Shoddy Search Engine Optmisation

When you're about to pay for a search engine optmisation "package" or "campaign" or "configuration", you need to be very careful.  There are many different types of SEO and you should understand which one(s) are being paid for and what you can reasonably expect to pay.

First off, here are the questions you should be asking to find out what type of SEO you're getting:

• Is this a pay per click (PPC) campaign?
• Am I getting content updates made to my website on a regular basis?
• Are you engaging in link exchange activities with other websites?
• Are you reviewing/updating my meta tags?
• Are you re-writing/re-drafting my current site?
• Am I getting a blog or other content-creation add on?

These questions will tell you what type of SEO you're getting.   Following are some headings - one for each in the item list above.

PPC Campaigns

A PPC campaign is basically Google's AdSense program - those little paid-for links down the right hand side when you do a Google search.  This is our personal opinion - but we do not believe such campaigns have much benefit.  When was the last time you clicked on a link that wasn't in the "real" set of results on a Google search?  If your answer is "never" or "I can't remember", then you will see the point - most people ignore those paid-for links.  Why? Because the links paid to be there.  They aren't what Google thinks are relevant or helpful - they're just classified ads.

A good PPC campaign is going to focus on making sure of four major things:

• what keywords you plan to target and the solid data to back those choices up (ie: how many people are searching for the keywords in question)
• a strategy to deduce the minimum amount you can pay for each click, without losing your first page classified position
• ensuring your landing pages (where someone lands if they click your link) matches the link they clicked and that there are clear calls to action to immediately satisfy and sell the visitor
• setting and maintaining a budget for revenue returned, including tracking of just how many visitors/customers the campaign is producing.

Please note: Some companies report great results from PPC campaigns, but usually only in relation to selling products.

Content Updates To Your Website

Google likes it when you update your website on a regular basis.  Its one of the biggest things you can do for your website.  So paying to have your website regularly updated is a great idea.  But there are a few things you should make sure of first:

• Check the cost - would you make more or less money learning how to do it yourself?
• Is the content they are supplying used on multiple sites? If it is, how much is changed every time it is used? Quite often, articles that appear on numerous sites are detrimental to your search engine rankings, as Google doesn't like duplicate content!
• Is the article being written by someone with quality english skills?  This may sound harsh, but make sure the content appear on your site is well written!  If people see a page that is written poorly, they will leave. Every time.
• How much am I paying per update?
• How often does my site get updated?
• Is the content going to contain keywords I am specifically targetting? Or is it simply just an industry thing - oh, you're a doctor, you get this article.
• How is the content selected/written?
• Can I see some samples of the content on other websites?

Basically, just make sure that the content you're paying for is content you want your business name to appear on.  And make sure its relevant to you, not just your industry.

Link Exchanges

Be very very careful.  Link exchange programs often hurt the people paying for them!  This approach involves having numerous websites that interlink to provide Google ranking.  If one or more of the websites get penalised by Google for dodgy dealings or spam content, then the rest of the link-network suffers.  It is very rare for cheap link exchange programs to yield any benefit.  Quality link exchanges require investigation, research and personal contact.  This takes time and costs real money.  If you're paying $50 or so, then its a scam and you should beware.

Meta Tags

Every webpage should have a minimum of two meta tags - keywords and description.  If you're paying for only a metatag update, then be careful! Meta tags really don't do that much for your website anymore.  Google ignores keyword meta tags, as do most other search engines.

Inside Tip: Google pays -very- solid attention to your meta description and in fact, usually uses it on its search engine pages.  Meta descriptions should be written to be a short marketing spiel to entice users to click your link when it shows up in the search engine results!

Redrafting my Website

This is very similar to content updates, except that its really just re-writing the pages you already have.  Here's what you should ensure is going to happen:

• You have a definite short list of keywords and keyword phrases you are chasing with your campaign.  The more keywords you chase, the less likely you will catch any of them.
• Each page should be focused and targeted to one or two keywords or keyword phrases.
• Your pages should be written with H1 and H2 (sometimes, H3 also) tags.  If it isn't, be very careful.
• Each of your pages should also be given a title tag that matches the new content.  Make sure this is part of the plan.

Blog Or Content Creation Add On

Being able to produce quality content rapidly is the key way to win the search engine game.  This is probably what we would call "the most reliable way" to approach search engine campaigns.  Nothing tricky, just solid content production, regular updates and content-relevant pages.

If you're going down this road, here's what you should know:

• What software type is being used - is it a forum? blog? wiki? Something else?
• What the name of the software is that is being used
• Can you self manage it with a bit of learning and write your own content?
• Will you be given training in how to use it?
• Is it an open source solution? Or is it proprietary? (Proprietary is usually bad, as it means that you can only get support from the owners of the product).

If you're going down this road, dedicate some time to making sure you use it!  Don't get a blog and write in it once every 3 months.  Make a plan to write something every 2 weeks!  The more you update, the better your results will be.  So if you're paying for this add on, get some use out of it!