 |
 |
 |
|
08.05.10 Understanding The Requirements Of SEO  By Patrick Hare A big part of the agency-client relationship when it comes to SEO involves expectations. This is because we need to make sure that our clients understand that search optimization requires a certain level of commitment and action that may not be found in other advertising initiatives. For example, someone who wants to design a print ad or direct mail piece often will spend time on approving the final product, which is created with the agency's software and machinery. For SEO, the process is a bit different, given the client's need to make sure changes happen on their end, which may require the involvement of a third-party web designer. With SEO, expectations are a two-way street. Customers should expect that the requisite keyword research and content creation should be done within a reasonable length of time, and they should expect search engine rankings to take a certain amount of time. In the past couple of years, we have seen rankings rise faster than previously, since the periodic "Google Dance" has been replaced with continuous spidering and updates. Still, many initiatives like link building require search engines to visit other sites, cache the results, and then change their listings. On top of this, competitive sectors take more time and energy to get rankings. A great deal of this timeline is dependent on the client's ability to make the site into an SEO-friendly presence and fix code issues that prevent proper optimization. If a site can't be read by search engine spiders, or has sections that are impossible for engines to properly classify, then it is going to take longer before rankings come into fruition. In many cases hidden issues like duplicate content and bad code also come into play, and this often creates problems for the client who may not have the budget to make wholesale site improvements. We have seen cases where clients got a customized content management system that was not upgradeable without expensive programming, so the SEO suffered as a result. With most SEO projects, depending on the service level, a customer should expect a timely site audit, creation of optimized code plus content for a specific number of pages, advice on fixing potential issues, and ongoing reporting. Periodic monitoring also comes with reporting. At Web.com Search Agency, we generally encourage our customers to add Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools so they can get a free third-party report card on how people interact with their sites, and how their search engine traffic is improving. Active customers should also expect timely updates if search algorithms change to the extent that an improvement to their site is necessary. Setting the right expectation for an SEO project generally pays off when a contract is up for renewal, since a satisfied customer is likely to stick around longer and consider expanding the amount of pages/topics that may have a better chance in the search engines. When customers and SEO contacts understand what is expected on their side, they are also able to communicate the critical nature of the project to webmasters or decision makers. Because there are so many different website platforms and models out there, just about every SEO job is a custom project that requires in-depth analysis and recommendations. Because each site is unique, different problems are likely to crop up. (If a site is not unique, then that is a problem too!) The ability to remove SEO roadblocks quickly and position a site for success can bring a higher level of satisfaction to the customer relationship, in addition to the revenue and traffic created by a successful initiative. Comments About the Author: Patrick Hare has been managing online and offline marketing projects since 1999. From 2005 to present, he has been with Scottsdale Arizona's Web.com Search Agency (formerly Submitawebsite). Patrick provides Search Engine Optimization and Marketing advice to in-house customers and Web.com Jacksonville’s web design group. |
|
| ||||||||||||||||
|
-- webpronewsde.com is an iEntry,
Inc. publication -- iEntry, Inc. 2549 Richmond Rd. Lexington KY, 40509 © 2010 iEntry Inc. All Rights Reserved Privacy Policy Legal
|
