What is Search Engine Optimization?
Published on: 13 March 2008 By: David Walker
What is SEO? Will Google recommend you to work with us in order to make your site Google-friendly? The Answer is “No” but why?
Just in case you don’t know, SEO is an abbreviation for "search engine optimizer." We as a company will always endeavor to provide a useful service for website owners, from writing copy to giving advice on site architecture and helping to find relevant directories to which a site can be submitted. However, a few unethical companies have given the industry a bad name through their aggressive marketing efforts and their attempts to improperly manipulate client search engine results.
You should know that Google state that they don't have relationships with any SEO companies and defiantly do not offer recommendations at all to anyone. I do however have a few tips that may help you distinguish between an company that will improve your site and one that will only improve your chances of being banned from search engine results altogether; the following tips are in part extracted from Google’s own views and opinions, thus the content is bound to be helpful if you don’t really understand the SEO maze of possible problems.
• The first thing to remember is to be wary of SEO firms and web consultants that send you spam E-mail’s.
Amazingly, I get these spam emails as apparently does Google and I guess the other search engines.
"Dear Chapter Zero.co.uk,
I visited your website and noticed that you are not listed any of the major search engines and directories WE CAN HELP."
You would be wise to treat the practice of unwanted emails about search engines, as you do for double glazing prods, diet pills or requests to help the government find the weapons of mass destruction.
And remember Google say’s that “No one can guarantee number one ranking on Google, and if they say they can they are lying to you. I have listed below some of the things you should consider before selecting the correct service for you and your company, and please always be beware of companies that claim to guarantee rankings, allege a "special relationship" with Google, or advertise a "priority submit" to Google. Again Google state that there is no priority submit for Google and never will be. In fact, the only way to submit a site to Google directly is through their Add URL page or through the Webmaster Tools which Google freely inform us can be done by you the client at no cost whatsoever so why pay out money when you don’t need to?
• It’s a good idea to watch out if a company is secretive or won't properly and clearly tell you what they intend to do for you.
Always ask for explanations if something is unclear. Google point out that if an company creates deceptive or misleading content on your behalf, such as doorway pages or "throwaway" domains, your site could be removed entirely from its index and that ultimately, you the client is responsible for the actions of any company you hire, so it's best to be sure you know exactly how they intend to "help" before you say yes.
Chapter Zero on the other hand will provide you with a complete plan having first of all diagnosed your site as a doctor would check you for ailments and then provide a prescription.
• It is also never wise to allow an SEO to link to your site.
Google will also stress that you should avoid SEOs that talk about the power of "free-for-all" links, link popularity schemes, or submitting your site to thousands of search engines, and that these are typically useless exercises that won’t affect your ranking in the results of the major search engines or at least, not in a way you would likely consider to be positive and beneficial to your aims. Look at such proposals with extreme care and be skeptical about the self-reported number of users who have downloaded the required applications.
Chapter Zero can offer you some specially developed software that will give you complete control to your website and provide mathematical proof that our software does create an optimized source that can improve your search engine rankings and that must make sense.
• Always choose your company wisely.
Google will advise you that while you consider whether to go with an SEO company, you may want to do some research on the industry. Google has a way to do that, and you might also seek out a few of the cautionary tales that have appeared in the press of late, including this article on one particularly aggressive SEO company at:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002002970_nwbizbriefs12.html. While Google doesn't comment on specific companies, it does encountered firms calling themselves SEOs who follow practices that are clearly beyond the pale of accepted business behavior which is good for all of its users.
However, Chapter Zero can also provide a report and a technical plan for your SEO requirements at the start; but most of all it will provide skilful trained expertise that will venture in to subliminal proposals, as at the end of the day your site is involved with human beings and we all need to understand that complex behavior as much as we can?
• It goes without saying to be sure to understand where the money goes.
While Google tells us it never sells better ranking in itsd search results, I know that several other search engines combine pay-per-click or pay-for-inclusion results with their regular web search results. Most professionals understand that some SEOs will promise to rank you highly in search engines, but place you in the advertising section rather than in the search results. Google points out that a few will even change their bid prices in real time to create the illusion that they "control" other search engines and can place themselves in the slot of their choice. This scam won’t work with Google because their advertising is clearly labeled and separated from its search results, but be sure to ask any company you're considering which fees go toward permanent inclusion and which apply to temporary advertising.
However Chapter Zero will provide a cash flow requirement and describe exactly where those funds will be spent before you sign a contract.
• It’s a good idea to talk to as many companies as you can and ask other people if they'd recommend the firm you're considering.
Whilst references are a good start, they don't tell the whole story. You should ask how long a company has been in business and how many full time individuals it employs. If you feel pressured or uneasy, go with your gut feeling and don’t do it, hold off until you find a firm that you can trust. Ask your SEO firm if it reports every spam abuse that it finds to Google using their spam complaint form at http://www.google.com/contact/spamreport.html. Ethical SEO firms report deceptive sites that violate Google's spam guidelines all the time so look at their records.
In any event, Chapter Zero will insist on giving you referrals from current clients and free access to their telephone numbers, it will also provide access points to its own unique technology to allow you to see for your self.
• Always make sure that you are protected legally.
Don't be afraid to request a refund if you're unsatisfied with your SEO's performance. Make sure you have a contract in writing that includes pricing. The contract should also require the company to stay within the guidelines recommended by each search engine for site inclusion and you can read about that on the web.
It is good to know that Chapter Zero offers a remote control panel that will report back to every client the exact SEO progress 24/7, all the client has to do is to log on and read the data. If the client is not satisfied with the progress they can simply cancel the contract if it falls below the agreed level of traffic. But remember we only assist the horse to water it’s your job to make it drink!
What are the most common abuses a website owner is likely to encounter?
Google reports that one common scam is the creation of "shadow" domains that funnel users to a site by using deceptive redirects. These shadow domains often will be owned by the SEO who claims to be working on a client's behalf. However, if the relationship sours, the SEO may point the domain to a different site, or even to a competitor's domain. If that happens, the client has paid to develop a competing site owned entirely by the SEO which is not a good idea.
And that another illicit practice is to place "doorway" pages loaded with keywords on the client's site somewhere. The SEO promises this will make the page more relevant for more queries. This is inherently false since individual pages are rarely relevant for a wide range of keywords. More insidious, however, is that these doorway pages often contain hidden links to the SEO's other clients as well. Such doorway pages drain away the link popularity of a site and route it to the SEO and its other clients that may include sites with unsavory or illegal content be very careful of this one.
Hear are some of the things to look out for?
There are always a few warning signs that you may be dealing with a rogue firm. It's far from a comprehensive list, so if you have any doubts, you should trust your instincts always feel free to walk away if the company:
• puts links to their other clients on doorway pages
• offers to sell keywords in the address bar
• doesn't distinguish between actual search results and ads that appear in search results
• guarantees ranking, but only on obscure, long keyword phrases you would get anyway
• operates with multiple aliases or falsified WHOIS info
• gets traffic from "fake" search engines, spyware, or scumware
• has had domains removed from Google's index or is not itself listed in Google
• owns shadow domains
Was this information helpful? E-mail us with your comments at david@chapterzero.co.uk
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