Selecting a Search Engine Optimization Company
By Scott Buresh May 08, 2003
There are many factors to consider when selecting
a search engine optimization company. Unfortunately,
many businesses that haven't previously used search
engine optimization to promote themselves are
unsure how to evaluate potential vendors, and
many are intimidated by the entire concept. The
following article, divided into five major topics
of consideration, is intended to help in the selection
process.
Topic 1: Approach
There are many different approaches and levels of
service available to anyone looking for a search
engine optimization company. Some techniques, such
as "cloaking" or "doorway pages" can put your site
at risk of penalization, although they may give
you short term gains. For some, the risks of penalization
associated with such techniques may be acceptable,
but most prefer to play by the rules. You probably
also want to be certain that your vendor doesn't
work with your competition. Here are three important
questions to ask your potential search engine optimization
company:
1. Do you create pages, optimized for my
keyphrases, which aren't built in to the navigation
of my site?
If the answer is yes, you are probably dealing
with a search engine optimization company that
creates "doorway" or "bridge" pages (although
most companies will call them by different names).
Such pages may even reside on a different server
and funnel traffic to your site. This technique
violates the terms of service of most major engines.
2. Does your technique involve showing a
different page to the search engine than to my
visitors?
If the answer is yes, than you are probably
dealing with a search engine optimization company
that uses "cloaking". This is when the website
server makes a note of the unique address assigned
to each visitor, and when it notices that a visitor
is a search engine, it feeds it specialized content
designed to rank highly for certain keyphrases.
Many engines specifically warn against this technique
in their terms of service. Google is particularly
harsh on sites that use cloaking, and is known
to remove them entirely (when they find them).
3. Do you guarantee that you won't work with
my competitors while you are working with me?
The optimization techniques used for your site
could probably be used to help your competitors.
Naturally, you don't want your search engine optimization
company taking the lessons learned from your site
and applying them to a competing site (diluting
the effectiveness of your campaign). Some unscrupulous
firms will go so far as to use the positions they
achieved for your site to sell your competitors
on the need for search engine optimization.
Topic 2: Results
Almost every search engine optimization company
has a "brag book" of positions that they have achieved.
However, looks can be deceiving. When evaluating
the past results of a search engine optimization
company, there are really five important components
to consider.
1. Which engines?
Make certain that the positions the search engine
optimization company has achieved are for the
most popular search engines, not smaller engines
for which they may have a knack. For a current
list of the most popular search engines, visit
the Nielsen
Netratings page at Search Engine Watch.
2. Which keyphrases?
Wordtracker
is a valuable tool (free for limited use) in determining
if the positions your potential search engine
optimization company proudly displays actually
have any real value, since it shows the popularity
of individual search phrases based upon actual
search activity on popular engines. When Wordtracker
displays a very low number (or zero) for a particular
term, it is most likely not very competitive (or
beneficial), and high positions for it are probably
nothing to brag about. In other words, if the
search engine company you are considering is boasting
of the high positions it achieved for the term
"dog silverware" and Wordtracker tells you (not
surprisingly) that nobody searches for that term,
know that you shouldn't be impressed.
3. What about an entire site?
While it's easy to focus on one particularly impressive
position on one popular engine, it's more important
to focus on a broad range of positions achieved
for one site. It's entirely possible for a site
to have one great ranking and be sorely lacking
in positions for all other keyphrases. Ask your
potential search engine optimization company to
show you a report for an individual client that
demonstrates good positions on many popular engines
for many popular keyphrases. An effective search
engine optimization campaign will achieve maximum
exposure across a broad range of keyphrases and
engines, not one notable position on one engine.
4. How have results stood up over time?
When you find a search engine optimization company
that can provide you with the data mentioned in
the previous component, ask to see a report showing
how those positions have held up over time (ideally
for six months or more). Since search engine marketing
is an ongoing process, you want to be certain
your vendor is capable of maintaining a high level
of exposure for your company.
5. Did they really do it?
The most obvious of the five components is to
confirm that your potential search engine optimization
company is really responsible for the positions
they are claiming. It is not unheard of for unethical
companies to take credit for the work of others
in order to increase their chances of landing
a sale. In some cases, vendor claims are easy
to confirm (such as when a client site includes
the vendor's name or logo). If you can't confirm
that a particular search engine optimization company
is truly responsible for the positions by looking
at the site, don't be afraid to pick up the phone
to do so.
