Search Engine Optimization is an interesting topic for discussion. Many Internet users are confused by all of the advertising on the web and in print regarding Optimizing a web site and promising top results on search engines such as Google or Bing. All of these promises and false hopes have a few of our own clients rushing to spend good money on bad ideas. The services provided by some of these Search Engine Marketing companies may seem like a good way to promote a website, but they can actually harm rankings and get sites blacklisted. I find it very important to try to explain SEO to clients in such as way that they will understand the real benefits of natural website optimization, and the dangers inherent in the tactics employed by some.
Without diving into a detailed, technical discussion about website design, I would like to describe natural website optimization. Note that I am using the phrase “website optimization,” as opposed to “search engine optimization.” The reason behind this is the simple fact that a properly constructed website is, by definition, optimized for search engines. By properly utilizing the META tags in web design, and peppering each page with relevant keywords and informative links, a website can be easily optimized for search engines. Googlebot and other web crawlers will find the website, and it will be properly categorized by the META tags and keywords used. Further, every time the bots find a link on another website pointing to yours, your site’s ranking and relevance will be improved. For example, this link is an outside link from WordPress to the Melton Global website. This blog page will be crawled, the links will be detected, and the relevance of my corporate website will be increased. Now, with only a few broad strokes, I have presented the basic idea behind natural search engine optimization.
Black Hat SEO or Search Engine Marketing is a shady subject, in terms of both ethical and effectiveness issues. At its least nefarious, this sort of thing involves link farms, and these ‘gurus’ set up domains loaded with keywords and links pointing to the ‘real’ site. Less ethical methods involve selling Google AdWords and other services with an outrageous mark-up, or the ‘experts; sending out spam in hopes of tricking people into visiting the site. Of course, these experts don’t mention to their prospective clients that their methods can actually get their sites banned or blacklisted from search engines. They let their unsuspecting clients fall into those traps all by themselves. The worst thing about these tactics is that as soon as the client stops paying, the artifically ranking stops, too, and their sites start dropping back in the searches. This can be tragic, if not fatal for a fledgling internet business, and is an unfortunate consequence of believing false promises from false experts.
So, what is the best approach to effective SEO? Firstly, make sure your site is being built by an expert, such as those on staff with us. Web Developers should know how to make use of META tags and have the know-how to employ your keywords effectively. Secondly, use free tools such as Google Webmaster Tools to check your keywords and website ranking. Also, a website should be updated at least twice monthly. The web bots like fresh material, and you will be rewarded for dilligence. Lastly, don’t rely on Internet Search Engines alone to bring customers to your website. Try advertising on sites interested in your products or services. For example, if you are selling luggage, advertise on websites geared toward travel or vacation destinations. Put links to your website in front of people visiting other sites. Also, look at print advertising in trade publications focusing on your area of expertise. Also, word-of-mouth and referrals, even e-mail referrals, can work wonders for website traffic. Whatever you do, keep it simple, keep it honest, and make sure your consultant is using the most effective and ethical best practices to keep your website at the top of search engines.
