Re: Search Engine Optimization Agencies

From: Michael Martinez <Michael_at_xenite.org>
Date: Fri 03 Nov 2000 13:30:17 -0500

DEBRA BRANDT <debra_brandt_at_yahoo.com> WROTE:
> I've been given the task of optimizing our web site's
> presence in search engines. A while back, our company
> contracted an agency to assist us with this effort, and
> I've been quite disappointed with the results. They
> achieved some decent rankings for us, but only on a few
> of the minor search engines, and only for
> keywords/phrases that were not high priorities for us.

I'm not going to comment on specific SEOs. Every
industry has its stars and rotten apples. There ARE
people I'd avoid. I would avoid one-service wonders
and people who attack and belittle anyone who disagrees
with them (in the industry).

What you didn't tell us was what the exact arrangement
with your SEO was. That is not intended to make you
look bad, but SEO companies often complain about
unreasonable client expectations.

You may find that the most successful companies willing
to talk to you use some of these unspecified practices
you don't like. Your mileage may vary.

I advise people to enter into a relationship with an
SEO with the understanding that if they are unwilling
to give up control over content and layout they are
hampering even the best SEO. Even a complete hack job
can be fixed. What usually cannot be fixed is an
unworkable business relationship.

I would ask any prospective SEOs the following
questions:

1) What do you need from your clients to achieve your
best results?

2) What types of clients are you unwilling to work
with, or would you rather not handle (in terms of
technical expertise and available resources)?

3) How long do you feel it should take to achieve
effective results?

4) Do you have clients who are willing to let you use
their sites as promotional examples?

5) Which major search services do you have the most
success with? (This will vary, but if they can't name
a least 3 of the top ten, I would not consider them).

The point here is not to argue or "negotiate" with the
SEOs. Either they fit your expectations and you
should talk further or else they are not for you.
Move on. If you feel uncomfortable with the answers
you get, trust your instincts.

In my experience, it takes 2 to 4 months to get a page
to rank highly on Altavista, Google, and Inktomi. Of
the directories, you want to concentrate on Yahoo!,
ODP (Dmoz), and NBCI (which is a composite
directory/search engine).

If you've got money to throw away, submit to Looksmart.
Looksmart claims to "reach" more people than Yahoo!
What's important for any search service is HOW MANY
PEOPLE USE THEM and WHICH PEOPLE USE THEM. According
to industry statistics, few people actually use
Looksmart, even when you toss in their partners.
Yahoo! is still number 1, and AOL/ODP is a major
player, too.

Above all, don't be WOWed by numbers. It's results
that count, not claims.

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Received on Fri Nov 03 2000 - 12:30:17 CST