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I could really use some advice - especially from SEO "gurus" or people who've worked with "top notch" seo firms. You'll need some background, so please bear with me:
I reckon I know a fair amount about SEO, from countless hours of reading and hanging round forums like this. My main site has had search engine friendliness built-in. It's a dynamic site, but looks static. I've got keywords sprinkled through titles, meta tags, content, in anchor text, and even the occasional alt tag. We have thousands of pages of good content.
When I create new content, I'm careful with keyword selection and try to find mutli-word terms that have a good supply/demand ratio, using the usual tools. Have done a little off-page stuff too, but not much.
I guess it's worked ok - we're one of the biggest sites in our sector with > 1.5 million pageviews / month. In a not very competitive keyword area, and a sample of 500 popular search terms we had:
31% in the top 3 at Google
73% in the top 10 at Google
63% in the top 3 at Yahoo
88% in the top 10 at Yahoo
For 176 VERY VERY competitive keywords, we had:
2% in the top 3 at Google
15% in the top 10 at Google
69% in the top 30 at Google
1% in the top 3 at Yahoo
2% in the top 10 at Yahoo
20% in the top 30 at Yahoo
I'm guessing I could run a reasonably effective mid-range SEO service - as long as I stayed out of the REALLY competitive words.
I know a reasonable amount about SEO - but I don't do research and experiments on other domains, try to reverse engineer SE algos, or have a list of "target keyword densities" for each SE that I know to be perfect from experimentation.
So (at last), we get to my questions:
I feel we should be getting a LOT more traffic, and higher ranks than we are - especially in the highly competitive terms. (Some competitors are out-performing us in some keyword areas). So I'm thinking about getting some professional help from an SEO firm. But I don't know if they'll be able to help:
Just how good are the top firms? Can they get (say) 50% top 10s on competitive keywords, and expect to get #1 most of the time on a non-competitive term?
(In other words, if there are no other pro SEOs targeting a term - is it a piece of cake to hit #1 - and only tricky when competing against other SEOs?).
I'm concerned we could end up signing a lot of big cheques (since it'll take a few months to get results) - only to discover that they're not really any better than we are.
Anybody got any experience working with really good SEO firms? Anybody from such a company care to comment?
Thanks!
Generically "the best SEO to find is one that actually worked in your sector and achieved success.
Just like you would take a risk and hire an SEO, SEOs also take risks - particular when engaging in a new industry/market where their past expereinces in non-related industries is all they have to go on - a bit like flying a kite to a glider to an airplane to the space shuttle (and everything else in between) > the basics are simpler > the dynamics are quite different.
I would say "I am quite gifted in some industries" but never, ever commit to a client that I can guarantee anything simply because I haven't worked in all industries.
In some industries I do go strictly commission - because I have been there and done that and reasonably certain a perform can be achieved.
But the first step is more like -- what is your expected return?
If nothing or haven't considered this... then being able to gauge whether an SEO (at any level) could assist you in achieving that objective will be very difficult.
In the end "marketing" is where the return is - you can have the very best product but if not marketed to those that need it - it sucks.
I doubt this is what you wanted to hear there really isn't a one shot answer.
We do some work in house and some of it is outsourced. We are in the process of finding a new firm and have put together an RFP (ick) to figure out what we really want. Our experience so far with a big firm has been that they have provided little value that we can measure - and I think they are used to cashing the check and going about their routine tasks that may or may not add value to a particular business. BUT to their defense, this is primarily because our organization did not set the right objectives for them (poor vendor mgmnt).
A B+ company with many connections in a similar industry to yours may well be able to out rank a A+ company that has only experience with and contacts in a completely different set of industries.
Also, if you're seeing strong competition you have to consider that the top SEO firm in that industry may not work for others but only on their projects which may be some of the sites you're competing with.
No, but if I ever were to I pretty much know who I'd go to or not. I like to look through at SEO'd sites to see differences in the way people operate and particularly to assess the degree of risk.
Truthfully, it varies at all levels of the spectrum. I've seen some incredibly brilliant work that I admire and enjoy looking at, and I've seen some that could easily get clients banned or heavily penalized. Some I wouldn't let touch even a personal site with just recipes and poetry.
>>(In other words, if there are no other pro SEOs targeting a term - is it a piece of cake to hit #1 - and only tricky when competing against other SEOs?).
Absolutely; with just the bare basics it can be done even by accident. :)
>>I'm concerned we could end up signing a lot of big cheques (since it'll take a few months to get results) - only to discover that they're not really any better than we are.
Or taking excessive risks. If you've read through the forums a lot lately you can see that the situation is very volatile now. Some are holding ground but not all; there's a lot of changes going on.
Maybe go after more of those easier little 3 and 4 word phrases that actually convert well, being targeted. Some people who have lost ground on their competitive listings have found themselves being sustained through it all by those little ones, which generally aren't as prone to big fluctuations.
In your place, with maintaining the rankings you are at this point, quite frankly I wouldn't rock the boat just yet or let anyone get even close to make big changes or fool too much with your linking.
In your place if there are marketing dollars to be 100% truthful if not already having access to the Supporters forum I'd think about it and without a second's hesitation get to the next conference, meet people face to face, and do a *lot* of listening. There's nothing like being armed with more and more knowledge and there are a lot of people who have a lot to share.
At the most, a consultation getting some advisement on what changes or improvements could be done. If you didn't have hesitation you wouldn't be asking this in the first place. Sometimes when in doubt it's best to just wait it out.
