (anything on the website) consists of page titles, descriptions, keywords, and key phrases amongst other things. In this instance the SEO consultant will be making sure your website is set up so that search engines can identify exactly what products or services you offer so that they can direct people to you who are actively looking for what. Off page SEO (which has most effect on your search engine ranking) is all about the number of relevant sites that your website is linked to. The greater the number of relevant links to your site, the greater authority the search engines will give your website. Some of the tactics the consultant might use are article submissions, hyperlinks, press releases, social media, blogs, video, social bookmarking, and more.
Communication
It goes to say that you should get along with your SEO consultant. Where as some people might tell you that you need an SEO consultant in your own geographical area, I would strongly disagree with this..you just need the best. With the wonders of skype and the age old technology called telephones your website promotion expert can really can be anywhere in the world. It is also important to mention that regular communication is important. I would suggest asking for monthly reports to check the progress of your ranking....and if it is not climbing, ditch the company!!
Results
If a search engine marketing company guarantees you the #1 spot on Google, search for another consultant. You cannot necessarily guarantee results like that, unless it is a very weak market. All markets are different. For example, you would find it far more challenging to rank for the word "golf" than you would do for "dolls house repairer, Sydney." A search engine optimization marketing consultant just needs to do a little better than your opposition to send you up the search engine rankings.
So, good luck in your quest for a professional SEO consultant.
