| Everyone loves a bargain. There is a certain | | | | keyword dilution, placement "above the fold", and |
| satisfaction that comes with saving money or finding a | | | | geo-targeting be addressed, or will these strategic |
| great deal by shopping around. As a consumer, it | | | | elements of SEO be omitted from your project's |
| almost feels like you have "won" something when you | | | | scope of work? |
| can compare notes with others and have the bragging | | | | - Will the physical characteristics of the site (use of |
| rights to say, "You paid how much? Wow, you got | | | | frames, tables, site maps, page names, navigation |
| ripped off! I got it for 30% less." From a business | | | | structure, etc.) be addressed, adjusted, and corrected |
| perspective, it's just good decision making to minimize | | | | as appropriate, or will the scope of work involve just |
| expenses as much as possible by finding the lowest | | | | quick tweaks, working with what's already there? |
| price on whatever product or service you need- most | | | | - The list goes on... |
| of the time, that is. There are exceptions. | | | | The $200 deal may take eight to ten months to |
| If your purchase is shrink wrapped in plastic and | | | | achieve mediocre results, if any results at all. The |
| branded by a manufacturer, you can be somewhat | | | | $2000 dollar deal may result in top rankings within a |
| assured that finding it somewhere else at a lower | | | | couple of weeks, bringing in tens of thousands of |
| price is a "safe" bonus. In most product and service | | | | dollars each month in sales. Maybe-but not guaranteed. |
| industries, when comparing generic product labels to | | | | You see, there are varying levels of detail to the |
| brand names the old expression, "You get what you | | | | extent that your website can be optimized. It's not a |
| pay for" applies as a universal caution that quality | | | | matter of "is it optimized, or isn't it?" Knowing that, it |
| comes with a price tag. The moral of the story with | | | | becomes easy for one company to undercut another |
| such expressions including, "Pay me now or pay me | | | | in price, sometimes substantially, using the same |
| later" illustrate that you really don't get much of a | | | | language that "We will optimize your website." |
| bargain by buying offshoot products and services. In | | | | I wish it were a simple equation that could be summed |
| most cases, the knockoff product breaks prematurely | | | | up by saying, "You pay less, you get less", but that is |
| or the discount service needs to be redone (in part or | | | | not the case either. |
| in whole) to make it right. At the end of the day, cutting | | | | To complicate the issue, we need to examine the |
| corners usually results in spending more time and | | | | ethics of the service provider involved. Here is where |
| money later to get what you thought you were getting | | | | you really need to do your homework to protect |
| in the first place, and any savings that you initially | | | | yourself. You might be in safe haven if you initiated |
| realized is negated. | | | | contact with the SEO/SEM provider based on a |
| The same is true for your business' marketing efforts | | | | referral from another happy customer, but more times |
| on the Web. Unfortunately, many website developers | | | | than not, you are the one receiving a call from a |
| avoid discussing what it actually takes to get a positive | | | | company that is soliciting. Buyer Beware. |
| return on investment from your website. Whether it's | | | | Before you commit to doing business with anyone |
| because they don't really know what's involved or | | | | regarding the marketing "fate" of your company, check |
| because they want to get whatever money they can | | | | them out thoroughly. |
| from you before asking for more, the topic of | | | | - What is their Better Business Bureau rating? |
| marketing and promotion is rarely covered during the | | | | - Do a search for the company on the Internet using |
| design process. For the website developer, it's safer | | | | the company's (or freelancer's) name to obtain any |
| that way. Once your website is built (and you have | | | | information about them. If the company is legitimate, |
| paid them), the afterthought question, if it gets asked at | | | | you should see plenty of references to them. If they're |
| all, is typically, "What are you going to do to promote | | | | shady, you may see evidence of lawsuits, complaints |
| your website?" The question comes as casually as, | | | | or bad press associated with them. Be sure to explore |
| "Do you want fries with that?" The topic of marketing | | | | what you find, and dig a little deeper. |
| is almost treated as though it were optional. | | | | - Obtain references and examples of client success |
| It's not- if you want your website to pay for itself and | | | | stories that you can verify yourself by doing keyword |
| bring you new business. | | | | searches on the web. If an SEO/SEM company claims |
