There's something in medical circles called a 'self limiting affliction'. Essentially, this is something like acne, or a cold or a bruise that if left alone the body will heal itself and no medication is required. Some areas of alternative medicine do very well at curing these ailments because no cure is required. But that's a different rant.
However the same thing can be applied to SEO. If you do nothing at all, your website will probably rank eventually for some decent keywords, even if you get all your on-page SEO completely wrong. Google is only a little bit stupid and will eventually find that your site is relevant - if it is of course. It will take a long time (I mean, a *very* long time) but it will get there because Google tries to discover what your site is about without any sneaky techniques.
So this is where my gripe with many companies starts to take hold. They push their services as if SEO is some massively technical and complex task that required a PHD to complete. I mean, come on, it's just common sense!
SEO is the process of making your site become more relevant to people who are searching for your stuff. That's pretty much it. There are obviously some ways you can do this to get there quicker or beat the competition better, but really, it's all about doing easy things more than your competitors. It's a race. Beat them, you'll win.
So here are a few things that you should be wary of when choosing a company to do your SEO for you.
SEO requires complex back-end programming to promote your site correctly
No, no it doesn't. SEO is dead easy, you just need to know a) where to link, b) how to link and c)how many times to link and the answer to all of that is: a) To your relevant pages, b) using keywords in your anchor text and c) more than the other guy.
You can fool Google by hiding some text
NO! If you fool Google in this way and they find out, they will ban you and you deserve it. Goodbye website, it was nice to know you on the index.
We can get you into the top ten for all these keywords
Possibly my most hated practice and one that deserves some discussion. You see, it's very easy to rank in the top ten for some keywords. If you choose keywords that nobody's using then it's a breeze, but that's utterly pointless. Some companies promote themselves with guarantees that say "we promise to get you into the top ten". Nobody can offer a guarantee but the reason they get round this is because they get to top ten for a keyword that nobody is using!
The key to good SEO is to use keywords that will eventually turn into money, but it might take a year. Sorry, yes, it might take a year and then you'll start raking it in, but if you think you can take some quick short-cuts, feel free. Google might not like it and if Google don't like it, well, it's goodbye.
So, buyer beware - if you want to check out the credentials of your SEO company, make sure they're not telling you all the nonsense above and they tell you the truth - SEO is easy, but it's long-term and there are no short cuts.
Andy Calloway is the online marketing director at Calloway Green Ltd, a website design and optimisation company based in Wolverhampton in the UK. Calloway Green take fantastic website design and turn it into a marketable and usable product that will actually make you money. They specialise in Birmingham Web Design for West Midlands based organisations that are looking to sell their products to a wide audience.
Web Design Wolverhampton
Sunday, 26 July 2009
Web Design in Wolverhampton Boost your internet web investment
There aren't many people about who would argue that this hasn't been one of the worst recessions in history. The devastating effects of the credit crunch and the collapse of so many banks has causes ripples in industries that have traditionally been strong. But out of every recession comes the ability to make changes and exploit different markets.
For example, I most industry leaders that I talk to speak of the number of rivals that have gone into liquidation. Company losses have been huge and because of the bloated over-spending of some industries, many companies have been in an extremely poor position to weather the storm. The result is, they lose out and they actually go bust.
It's a sad fact and I really hate to use the term here, but it really is survival of the fittest. But what happens when the markets turn around and people begin spending again? Well, those who have survived find themselves in an extremely beneficial situation because suddenly the pond is larger and there are less fish about.
There are some companies who will take this as an opportunity and aggressively market themselves as survivors, take over the pond and win more business than they ever had. But still more will hold on to their budgets and lose out. It's a mirror of the 'dot com' boom and bust in many respects because these companies are the 'behemoths' who think they know better and are run by massive accounting departments who try to rule by numbers.
The companies that survived and thrived during the worst of the downturn were those who went out and grabbed customers with compelling and engaging content, effective marketing and aggressive promotion. Marketing is the key to any company's survival - without it, people don't know you're there and so you may as well not exist.
With this in mind, all companies should now be considering how they are going to make the most of the upturn that will inevitably happen - but those plans need to be made right now. Holding back and not spending anything on marketing is dangerous. This doesn't mean you should invest in any scheme that turns up that attempts to relieve you of your money in return for riches, but it does mean you should look at your company's strategy and how you can leverage the Internet and the amazingly rich applications available to emerge from the recession a stronger and more active player in whatever market you are in.
Andy Calloway is the online marketing director at Calloway Green Ltd, a website design, internet marketing and optimisation company based in Wolverhampton in the UK. Calloway Green take fantastic website design and turn it into a marketable and usable product that will actually make you money. They specialise in Birmingham Web Design for West Midlands based organisations that are looking to sell their products to a wide audience.
SEO Wolverhampton
For example, I most industry leaders that I talk to speak of the number of rivals that have gone into liquidation. Company losses have been huge and because of the bloated over-spending of some industries, many companies have been in an extremely poor position to weather the storm. The result is, they lose out and they actually go bust.
It's a sad fact and I really hate to use the term here, but it really is survival of the fittest. But what happens when the markets turn around and people begin spending again? Well, those who have survived find themselves in an extremely beneficial situation because suddenly the pond is larger and there are less fish about.
There are some companies who will take this as an opportunity and aggressively market themselves as survivors, take over the pond and win more business than they ever had. But still more will hold on to their budgets and lose out. It's a mirror of the 'dot com' boom and bust in many respects because these companies are the 'behemoths' who think they know better and are run by massive accounting departments who try to rule by numbers.
The companies that survived and thrived during the worst of the downturn were those who went out and grabbed customers with compelling and engaging content, effective marketing and aggressive promotion. Marketing is the key to any company's survival - without it, people don't know you're there and so you may as well not exist.
With this in mind, all companies should now be considering how they are going to make the most of the upturn that will inevitably happen - but those plans need to be made right now. Holding back and not spending anything on marketing is dangerous. This doesn't mean you should invest in any scheme that turns up that attempts to relieve you of your money in return for riches, but it does mean you should look at your company's strategy and how you can leverage the Internet and the amazingly rich applications available to emerge from the recession a stronger and more active player in whatever market you are in.
Andy Calloway is the online marketing director at Calloway Green Ltd, a website design, internet marketing and optimisation company based in Wolverhampton in the UK. Calloway Green take fantastic website design and turn it into a marketable and usable product that will actually make you money. They specialise in Birmingham Web Design for West Midlands based organisations that are looking to sell their products to a wide audience.
SEO Wolverhampton
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