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A few years ago, their basic strategy was to manually submit your site to the various search engines. But that strategy is now defunct.
I am interested in hiring an SEO, but I don't know what I am paying for. They say that they will initially provide consultation and suggestions for site changes. After that, they charge a monthly fee for optimization. They claim that no further site changes are required from month to month. They don't constantly tweak our site, they don't have direct access to our server, they claim not to get into links farms. So what exactly are they doing?
Due to trade secrets, they are tight-lipped about any specifics. So what does that imply.. is there a big secret to better SERPs that the rest of us don't know about? That seems like too much to swallow.
There are some seo's who are in the business of scoring you high for easy to rank but useless keywords, usually with the word of your city in it, "San Jose Widget Repair." Watch out for that.
Pick an seo from a referral. Ask that referral if their traffic and sales have gone up. If yes, hire that seo.
A general overview from that one is enough.
[edited by: martinibuster at 7:01 pm (utc) on Sep. 29, 2003]
I would think that they can tell you what they are going to do and why it will effect your rank without giving away trade secrets.
WBF
If their service is one-time advice, this might be quite okay - but then they should get a one-time fee and nothing more.
/claus
after that they will do nothing whatsoever... and still charge a monthly fee?
Just a thought: perhaps they will link to your site from one or more of their own high-PR sites, to give you PR and anchor text benefits...
*That* certainly would justify an ongoing fee! (If *you* happen to initiate it, it's known as "buying links" --I mean, "sponsoring sites"...)
I absolutely agree with you, they should *state* what they will be doing / what you will be getting for your money; my previous post was just speculation, but *if* that is indeed what they will do, they should let you know!
[edited by: Umbra at 7:50 pm (utc) on Sep. 29, 2003]
How to choose? Ask for a ROI analysis on a 3 previous clients. They don't need to tell you the specifics as long as they can show ROI. Then call the companies they showcased and ask their opinion of the SEO/SEM's performance. Also be clear about what they'll need from you. If they're using your content make sure you have a way to put a stop to it should you decide to part ways.
Bottom line is educate yourself about some of the basics of SEO/SEM and protect yourself and your data/content. Don't sweat the details - let them do their job.
Don't sweat the details - let them do their job.
This seems to imply that there are ways of influencing SERPs which ordinary webmasters don't know about or just don't give away on this forum.
Yes, there are. Most of them can be found within these forums. BUT, if they are trying to sell you a service, why would they tell you exactly how to do it yourself?
:-0
That's a very good point lorax. I'm sure Mobster is at least informed at some level as a buyer (as he mentions link farms), but others are less informed and the SEO market is so big and diverse that companies can risk running into penalties and all sorts of bad neighborhood problems by choosing the wrong SEO - perhaps even worse things.
I can't help thinking about how hard it must be for a potential client to find a good honest SEO in this jungle (looking at the Google serps, it seems to be something with birds at least). Making a nice looking website is so easy, and i suppose you could even make a few really good case examples relatively easy. If i was an uninformed buyer i really wouldn't know what to do.
/claus
As agerhart noted yes there are. But the "how" isn't important. Think of it this way - do you ask a car manufacturer how they achieve a high mpg rating or the contractor how they get the windows and doors in square and level or your cell company how they do text messaging? Probably not. You know the basics and that's all you really need to know. Unless you want to learn SEO/SEM yourself.
>> I can't help thinking about how hard it must be for a potential client to find a good honest SEO
Which is one of the main reasons I value face to face time and a solid handshake. Many folks have no idea as to how I do what I do but they know what they want. It comes down to trust - plain and simple. They need to trust me and that trust must be warranted. I can show them numbers etc but I value that first impression more than anything else. They may not buy this week or this month but 100% of my clients come from having met me and talked with me. No sales pitch - just a chat about what they want and what I can/will do for them.
The larger picture here is that many folks (not implying that Mobster is one of these folks) think that because the concept of building a webpage is simple they can do it themselves. The boundary between what they are and are not willing/able to do is very gray. More so than say building a house. And if they think they can do it themselves then the justification for hiring an SEO/SEM expert isn't there.
The basic skills of swinging a hammer are pretty easy but it's also easier to see how much effort it would take to build a house. The basics of building a webpage are pretty straight forward but what it takes to build a successful website that has good/great position in the SERPs and bountiful traffic is shrouded in mystery. So it's a pretty simple leap of faith from "I can build a web page" to "I can build and market my website." It's a mistake made by many smaller business owners.
But more importantly for your situation Mobster it comes down do you have the warm fuzzies about the company your speaking with? Or is there something slightly askance?
>> They don't constantly tweak our site, they don't have direct access to our server, they claim not to get into links farms. So what exactly are they doing?
That's a valid question. Link building is the obvious answer but exactly who they're linking to would be the follow up question. Perhaps the way around this whole situation is for you to define the game rules. Define the spirit of the rules and add a few specifics if you like (I want to build traffic/ranking in a way that provides for traffic longevity and faithful customers - no link farms, cloaking, or bulk linking campaigns).
[edited by: lorax at 3:00 pm (utc) on Oct. 1, 2003]
I certainly would put conditions in place, like ranking targets or traffic goals that are tied to teh payments. Or better even, give them a percentage of the ROI increase. Motivation.
On the other hand, from my own SEO experience I believe nothing beats keeping working on all pages at all times. A good ranking page is never a fire and forget matter. If it is for you, you'll be beaten out by those that keep improving. SEO has to be deeply integrated with content and design and ongoing change is a Good Thing in SEO.
Your SEO amateur, SN
