SEO Consultants
So, you've thought about it, done a little reading and decided you'd rather
get in an 'expert' to handle your SEO campaign for you. Well, the good news is
that there are no shortage of people who would love to take your money. The bad
news is that not all of them will provide you with the results you need to
build your business.
My advice on this is simple. Follow the rules below and you won't go too far
wrong.
1. Do Understand the General Principles of
SEO
Even though you don't intend to do the work yourself, a basic understanding of
SEO principles will stand you in good stead when it comes to choosing a
cosultant. It's amazing how many of them will fail to impress under even the
most circumspect of questioning. If you've read your way methodically
through the SEO 101 section then you are already well on your way to finding
them out. In particular, be on the lookout for anything that appears in the
"Deceitful" section of the Over Optimization page.
2. Do Beware of Guarantees
In SEO, no-one can guarantee a top ten position. New sites may
begin competing for a given phrase, whilst others may drop away. The
landscape is constantly shifting. Those consultants that do offer
guarantees are probably intending to use the <paid listings> to buy
themselves onto the first page to satisfy the promise. The cost of this
purchase will inevitably pass along to you. If your goals are satisfied by
the paid listings, do it yourself; if you are still aiming for the free
listings, find another consultant.
3. Don't Expect Instant Results
A successful SEO campaign takes time, especially with a new site. Throwing up optimized Web pages,
although important, is only one part of the solution. To be truly
successful, an SEO consultant will spend time analysing your keyword domain,
investigating your current implementations and producing recommendations for
improvements (or rewrites) before the pages go up. And then he will produce
recommendations regarding the ongoing improvement of your 'presence' on the Web,
of which Google PR is just one example.
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