SEO search engine services

We create superb websites but the next stage is getting people to see them. There are three ways of achieving this.

Firstly, you will need to actively promote your website. Make sure that you include your website address on all your printed goods, signs, vehicle graphics, and advertising. It needs to be given as much importance as your phone number in all of your promotional activity.

Secondly, you will need to embark on some manual SEO work (more about this shortly).

The third option, which is by far the most effective, can be extremely expensive but tends to offer a good ROI, and involves employing a professional SEO agency (more on this later).

What is manual SEO work?
SEO is Search Engine Optimization, and is a process in which you make your website "friendly" to search engines by including some special commands. Don't panic - it is actually very easy and involves nothing more than a bit of extra typing on your keyboard. We provide all the tools and features for this process, all you have to do is fill in the missing keywords.

How it works
When you create a web page using our simple online tools, you will also need to type a set of keywords and titles called "Meta commands". For example, if you are typing a page about car repairs then you may include a set of keywords that includes "car repairs, bodyshop resprays, dent repairs, motor mechanics, panel beating" and so on. Technically, it is very simple. What makes the job tricky is that you need to try and use keywords and phrases that people are likely to type when they search for your website, and the keywords must also be relevant to the written content of your web page.

We will be on hand to help you with this work if you need it - you won't need to feel abandoned if you have trouble with it!

What results will this bring?
Promoting your website on search engines takes time and effort. Some of your chosen keywords won't be effective so you'll need to monitor the weaknesses and amend them as you go. This is perfectly normal and we all go through it. Using this method your website will likely get listed in a few months, but the results won't be staggering unless you're very fortunate. The trick is to keep an eye on what works and what doesn't, keep tweaking and submitting your website to the main search engines, and eventually the results will come. Provided you promote your website in other areas too (such as in your printed adverts etc), you'll soon start getting respectable traffic to your site.

What if you need BIG results fast?
If you need your website to perform exceptionally well very fast then you will need to put aside a rather large budget and employ the skills of a professional SEO agency who will develop a strategic marketing campaign based on deeply researched key phrases, PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising, AdWords, and other tactical marketing activity.

Absolute Graphix does not offer this level of SEO work. Very few web design companies do. It is very highly specialized and complex and web designers are not the ones to do this job at this major level. If you opt to take this route then you should use a proper SEO agency, a company that provides this as their core service rather than as a "bolt on" or additional service.

Good search engineering companies rarely offer web design or development services - they earn their living by providing solid, expert web marketing and search engine strategic work after a website has been built.

Finding a Good Agency
Rule #1: Check out the agency's position on search engines. This is always a good indicator of their skill. After all, the very service they are selling to you should already be working for them. You should also find out who some of their clients are and check their positions on search engines too.

CHECK their search engine positions.
CHECK their clients' search engine positions.
ASK if SEO is their core business or just a bolt-on service.
GO on recommendations where possible.
WATCH OUT for SAS (the Saturday And Sunday Brigade - the "one man band" bedroom bandit who may not be around during office hours when you need them).
BEWARE of long term contracts. Check ALL the smallprint as some SEO companies tie you into deals which can be difficult to get out of.

Don't rush into it...
It is very tempting to rush into SEO, especially when your competitors are dominating the search engines, but not taking care with your choice of SEO can result in a huge waste of time and money.

SHOP AROUND. Prices can vary greatly, and so can the level of expertise and level of service on offer.
ASK about their FULL SERVICE - demand to know what the service will involve, what input is required from you, and how they intend to tackle your campaign.
MAKE SURE they can take an accurate brief and that they don't blind you with technical jargon - a good SEO will talk plain English.
ASK what research they will do prior to launching your search engine campaign. The best agencies will offer a pre-campaign audit report.
CHECK they demonstrate the required technical expertise.
ASK to see if they offer regular progress reports.

Ask questions - Lots of them!
No good SEO agency will object to you asking some probing questions. There are plenty of excellent web design and development services around but SEO is a far trickier, highly specialised service. So do ask them questions. Some key questions shoud be:

How many years experience does the SEO have?
Will the SEO sign a contract indemnifying your brand from damage?
Will you be tied to a long contract?
What technical expertise does the SEO have?
Can you see sample campaign reports?
Can the SEO provide bespoke requirements, such as training?
Will the SEO sub-contract any of the work?
Does the SEO offer a proper SEO service involving real work on your website or do they simply resell pay-per-click sponsored links?
Can you meet the SEO at their office?
Does the SEO advise on the development of search engine friendly content?
Will you be able to sign-off all the different parts of the SEO service?

Your brand is important to you, so don't let just any agency represent you online. Check the agency has good Professional Indemnity Cover.

Ethics
Be careful of crazy guarantees. "Guaranteed positions" are always a huge temptation, but they rarely mean much. A spokeperson from Google told us in no uncertain terms that "nobody can guarantee a number one ranking on Google". Any SEO which does offer such a guarantee may be using one of three methods which you need to be cautious of:

1. They're selling you "sponsored links" at a hugely inflated fee.
2. They are developing your strategy using little-used keyword phrases which is easy to do but of no real use to you.
3. They might simply be lying.

Expectations
It can take weeks, and sometimes months, for a good search engine campaign to start showing notable effects. No SEO on the planet can magically push your website to the top of any search engine in a short space of time. A good SEO will not guarantee this result - instead they will provide a workable plan over a period of time which will require input from you at various stages. Good SEO work requires some patience and understanding from you, which is why part of your plan should be based on developing a relationship with the SEO.

This information has been obtained from a number of professional SEO experts. Absolute Graphix thanks the individuals who helped us compile this page.