Professional SEO Consultants - Let Them Be Judged

Article Summary: A look into what makes a "professional" SEO consultant, as well as some of the things you should expect from such a professional.



So you have a new website and you're ready for traffic and online success. You've done some research and discovered that search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the ways to get web traffic, so you are now searching for a professional SEO consultant to help you out.

What next? How can you tell one search engine optimization consultant from the next, when they all claim to be professional consultants and experts ... and all the other self-promotional claims that SEO professionals make?

Here's how:

How to Screen SEO Consultants

Here are some of the most important questions you should ask a search engine optimization consultant before signing a contract with them (much less paying them for their SEO services).

1. How long have you been an SEO consultant?

Sure, everyone has to start somewhere. But pricing goes along with that as well. In my opinion, a person who is new to the world of search engine optimization cannot justify the same prices as a professional consultant who has been doing it for years. It's just something worth knowing up front.

2. Can I speak to a few of your current clients?

If a professional SEO consultant says no to this question, then they are not a true professional. It's a red flag that either (A) they have no current clients, or (B) they have burned a lot of bridges by providing a bad service to clients. In either case, they are not a professional SEO consultant worth your time or consideration.

3. What SEO techniques do you use?

Some search firms will tell you that it's all "proprietary" and they don't share their "secrets." Let me deflate that statement for you. There are no secret techniques in the SEO business. It's public knowledge. Most of the work revolves around content development and link building work. Hardly proprietary techniques, if you ask me. If a so-called professional SEO consultant keeps their techniques hidden from you, it's probably because they use black hat SEO techniques.

Learn More About Professional Consultants

I hope this article has given you the kind of confidence and insight you need to choose a professional SEO consultant who will serve you well. Here are some more articles on the subject:

• Search Engine Optimization Firms - 5 Key Qualities
• What to Ask an SEO Firm

How SEO Services Are Like the Wizard of Oz

In the Wizard of Oz, people were mystified and amazed by the powers of the wizard. But when they looked behind the curtain, they realized he was no wizard at all, and that his powers were all smoke and mirrors.

Unfortunately, this concept is alive in well within the search engine marketing industry. Let me give you a real-life example of what some SEO companies will do to drum up business. Then, I'll tell you how to evaluate the true skill and results of a search engine marketing company.

So let's take a peek behind the curtain to see what the wizard is up to, shall we?

The other day I came across something online that I found appalling. It was a promotional page that described the search engine marketing services provided by a certain company. Specifically, the page was aimed at real estate agents and the SEO services was being offered by a certain "Homes" related company that shall remain nameless.

Pulling Back the Curtain of Mystery

Having a background with search engine optimization, I found the company's sales points to be shocking and downright deceptive. One of their claims was that "your website is guaranteed to be indexed by Google within 60 days!" Yes, it had exclamation points and everything, as if this were the biggest and boldest selling point ever made by such a company.

Of course, those of you who are familiar with SEO and the process of search engine ranking are probably wrinkling your noses at this statement already, because you realize this is no major accomplishment (to say the least). If you are not familiar with the process of search engine optimization, then let me explain why this "selling point" is anything but...

If you publish a new website online and do nothing with it (no promotion, no networking, not link building, no nothing), the major search engines will still find it through their routine web-crawling process. And they will probably find it in less than 60 days. In fact, as the fastest of the search engines, Google will probably find the new website in a couple of weeks.

Now let's say that you point a few links toward your new website from other websites. You could do this by submitting the website to a few web directories, by publishing a press release online, or by some from of networking. Now the search engines will probably find your website within a matter of days, not weeks.

You can see my point.

It's Like Selling the Sunrise...

This company (and the many like them who make similar claims) is taking something that will happen automatically and passing it off as a selling point for their search engine marketing service. They are guaranteeing to get their client websites indexed by search engines, which is something that will happen anyway.

