SEO and Internet Maketing

FAQ

 

 

 

Q:  What is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)?

 

 

A:  Search Engine Optimisation is the process of preparing a website in order to achieve search engine rankings that drive traffic to your site.  SEO is an ongoing process beginning with the initial optimization of the site, monthly maintenance of the site, regular evaluation of search results, and adjustments to the site.

 

  •  

    Q:  What good is having a website if it is not being seen?

     

     

    A:  90% of Internet buyers are turning to search engines to find the products they want.  Google alone conducts over 150 million searches a day.  In fact, recent studies show that purchasers are about 12 times more likely to buy your products or services after finding your site through a search engine than all other traditional advertising methods combined (trade shows, print ads, direct mail, radio, and even television) at a fraction of the cost!  Why?  Simply put, when a consumer finds you through a search engine they are ready to buy.  With traditional forms of media, you are broadcasting a message hoping to reach the right consumer at the right time.

    As searchers generally only explore the first two pages in the search results, achieving high rankings on the search engines will make an enormous difference in the amount of visitor traffic your site receives.



    Q:  Why doesn't my Web site rank very well in the search engines?


     

    A: Having your website rank high in the search engines is a science and the rules for search engine optimization (SEO) are always changing.

     

    Here are some reasons why you may be having poor ranking:

    • Incorrect usage of the TITLE tag or no TITLE tag content.

    • Too many occurrences of the same word in a page (spamming).

    • Missing H1 and H2 heading tag content.

    • Missing ALT tag content in your graphic links.

    • No meaningful content in the first 250 characters on each page.

    • Less than 200 words per page.

    • Very few pages on your website.

    • No links from other websites to your website (link popularity).

     

     

     

     

    Q:  How does the Search Engine find websites?

     

     
    A:  There are two ways a search engine can find a website to add to its database.  The first and most direct method is to accept submissions from website designers and optimizers.  Most search engines have a "submit your URL" section inviting submissions from Internet users.

    The second and least obvious method of finding websites is to send a "spider" to follow each and every link on, off, and through a website.  New URLs encountered by the spider will be added to the database.  In this way, some search engines will grow very rapidly.

     

     

    Q:  What is my site ranking dependent on?

     
     

    A:  Site ranking tends to be "cumulative" and is dependent on the following factors:

     

     

     

    • The specific keyword phrases (search terms) that have been targeted.

    • The overall competitiveness of your industry - how many players are there.

    • Whether you are targeting a regional, national, or international market.

    • How well ranking is monitored and the site tweaked over time for SEO improvement.

    • The progress of your inbound linking campaign.

    • Number of competitor sites achieving new ranking themselves.

     

     

    Q:  Why might I need to have extra elements added to my website?

     

     
     

    A:  A search engine spider is an automated program that electronically probes every URL submitted to its database.  As the spider is a computer program, it is designed to look for and rank very specific items on each page it probes.  If those elements are present, the spider computes a higher ranking than it would if those elements were not present.  Our SEO website audit is designed to identify any spidering issues in websites and correct them.

     

     

    Q:  If these elements are so important, why didn't they get added when my site was originally designed?

     

     

    A:  Most website designers haven't learned the importance of search engine friendly website design.  In almost every case we've encountered, the site designer is a highly skilled and creative person whose job is to put your ideas on the web.  More often than not, the designers have not received any training in search engine optimization and don't think about it while pursuing a cool looking design.

     

    True SEO of a website takes hundreds of man hours of work and to have your site designed and optimized to perfection you will need to pay extra for this service.  Will include analysis of wording within the website, keywords, poper descriptions and H1 and H2 wording.  There are times that a designer will not have the time for the money spent to investigate every word and meta tag on the website they designed. 

     

    Search engines are also constantly changing their ranking criteria.  They do this to prevent gross manipulation of their search tools.  Often, website designers are not fully up to date with changes to search engines.  

     

    Remember you get what you pay for.

     

     

    Q:  Does every page of my website really need to be optimized?