| For your website to perform, you must ensure that its | | | | to have achieved great placement for their customers, |
| pages are constructed with certain features and | | | | your response should be, "Show me." If they refuse or |
| characteristics that are important to the search | | | | cannot produce examples, walk away. |
| engines so that search engines (like Google, Bing, | | | | In the SEO/SEM world, "You get what you pay for" is |
| Yahoo!, etc.) can properly and effectively consider | | | | a best-case scenario. Since there are no guarantees |
| listing the site when someone searches for what you | | | | on producing results, it is very easy for rogue |
| sell. The process of adjusting the site is called search | | | | fraudsters to overcharge for services, deliver nothing, |
| engine optimization, and it involves more than just | | | | and laugh all the way to the bank. Adding insult to |
| pasting a few keywords on the pages of your site. | | | | injury, if you sign a year-long contract for ongoing |
| Text, links, font, typesetting, image labeling, and other | | | | marketing services, those same fraudsters can legally |
| characteristics are all adjusted as part of the | | | | bind you into throwing good money after bad, month |
| optimization process. Or at least, they should be. | | | | after month, and if you refuse to pay, they can sue |
| After your website is optimized (prepared for the | | | | you and collect even more. I'll emphasize it again, you |
| search engines), it then must be marketed (promoted | | | | should absolutely look out for your best interests and |
| to the search engines). Yes, that means more money. | | | | perform some kind of background check on anyone |
| By now, you're probably thinking, "When will it end? | | | | who asks for your Internet marketing money. |
| How do I stop the bleeding? Won't people just find me | | | | Even some of the larger, popular phone book |
| because I have an optimized site?" | | | | companies must be questioned. If you have been in |
| Unfortunately, your website is not like the ball field in | | | | business for any length of time, you will undoubtedly be |
| the 1989 movie, "Field of Dreams". In other words, it's | | | | solicited by a telemarketer from one or more online |
| not a case of the coined expression, "If you build it, | | | | phone book directories. You are low-hanging fruit for |
| they'll come". For your website to develop a findable | | | | them-after all, they own a database of phone numbers |
| presence on the Internet amidst all of the competition, | | | | and business names and business-to-business calls are |
| some kind of action is necessary to get the search | | | | exempt from the Do-Not-Call registry, so why not |
| engines to take notice of it. Search engine marketing is | | | | exploit it? |
| performed by many methods, including article | | | | When you are approached by such companies, the |
| publication, blog posting, social media, link building | | | | sales pitch is often geared towards getting your |
| campaigns, pay-per-click, subscribed directory listings, | | | | business (not necessarily your website) found at the |
| and much more. Just as traditional marketing can be | | | | "top of the listings, on page one". In the same breath, |
| done by many methods (television, radio, newspaper, | | | | the sales person may inter-mingle a comment about |
| phone book listings, magazine ads, billboards, etc), | | | | being partnered with a search engine company like |
| marketing your website on the Internet is an expansive | | | | Google, or some such statement. Although the sales |
| (and often expensive) process. | | | | person may not be intentionally trying to be deceptive, |
| Aside from the methods, other significant differences | | | | the resulting confusion is the same: In these |
| between search engine marketing and traditional | | | | conversations, the business owner usually ends up |
| marketing are your audience and your competition. In | | | | (mistakenly) thinking that his or her website will be |
| traditional marketing, your audience is people and your | | | | guaranteed a top position in the organic search engine |
| competition is anyone who sells what you sell in your | | | | listings on page one of Google (or other search |
| marketplace. It's different on the Web. On the Internet, | | | | engines) for selected keywords. |
| your target audience for marketing efforts is not just | | | | What is really being promised, usually? For a fee, the |
| people, it is the search engines as well. And your | | | | business will receive a top placement listing within the |
| competition is not just other service providers in your | | | | online directory of the company that is soliciting the |
| area, it is any document, video, article, blog post, or | | | | business owner. That listing will be for the selected |
| other company that is taking up space where you | | | | keywords, but it will not be the business website at all. |
| want your business to appear. | | | | It may be for a profile page or for a template landing |