It's also worth nothing that being indexed by a search engine simply means that you are listed in their database -- it doesn't mean you will be ranked well for key phrases. Getting your site indexed is the first baby step in a long journey to good rankings. It is not, by itself, an accomplishment.

It's almost like me promising to make the sunrise tomorrow if you pay me a fee. For only $99 we will provide a service that is guaranteed to make the sun rise within 12 hours of your payment!

From where I'm standing, this service is being marketed to folks with lower expectations, or folks who are afraid to look behind the curtain and question the wizard.

Search Engine Marketing With Higher Expectations

But what if you expect more from your SEO investment? What if you actually want good rankings and higher traffic levels? Well, if you do, I salute you. It's important to expect something worthwhile in exchange for they money you pay.

Here's how to deflate the empty claims of search marketing "wizards" and get right to the heart of the matter:

First, do a little homework of your own to come up with a list of key phrases your audience might use to find the types of products or services you provide. Use a keyword-research tool such as WordTracker or Keyword Discovery to validate the phrases, and to rank them based on how often people are searching them.

Next, create a spreadsheet listing about 10 - 20 of your most important search phrases. Present this list to any search marketing firm you are considering, and tell them that you will measure their success by how well you eventually rank for these phrases.

What you are doing here is setting a proper goal for the SEO campaign by defining your own success. If you allow the search marketing company to define success for you, you may find that it falls short of your own definition. And you may have a wizard behind a curtain trying to mystify you with smoke and mirrors.

Brandon Cornett is an SEO consultant in Austin, Texas. Through his website and blog, he educates clients and non-clients alike on all aspects of Internet marketing and search.

SEO Services - Updated Clients Page

I just updated the clients page on the main website to feature some new companies using our SEO services. We are happy to welcome both an Austin Realtor and an Austin mover to the world of search engine optimization and online success!

Would you like to be the next satisfied client of the Austin SEO Guy team? We would love to talk about your website, your goals, and your future online success.

Here are some of the search engine optimization services that our SEO clients receive:

• Complete website analysis for more than a dozen ranking factors
• Analysis of competitor websites to determine strengths and weaknesses
• Website content creation, whenever needed
• Link building / networking to increase search engine ranking
• Blog setup, integration and training (if desired)

If you are interested in these services and would like to increase your website's search engine visibility, please give me a call or shoot me an email.

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

Austin SEO Firms - 5 Key Qualities

I put together a list of qualities I feel are important in an SEO firm. Whether you choose to do business with me, or another search engine optimization firm in Austin, this list will help you ask all the right questions before signing any contracts.

The 5 Key Qualities:

1. Full disclosure of techniques
2. Copywriting skills
3. Big-picture thinking
4. A marketing mindset
5. Results and reporting

Read the full article here:
Austin Search Engine Optimization Firms: 5 Key Qualities

Hope you find this list useful. And remember, this is a bare minimum of the qualities you should seek in an SEO company. You can probably add a few of your own criteria to my list.

~Brandon

Optimized Press Releases - Featured Service

What's an Optimized Press Release?
An optimized press release is simply a press release that has been enhanced for online visibility. The press release is then distributed online through a service like PRWeb.com. By incorporating keyword-rich hyperlinks into the press release, you are also growing your link popularity.

People can find the press release online by searching relevant phrases. That's the first benefit. But the optimized press release also helps you generate inbound links as it gets republished / syndicated online. That's the second benefit.

It Starts with the Message
As with any press release, you need something newsworthy to say before you do anything else. Sure, you can send a press release per week if you want to, and you'll get some visibility out of it. But to get the most from this technique, you should start with a strong message ... which is usually the result of a strong product or service.

Optimized Press Release Services
I offer two types of optimized press release services -- training and execution. With the SEO training option, I can show you how to use this press release strategy for yourself. With my optimized press release services, I will actually do all of the legwork for you, from writing to distribution.

Want to learn more about this or any other SEO service I provide? Please contact me at your convenience.

~Brandon