SEO Companies Need to Provide Better Service

I'm sure the search engine optimization (SEO) "industry" is like other industries in one regard -- there are some good apples, and some bad apples.

But lately, I can't tell you how many people have contacted me about my services, only to recount a bad experience they had with some other SEO provider. It seems there are a lot of semi-qualified folks out there charging an arm and a leg for SEO services and not delivering quantifiable results.

That's right, I said "quantifiable." An SEO consultant or firm should provide hard evidence of their success. They should present before-and-after data that shows improvement in rankings, increases in overall website traffic, etc. If they don't provide such data, they have no business charging for their services.

I know there are others out there who, like me, truly care about their profession and their customers' success. But in my experience over the last few years ... we are a minority. It saddens me, because I still get a kick out of this profession, and I hate to see it mucked up by a bunch of unqualified and deceptive SEO clowns.

Screening an SEO Firm
In the grand scheme of things, the customer bears some responsibility here as well. People shopping for an Austin search engine optimization company should do some research on what makes a good SEO provider, and then screen their candidates accordingly. I've even provided some resources to help you do this:

• Choosing a Search Engine Optimization Company
• SEO Firms - 5 Key Qualities
• Finding an Austin SEO Consultant
• Austin Web Marketing Checklist

~Brandon

Website Usability for Internet Marketing Success

Picture this Internet marketing scenario:

You are standing behind your company's website, ready to accept a new customer / client. A prospective customer is standing on the other side, in front of your website. She is looking for exactly what you provide, and is willing to pay for it.

The only thing is, you don't know the prospective customer is there in front of the website. How could you know? She has not contacted you in any way, not yet. So if you want to make a connection with the prospect, she will first have to enter your website, navigate her way through the site, find what she's after, and then contact you in some fashion.

But what if she cannot use your website? What if the navigation system utterly confuses her? Or what if she can't even find the item she wants?

You guessed it ... she will leave as quickly as she came. After all, there are other websites to look at and other companies to consider.

Importance of Website Usability
In the scenario above, website usability made the difference between a sale gained and a sale lost. If a person cannot use your website, you have no chance to connect with that person. Nine times out of ten, a confused website visitor will not ask for guidance. And you won't be able to offer guidance because you won't know they're confused. They will merely be a blip in your website analytics program ... nothing more.

A lot of Internet marketing folks put all their focus on getting people to the website, but not nearly enough focus on the experience people have when they reach the website. These short-sighted folks clamor about search engine optimization, pay-per-click, and other traffic generators. But you don't hear them talk much about usability, "funnel simplicity," or on-site experience. This is an example of only seeing half of the big picture.

Usability 101
Entire books have been written on website usability. I personally recommend one called Don't Make Me Think. But to keep things brief in this blog post, let's just touch on some website usability hot spots. These are areas that can almost always use improvement.

• Navigation.Label your navigation in a clear way. Don't be cute or clever.
• Home page. Keep your home page clean, inviting and uncluttered.
• Action paths. Define the actions you want people to take, and present them in a clear way.
• Calls to action. People will go where they want on your site, but it helps to offer direction.
• Interactivity. If you have listing data and searches, be sure to offer clear and ample instructions.
• Web conventions. Following web conventions (like making your logo a link to the home page) helps visitors get around by using things they're familiar with.
  

Usability Equals Visibility
Helping your website visitors should be all the motivation you need to get on the usability bus. But if you need more incentive, consider this. Most improvements in website usability also help with search engine visibility. In fact, I've written an extensive article that gives several examples of this:

Usability Equals Visibility

-Brandon

Austin SEO at Squidoo.com

An SEO Case Study

Baby's all grown up!

There is nothing better than seeing a website get the search engine ranking it deserves, after weeks, months and years of hard work. That's what is happening with one of my educational websites, Home Buying Institute.

I launched this website in January of 2006, and in that short time it has become one of the Web's largest libraries of home buying advice. Now, after a lot of hard work, it ranks up there with HUD, CNN and Realtor.com for such competitive search phrases as "buying a home." Not bad for a website that began as a hobby!

How did I accomplish this? Well, I'm still in the process of accomplishing it. After all ... search engine optimization is never finished (just like marketing in general). Here are some of the things I continue to do for this website's success:

1. I create quality articles about the home buying process and distribute them online. These articles get republished often on other websites, and always with a link back to Home Buying Institute. (Strategy: Link Building)

2. I strive to create the kind of information-rich website that people will stay on for a while. Search engines can measure the bounce-rates from a website (after someone has found it through a search engine). By reducing the number of people who "bounce" upon reaching my site, I can improve the perception of quality ... and my long-term search engine ranking. (Strategy: Resource Building)

3. I submit the website to well-established directories, particularly those that have to do with real estate. This increase the number of trusted, quality links coming in to the site, while also increasing its relevance for real estate search terms. (Strategy: Directory Submission)

4. I pay attention to how I am acquiring links. Specifically, I want links from relevant websites with relevant phrases in the link text, and I point them at specific pages of the site (not just the home page). For instance, I would find a mortgage-themed website and place a link for online mortgage loans that goes to a page about that topic. Or I might get a link from a "house flipping" website and point it to this page on flipping houses. See how it works?

Can you duplicate these strategies? Sure you can, down to the last one. Can I help you duplicate these strategies? Yes, and I can save you a lot of time and energy in the process!

~Brandon

Microsoft (MSN) Considers Bid to Buy Yahoo

Is it a sign of defeat when the #2 and #3 search engines (Yahoo, MSN) can only see themselves matching Google's market share by teaming up?

Microsoft has looked into acquiring Yahoo search before, and now it seems they are at it again. The idea is that with Yahoo's broader audience and Microsoft's technical superiority, they could combine forces and compete with Google (who has more market share than Yahoo and MSN combined).

What's the true motivator here? Ad dollars. Lots and lots of ad dollars. Search engines bring traffic. Traffic brings advertisers (pay-per-click sponsored search). And advertisers bring the top revenue source for search engine companies.

What does all this mean to the average web user? Nothing for the moment. If they do combine, I only hope there's a smidgen of consideration for the quality of search results. After all, that's why Google dominates the others. It crawls the web more aggressively, it finds new material faster, and it's more focused on weeding out crappy sites that "trick" their way to the top.

Did I just "reveal" the top factors of Google's success? I think I did.

~Brandon