| Similar to traditional marketing efforts, your dollars are | | | | page, but it will not necessarily be found anywhere on |
| 100% at risk with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) | | | | Google, Yahoo!, Bing, etc. in the organic listings. What of |
| and Search Engine Marketing (SEM). There are no | | | | all the talk about being "partnered" with the search |
| guarantees that people who find you will pull out their | | | | engine company? Whether stated for informational |
| wallets and buy what you are selling. Inexperienced | | | | purposes, credibility, or as a "red herring" to distract and |
| and unethical people who tout themselves as search | | | | mislead, it's pretty common for phone directory |
| engine "experts" count on that little detail. There are | | | | companies to do enough business with the search |
| numerous deceptive ways that unscrupulous | | | | engines' pay-per-click programs to achieve "partner" |
| fraudsters can artificially inflate the amount of traffic | | | | status... but that status guarantees you nothing. It just |
| that your website receives without bringing any real, | | | | means that the phone directory company met the |
| qualified customers to you. Often times, such | | | | search engine company's administrative and financial |
| fraudsters lure you in with lofty promises and | | | | requirements to be dubbed a "partner". If a directory |
| seemingly bargain basement prices. Even some of the | | | | listing company makes claims about top placements |
| legitimate companies in the SEM arena can be | | | | for your business, insist that they show you examples |
| misleading. The term "Buyer Beware" applies in full | | | | of other clients whose websites show up in the |
| force, and the only defense you have is to get a basic | | | | organic search engine listings under various keywords |
| education on SEO/SEM topics. | | | | other than the business names. Don't be surprised if |
| Therefore, read on. | | | | they can't, at which "no, thank you" is an appropriate |
| As we've discussed above, Search Engine | | | | close to the sales conversation. |
| Optimization and Search Engine Marketing are not | | | | Like SEO, SEM involves more than one method or |
| black-and-white, cut-and-dried, plain-and-simple | | | | process to be effective. The success of your SEM |
| processes. You can receive two price quotes from | | | | efforts relies on the extent of your promotion efforts |
| completely different companies claiming to optimize | | | | and how well diversified they are. Another old |
| your site, one for $200 and one for $2000, and they | | | | expression, "Don't put all of your eggs in one basket" |
| are both "telling the truth." Assuming that both | | | | applies to the methods used in promoting your |
| companies are honest and ethical, the price difference | | | | business. If you find yourself in the situation of doing |
| does not necessarily reflect that one is a bargain while | | | | only pay-per-click, your organic search engine |
| the other is overpriced. To explain the difference, you | | | | positioning will suffer. If you find that you're paying |
| must look at the extent to which your site will be | | | | someone to do just blog posting for you, your organic |
| optimized. For example: | | | | marketing is imbalanced. The price tag may (and |
| - Will each page on your site be optimized with the | | | | probably will) be much lower than if you used a |
| same set of keywords throughout the site, or will each | | | | competent broadened strategy focused on your local, |
| page be individually optimized with a unique set of | | | | regional, or national markets, but paying less to get |
| keywords relevant to the content on the page? | | | | nothing in return is just plain dumb. |
| - Will images on the page be adjusted and "labeled" | | | | It's smart to compare SEO/SEM service providers and |
| with keywords in the programming on the page, or will | | | | cost does need to be considered. But cost should not |
| they be left as generic? | | | | be the deciding factor. It should be a contributing factor. |
| - Will text characteristics like font size, font style, use | | | | More importantly, credibility, experience, demonstrated |
| of headings, etc. be adjusted along with the text | | | | results, level of detail, and diversification of methods |
| content, or will the words simply be changed to reflect | | | | need to weigh in on the decision, too. If you make your |
| keywords on the site? | | | | decision based solely on price, by the time you figure |
| - Will the keywords be selected, analyzed, and verified | | | | out that what you're doing isn't working, you are most |
| based on market research data to determine demand, | | | | likely out hundreds or thousands of dollars and bound |
| relevance, and applicability, or will the words be | | | | under a contract to spend thousands more. How does |
| selected by intuitive guessing? | | | | that bargain feel now? |
| - How will such characteristics of keyword density, | | | | |