Holistic SEO
Sep/05/09 18:18
The number one request I get these days is for SEO or SEM services. It seems that there is a belief that SEO is something that can rapidly "fix" whatever is holding your business back. And the "quick solutions in seconds" providers are everywhere trying to convice you that your lifetime of web sins can be wiped clean for a small price. You can search the internet and find a mind numbing number of returns on "SEO in 5 Minutes" or "Rank #1 with Google." The theories, procsess, arts, and sciences of SEO are easy to come by, but the results are not.
If you think that SEO is a quick-and-easy day job, bad dog.
When is coms to SEO, one size fits one. I could never provide value to a client if I came in claimng to have the "forumula" to provide a number one rankng with Google. It just ain't happeneing, and anyone or any progam promising those results are lying.
If you think that SEO is a quick-and-easy day job, bad dog.
When is coms to SEO, one size fits one. I could never provide value to a client if I came in claimng to have the "forumula" to provide a number one rankng with Google. It just ain't happeneing, and anyone or any progam promising those results are lying.
The number one request I get these days is for SEO or SEM services. It seems that there is a belief that SEO is something that can rapidly "fix" whatever is holding a business back. And the "quick solutions in seconds" providers are everywhere trying to convince you that your lifetime of web sins can be wiped clean for a small price. You can search the internet and find a mind numbing number of returns on "SEO in 5 Minutes" or "Rank #1 with Google." The theories, processes, arts, and sciences of SEO are easy to come by, but the results are not.
If you think that SEO is a quick-and-easy day job, bad dog.
When is coms to SEO, one size fits one. I could never provide value to a client if I came in claiming to have the "formula" to provide a number one ranking with Google. It just ain't happening, and anyone or any program promising those results are lying.
If you are a "SEO provider" and have taken the Google Professional Advertising Certification test to become an anointed SEO/Adwords god, hold on a click.
The day-to-day tactics taught by Google provide a great base for the mechanics of developing campaigns from a tactical standpoint. You will be well educated on CPC, CPM, MCC, and a whole lot of common online marketing sense. What is missing is the true value of deep thinking a SEO/SEM pro can provide.
I can teach anyone the value of graphic asset naming conventions, keyword density, meta tags, and analytics in 24 hours. But where do the client's true business goals play into this? More often than not, critical business objectives are not even question during the SEO process.
When I first meet with a client, the questions can be predicted. How much traffic have you driven to your clients? What quality scores have you achieved? What typical ROI has been realized based on the AdWords dollars spent? All valid questions. Obvious, but valid when selecting an SEO partner. But I want to get to the deeper needs of a company that often can only be addressed by the art of SEO as opposed to the science of SEO.
When Brand Matters Less
Recently, I analyzed web traffic, keywords, and the web page structure of a large online retailer. Brand recognition was not an issue here. Searches that included their name (e.g., "BIGNAME boys shirts") always placed them at the top of the rankings. However, remove BIGNAME from the search and they totally disappeared. I'm not sure yet if this was a deliberate strategy, but it seems like they would want to be top of mind within and outside of the brand.
Obviously, Search Engine Optimization is a big job and it never really ends. The SEO process should be designed only after the client's business goals are well reviewed and digested. And don't always assume that those goals are clearly understood by the client. What's important is to make sure you don't focus on one step (such as link popularity) at the expense of the others. A well-planned and tested campaign will provide solid, long-term results.
If you think that SEO is a quick-and-easy day job, bad dog.
When is coms to SEO, one size fits one. I could never provide value to a client if I came in claiming to have the "formula" to provide a number one ranking with Google. It just ain't happening, and anyone or any program promising those results are lying.
If you are a "SEO provider" and have taken the Google Professional Advertising Certification test to become an anointed SEO/Adwords god, hold on a click.
The day-to-day tactics taught by Google provide a great base for the mechanics of developing campaigns from a tactical standpoint. You will be well educated on CPC, CPM, MCC, and a whole lot of common online marketing sense. What is missing is the true value of deep thinking a SEO/SEM pro can provide.
I can teach anyone the value of graphic asset naming conventions, keyword density, meta tags, and analytics in 24 hours. But where do the client's true business goals play into this? More often than not, critical business objectives are not even question during the SEO process.
When I first meet with a client, the questions can be predicted. How much traffic have you driven to your clients? What quality scores have you achieved? What typical ROI has been realized based on the AdWords dollars spent? All valid questions. Obvious, but valid when selecting an SEO partner. But I want to get to the deeper needs of a company that often can only be addressed by the art of SEO as opposed to the science of SEO.
When Brand Matters Less
Recently, I analyzed web traffic, keywords, and the web page structure of a large online retailer. Brand recognition was not an issue here. Searches that included their name (e.g., "BIGNAME boys shirts") always placed them at the top of the rankings. However, remove BIGNAME from the search and they totally disappeared. I'm not sure yet if this was a deliberate strategy, but it seems like they would want to be top of mind within and outside of the brand.
Obviously, Search Engine Optimization is a big job and it never really ends. The SEO process should be designed only after the client's business goals are well reviewed and digested. And don't always assume that those goals are clearly understood by the client. What's important is to make sure you don't focus on one step (such as link popularity) at the expense of the others. A well-planned and tested campaign will provide solid, long-term results.