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I just spent months redesigning the website. We have good traffic and are represented very well in SEs based on the keywords people use to search for us. I didn't design the site for SE positioning. I designed it to give our visitors updated useable information and add the use of images to show them what our resort looks like. Fast forward a couple of months. Our site has received good press and recognition. This has brought out every Search Engine Optimization Specialist in the world to contact the resort. Many contact me but even more contact the management staff that aren't as computer literate as I. I don't profess to be the greatest webmaster of the world in any way shape or form. Ok Now the question....
What questions do you all think I should have management or myself ask of these SE Optimizers? I have a meeting with one next week.
First thing to do is get rid of the pop-up and do you really need Google to announce you as .....Flash 5 using 1024 x 768......
Just try viewing your site through a text only browser, make it cross platform compatible, and keep in mind that not everybody has 3rd party plugin's installed.
Then try doing a Google advanced search for your site - I am 100% positive that you will notice the same thing I did.
You have absolutely no need for a professional optimizer, imho. What you do need is a website redesign focused on usability & cross platform compatibility.
If you site can be read by a text reader, etc - and older browser, or strange browser versions - as it stands, it'll do ok.
Unless of course, you are looking for a consultant that does the PPC type stuff - then I would recommend that you look for a company which provides those services.
Good luck.
btw, I think your site is very attractive in appearance.
jeremy_goodrich
i am working on making the site more cross browser friendly.
You are all telling me things I already knew and suspected. Why do I need an SE Optimizer? Traffic is up significantly over the last 4 years (100-150% vs 20-30%). 90% of those who people who find us via a SE use a variant of the company name.
I think you may be better off not going with an SEO that has approached you but getting a recommendation for an SEO from someone around this board.
I have no interest in this just you don't think this is further trolling... ;-)
Also I think that is a nice looking site, and you could easily opt/market that site yourself if you aren't talking ppc.
colorspots,
You may view this as confirming that you do not need an SEO, there is no need for SEO when people search for a well known brand.
But I might suggest looking at it differently. Only 10% of users come to you from a non-brand search. SEOing has the potential to increase that number significantly.
Let us pretend that you are Walmart. You are saying that 90% of your customers find you looking for Walmart, and only 10% find you by searching for toasters, clothes, whatever else Walmart sells.
So I suggest that you ask the SEO (or ask yourself if you decide to self-SEO) how to attract more searchers who are not searching for the brand name.
We have good traffic and are represented very well in SEs based on the keywords people use to search for us. I didn't design the site for SE positioning.
Getting trolled isn't uncommon when sites become visible, but unless you know certain basics you won't have the best advantage with evaluating proposals. Plus, unsolicited offers aren't commonly acceptable.
Reading here at the board can give you a foundation for any future efforts from a position of increased knowledge. And what you have to look for is whether you're getting traffic for a variety of keywords that will bring targeted visitors.
It's possible to rank well because of inbound links and anchor text, but that doesn't always represent good conversion in the case of ecom sites, no matter how informative. There is a difference between traffic and targeted traffic, and that's pretty much keyword_dependent.
Among the first two things to look at are the site structure for spiderability and search engine friendliness, and researching the keyword possibilities. You can do that yourself, all the help you need is right here in these forums.
Mohamed_E makes a very good point...
Let us pretend that you are Walmart. You are saying that 90% of your customers find you looking for Walmart, and only 10% find you by searching for toasters, clothes, whatever else Walmart sells.
It's getting extra visitors that may really make the difference in the value of the website, and your efforts.
As far as what to ask, a more important question may be "who" to ask.
SEO not the way to go.
On the other hand, a member HERE 'just up the road' in Midway got Katie Couric [msnbc.com] to interview him on "Today" @ "Dateline NBC"
[edited by: Mike_Mackin at 9:52 pm (utc) on June 13, 2003]
[edited by: glengara at 10:03 pm (utc) on June 13, 2003]
We are competing against larger ski resorts. We are more of a nich market offering arts & culture, fine dining and a get away from it all experience. We off very personalized service to all who come. My point is because we are small we don't have the deep pockets of our competitors to chase down every key word and use it to our advantage. Our web department is me plus I have other network admin responsibilities. The point of my inquiry was really to find out how to sort out the good SEO's from the bad by asking key questions as I am not an expert at this. You all have given me some really good things to ask them. What can you do for me? What is your plan for these keywords? How will you optimize our site? (doesn't have to be specific but just give us the idea of how) I think that there are more people out there in this same situation. I love reading these forums. Keep up the good work.
I'm just OLD
I went to find the Katie Couric threads and decided not to post them, The story is TRUE.
Young person from Midway, UT gets site promo on "Today" for NOTHING!
P.S. The current industry trend is pay to play. You should expect to set aside a realistic portion of your Internet marketing budget for PPC and/or CPC keyword bid management campaigns. These are normally monthly fees and may be in addition to search engine marketing contract prices.
Many people here, including some moderators, think my post tend to be confusing. The idea is to make people think. Spoon feeding information would cost you $.
As far as being spoon fed... don't let my small # of posts fool you. I visit this site quite often because it gives me lots of information in areas I need knowledge by very very knowledgable and giving group. I post when I have an answer or have something to say. Mostly I just enjoy reading.
There are so many questions that you could ask. Getting the basics out of the way will probably give you a very good feel for who to choose.
Make sure you know what type of strategies are going to be used. You definitely don't want to put yourself at risk being in the position that you are.
Quite a few people have helped you with some questions to ask the prospective SEO.
From the other side of the table, I've got a few questions you might be asked by the SEO, just so you can have thought them through, and are prepared before the meeting.
1. How much would you pay eg. a travel agent as a booking commission for a customer referred by the agent, who stays at your resort?
2. How much would you pay for eg. a bus company that brings 40 people to your resort for lunch and a look around?
3. How much did you spend in off line marketing and promotion last year? What was that as a percentage of your turnover?
4. How much average profit do you make per customer transaction?
5. Whats the annual or lifetime value of a new customer to your business?.
6. How many new customers have you budgeted to buy?
You don't have to post your answers here - but these are some of the questions I generally ask my prospective customers.
I've found that if a prospective customer doen't know what his current customers are worth, or how much he is currently spending acquiring and managing new customers - then how will he have any idea of the value I'm adding to his business? Is 2 new clients/ week @$500 each a good result? Is 100 new clients/ week @$10 each good? The answer depends on whether you sell real estate or bunches of flowers.
SEO is new client acquisition. There are loads of ways to acquire new customers - some ways cost more than others - and different industries will have different cost structures.
So if a prospective customer of mine can't get close to answers for these 6 questions, then how will either of us know if I'm adding value to your business? - and how will I know if this prospect is a good businessman - whose business I can make better? Are your goals realistic?
And how will we measure the success of the project?
If its not a win - win - then someone's gonna lose. If we are both professional, and know what we are trying to achieve - and have goals that are realistic & defined - then everyone will win.
The 'mechanics' of SEO are important - but IMHO you look even harder at the business proposition.
Chris_D
Sydney Australia
Ask them about experience with multilingual international localized engines. ex. google.fr
Also, if you need to trip them up or get them off the phone....ask about 508 compliance and its impact on search engines.
