Could there be another industry more inflated by ego,
misinformation, and repetition than search engine optimization?
Perhaps there are a few others out there, but not many. But what
else can one expect from an unregulated industry? There's no FCC,
FTC, FEC, FMC, FERC, HIPAA, ATF, SEC, FAA or any other acronymed
agency standardizing legitimate SEO practices.
Laptop Battery Search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN, and Ask Jeeves each have
their own secret algorithms which mathematically select, arrange,
and prioritize search results. No two search engines work the same.
No two search engines yield exactly the same search results (unless
they are actually powered by the same search engine but packaged
under different names). No SEO "expert" or firm knows all of the
search engines' secrets. So how do they write so many articles,
blogs, and forums with such authority? And why are the ones pinky
swearing that they're honest only telling you enough to maintain
enough mystery to keep you relying upon their expertise and yet
still wondering what the heck they are doing behind those closed
doors?
Online security forums www.seniar.com [report broken link] computer SEO Forum [report broken link] Swedish SEO forum. SEO Circuit [report broken link] SEO Circuit SEOZip [report broken link] The SEOZip Community is an ever growing group of web developers, programmers and friends that enjoy working together, sharing and discussing ideas and learning from each other's experiences.
Thinkpad Am I saying that they're all scam artists? No. Many of them
aren't. But even the ones who are legit are still count on an air
of mystery and difficulty to keep the client from demanding too
many specific answers. Why? Because if these search engine
specialists revealed all that they know to a client, they know that
an intelligent client would be unimpressed. The truth is that most
companies could perform their own SEO and be quite successful.
There are exceptions, like the home mortgage industry. Certain
industries are so competitive in
organic search that most companies
will not be able to compete even with professional
natural SEO services.
We've published articles about SEO. You've probably read many more. Some of us have time to invest in learning about and keeping up with SEO techniques, but others don't. And some people have applied their SEO knowledge to their websites but want an expert to further optimize their sites for search engines.
Microsoft So why should a company hire an SEO professional? In my opinion,
such contracting of services only makes sense when a company either
has enough money to throw around or they have much more important
tasks for their own employees to perform. I compare it to online
grocery shopping - it saves you time and effort, but unless you're
disabled, filthy rich, or ungodly busy it is not a
cost effective option.
khaleel We have tried all other major discussion forum softwares. We are into SEO and therefore our major concern is Search Engine Friendly forums, and the next is server resources. None of the other discussion forum softwares proved to be giving us both of those, but VB is the one which gave us SEO friendly discussion forums, and a peace of mind as far as server resources are concerned. A decent size forum can easily be maintained on a shared hosting account. )
Laptop Computers Of course, I'm not going to begrudge anyone the opportunity to
sub out a service they do not feel comfortable with performing
themselves. Every executive has the right to decide which is more
valuable to the company in this situation: time or money. I
understand that, and I also respect a person who focuses on
contributing their strengths rather than faking strengths that
eventually
cost the company due to
incompetence and pride.
According to the indictment, Jones would steal various IBM and Penguin computer servers from Verisign's warehouse in Virginia and sell them to Johnson. Johnson would then sell the servers to several individuals, who would sometimes place them for sale on eBay. As a result of this scheme, the indictment alleges that Jones and Johnson caused Verisign to lose more than $120, 000 worth of computer equipment. In the indictment, Jones and Johnson are charged in three counts with causing the interstate transportation of stolen property, namely IBM 330 and 335 servers, in violation of 18 U.S.C.
Laptop Computer You will find those same types of people in the search engine
marketing profession. Men and women have forged careers in search
engine marketing because they learned how to retell someone else's
stories and to write "new" articles containing recycled
information. Those types are actually better at sales and
personal PR than SEO.
Start with the SEO company's own website. But "SEO" has 118, 000, 000 results in Google, and "search engine optimization" has 27, 200, 000 results, so don't expect the site to rank high for these generic terms. Also note that some SEO companies don't try to optimize their own sites for SEO because they get most of their business through referrals.
Desktop Computer So what exactly makes a person an SEO expert? Seriously. Don't
accept someone's claims without critically examining them. There's
no federal or industry-wide standard. So who makes an expert an
expert? What's the difference between an expert and an expert fake?
And how can you tell one from the other?
Notebooks It's a slippery slope. Sadly, it is an industry where many
companies profit from client ignorance. Am I going to present
clear-cut evidence here of my claims? Not a chance. I don't have
to, and I don't want to make any specific enemies. I learned what I
know by studying SEO online wherever I could because I was trying
to join the industry. What I realized through my extensive online
reading and professional relationships is that a good humble
businessperson is always more trustworthy and reliable than a
self-proclaimed expert. Humility is key. Use your discernment.
Lenovo If you don't believe me, subscribe to a few SEO newsletters and
catch up on your SEO articles. See for yourself if you don't read
the same thing over and over, only presented in a different order
or from a different angle. Study which groups or individuals
support and compliment each other in SEO articles, forums, and
blogs. Notice how they build a castle of thoughts out of thin air.
In this industry, some will corroborate each other if it means
reinforcing the fuzzy logic that has benefited their own business.
The lack of fresh information is fairly convincing evidence that
search engine optimization and keyword research are not all that
complicated. If they were, the experts wouldn't have to recycle to
put out new articles and blogs.
Hard Drive For all of you still willing and ready to hire an SEO
professional, all I ask is that you make an educated decision based
on research. And always check with clients the firm claims to have
serviced. Find out if they were really a client, what type of
service they received, and if they were satisfied with that
service. And, of course, make sure you aren't verifying one firm
with one of their bread-and-butter partners. Remember, things are
not always what they appear. If you keep these basic considerations
in mind, you should do well when choosing the right SEO
professional.
Travelstar Daniel Dessinger is a copywriter in the Dallas / Fort Worth
area. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from Dallas
Baptist University. In addition to compulsive blogging, he writes
for various marketing firms, corporations, and small businesses
around the country. His writing services include SEO friendly
interactive press releases, search optimized website copy,
industry-specific articles, creative ads, copy editing, and online
public relations consulting. Visit him on the web at
www.culturefeast.com.
Gateway Daniel Dessinger is a copywriter in the Dallas / Fort Worth
area. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from Dallas
Baptist University. In addition to his CultureFeast blog, he writes
for various marketing firms, corporations, and small businesses.
Daniel's writing services include SEO friendly interactive press
releases, search optimized website copy, industry-specific
articles, creative ads, copy editing, and online public relations
consulting. Visit him on the web at www.culturefeast.com.
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