     
     

    A:  In a word - yes.  Every page of a website can be a potential entry point or ‘landing page’ for visitors.  You can't predict which page or pages will be ranked the best for specific keywords.  As such, each page must be individually optimised for optimal ranking.  Collectively, all pages of your website reinforce the common "theme" of the site, which also can help boost your ranking.  Don't assume that your home page is the only important page on your site.

     

     

    Q:  Isn't This Something We Can Do Ourselves?

     


    A:  Large amounts of time, attention and expertise are needed to achieve the desired results in such a constantly changing niche industry.  The expense of adding personnel and necessary resources alone would quickly outweigh the cost of hiring our company, which is why outsourcing SEO is by far the most popular method.  


     

    Q:  Can you guarantee a number #1 position in the search engines?



    A:  Nobody can guarantee a number #1 position or specific ranking for your site for a given keyword phrase in the organic search engine results. There are simply too many factors beyond anyone's control - the search engines changing their ranking algorithms, efforts made by competitors, and new sites being added to the Web.

    Obtaining a specific ranking is analogous to managing a portfolio. Your financial advisor will do their best to monitor the stock market and other indicators and to make sure your portfolio is managed to the best of their abilities. However, your advisor cannot guarantee that your portfolio will be at a specific value or even that the amount will be up at all by a given date.

     


    Q:  It's been several months and my website finally shows up in Google but it's ranked in the hundreds. Why is that?



    A:  It's not always easy to get better search engine rankings.  In fact, search engine optimization is part science and part art.  Search engines continually change their algorithms and tweak their rules for ranking.  It is possible that Google does not fully read your page due to structural issues, your website (or at least individual web pages) could be lacking in meaningful content, no significant websites link to you, your website is too small to be of any value to people searching for your topic, or any other range of problems.  Search engines may be flooded with websites on a given topic, making it more difficult to achieve higher rankings.  As such, a good search engine optimizer will look for a niche to exploit.  For example, consider whether your website has greater appeal to a local, national, or international region.

     


    Q:  My website did not get accepted last time I submitted to the search engines.  Why?



    A:  Search Engine listings are not guaranteed to everyone who posts a website to the Internet.  Search engines are for-profit businesses and have the right to refuse to list any site for virtually any reason.  We ensure all bases are covered and all necessary elements are present before submitting the finalized site to the search engines or directories.

     

     

    Q:  Will You Need to Access Our Web Server?


     

    A:  Yes, we will need access to your web server in order to upload and periodically update pages.  We do our best to keep you informed every time we do an upload or make a change.  It is vital that anyone else who may be making changes to your site stays current with the optimized pages we provide.

     

     

    Q:  Do You Have to Make Changes to Our Site?

     

     

    A:  While many of the changes made to your site are done behind the scenes in the source code, it may be necessary to make certain minor changes to your site's copy or layout.  In most cases, these changes are minimal.  We post all changes made to the front end of your site to our test server for your approval before we go live with the changes.

     


    Q:  I had a bad SEO experience before?

     

     

    A:  We are sorry for that.  By talking with us we can help make sure that you do not have to go through any negative experience again.  Whether it was poor reporting, deception, or just poor results, tell us what upset you and we will make sure it does not happen with Rank First.

     

     

    Q:  I think SEO is way to expensive to have done, and we didn't budget for it.  What can I do?

     

     

    A: Everyone has to start somewhere.  Give us a ring.  Maybe we can work something out or maybe our prices are less than you think.  Maybe there is something you can do for us to help lower your payment. 

     

     

    Q:  What is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)?

     
     

    A:  Search Engine Optimization is the process of preparing a website in order to achieve search engine rankings that drive traffic to your site.  SEO is an ongoing process beginning with the initial optimization of the site, monthly maintenance of the site, regular evaluation of search results and adjustments to the site.

     

     

    Q:  Can I wait and do this next year?

     

     

    A:  We can not stress enough that the benefits of good SEO will continue to be harder to achieve and will only cost more.  Whether you read this last year, today or next month, it is very important now.  To get the same results we have to work harder and harder for more hours.  So does everyone in our industry and there is no benefit in waiting any longer.