Search Engine Optimization is Not a Commodity
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) looks deceptively easy. All you have to do is place keywords here and there and your Website is search optimized. I'm afraid that is not enough to do the job.
Search engine optimization is too valuable to leave to people who are not experts with only partial knowledge. Keep in mind that the most expensive solution is one that does not work. You need experts to win on search engines.
Organic Search Engine Optimization is an art and a science. SEO is not practiced the same way by different organizations. The best SEO agencies use techniques that they do not reveal to gain an edge on the highly competitive race for top search positions.
Marketers often claim their Websites are optimized for search engines. They think their Web developer optimized the site for search engines. Or they are working with an advertising or marketing agency that does not have specialists practicing SEO every day.
When I analyze the details I see weak, sometimes non-existent, SEO. The page titles are mostly the same and lacking page-specific descriptions. Links do not include keywords. Often the Website is built using non-search friendly technologies, such as Flash. Content is hidden within Flash, images or JavaScript. Stuffing keywords in meta-keywords looks like the strategy, though meta-keywords are long ignored by search engines, so they have no impact.
Web developers rarely implement strong SEO, though they typically claim to offer it. SEO is every bit a specialty as .ASP programming. Web developers may have some knowledge of SEO, however it is often outdated. We see SEO based on meta-keywords as typical Web developer SEO. The Web developer means well. But they are not specialists in the highly competitive art and science of SEO.
Instead of taking the word that your site is search optimized, you need to know what you are buying. What SEO strategies were implemented? Are the strategies outdated? Are they using an aggressive mix of content and link optimization supported with organic link building? Are you seeing the results you deserve?
To be competitive on search engines, you must demand SEO specialists who stay current with strategies and techniques. The good ones are not commodities. They know how to break from the pack to establish top search positions. Though their services are not bundled into the Web development cost and can charge fees that are more than the cost of your Website, they are golden for generating the business results that deliver revenues to make your Website pay off.
Continue reading: Manage Pay Per Click Advertising to Steadily Improve ROI.
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