Topic 3: Ongoing Support and Reporting
As previously mentioned, search engine optimization
is an ongoing process, rather than a one time "quick
fix". If you intend to use your search engine optimization
company to help you improve and maintain your positions,
you should ask to see a sample monthly report. As
the quality of reporting can vary from firm to firm,
consider the following three items in your evaluation:
1. Engines
Reports should always be based on the most popular
engines, not the engines that the search engine
optimization company has had success with. Be
sure that the sample report includes only popular
engines based upon current figures.
2. Overviews
Your reports shouldn't be solely comprised of
raw data that details individual positions (although
this should be included). It is impossible to
tell how your site is performing on search engines
over time by looking at a slew of individual positions
on individual engines and comparing them to the
previous month. The sample report should provide
easy-to-understand overviews of ranking performance,
such as an ongoing chart that covers a long period
of time and shows trend data such as "top 40 positions
by month" or "top three page appearances by month".
3. Recommendations
You don't want to pay a search engine optimization
company merely to report on positions- you want
to be sure that they are looking over your ranking
performance on a monthly basis and are actively
making the recommendations necessary to maintain
and improve your positions. Be sure that the sample
report contains monthly observations and recommendations
specific to the site. Otherwise, you may be paying
somebody to simply compile reports, not to promote
the ongoing success of the campaign.
Topic 4: Cost
Obviously, this is a large consideration for most
companies, but focusing too much on cost and not
enough on results can hinder your chances for success.
Some things to remember:
1. Search Engine Optimization is NOT a commodity
product.
Unlike selecting a gas or electric company (where
the quality of the product is largely the same
regardless of vendor), your choice of search engine
optimization vendors will have a dramatic effect
on the overall results. If price is your largest
consideration and you are unable to find a vendor
within your price range with whom you are confident,
it may be advisable to wait until you can afford
one that meets your criteria.
2. Prices are all over the board.
As with most businesses, the vendors with the
best reputations and the proven track records
command the highest fees. However, it is possible
to find a competent, lower-priced search engine
optimization company without a proven track record
that will do an excellent job (every optimization
firm has to start somewhere). Just be aware that
there may be risks associated with unproven vendors,
and be sure that you are comfortable taking them.
Topic 5: References
If a search engine optimization company you are
considering is unable to provide you with references,
you may want to look elsewhere. In almost every
business, excellent references are a necessity when
considering expenditures over a certain dollar figure.
Why should choosing a search engine optimization
company be any different? Some optimization firms
may cite "confidentiality" reasons, but search engine
optimization is no longer considered the black art
that it once was. Every legitimate firm should have
at least two clients (past or present) that you
can call upon. Here are some important questions
to ask when you do:
1. Did you enjoy working with them?
This doesn't bear much explanation, but you should
find out how available the vendor was for questions,
whether they met their deadlines, and how the
company would classify the overall experience.
2. How reasonable were their requests?
Some companies will ask you to make changes that
seriously compromise the visitor experience on
your site. It is important to find a search engine
optimization company that can find a balance between
the needs of search engines and site visitors,
not a company that goes for high positions at
any cost.
3. What overall effect has it had on your
business?
This is the most important question, and the most
important overall factor to consider when selecting
a search engine optimization company. While high
search engine positions and more site traffic
are an admirable goal, the true value of search
engine optimization is found in positive effects
on customer acquisition costs and bottom line
revenues.
Conclusion
Search engine optimization can drive numerous, targeted
prospect directly to your website, typically at
a fraction of the cost of traditional marketing.
However, as with most things, your results will
only be as good as the people you work with. By
taking the time to carefully evaluate search engine
optimization vendors before signing a check, you
will take much of the guesswork and uncertainty
out of the process- and greatly increase your long-term
chances for success.
Scott Buresh is co-founder of Medium
Blue Internet Marketing and author of the
monthly Medium
Blue Internet Marketing Newsletter. His articles
have appeared in numerous publications, including
ZDNet, WebProNews, MarketingProfs, DarwinMag,
SiteProNews, PromotionData, and Search Engine
Guide. Medium Blue specializes in search engine
optimization and submission, with clients ranging
from large multinational firms to small localized
businesses.
Return
to FREE articles index |
Visit Our Sponsor! WebPosition
Gold