Paula G. Web Design

I ran across this excellent blog post today “7 Signs of SEO Scams”. It is well written and really debunks the common myths of SEO. Before I share a little excerpt, let me say that while I am not an SEO expert (at least not yet!) I do work closely with several people on my team who are so I can offer my clients the best expertise possible. I am smart enough to know what I don’t know — admit it and then partner with experts I trust.

That being said, web clients will come to me and say things like “I want to be #1 in Google for Real Estate in Philadelphia” or better yet #1 for “business coach”. Well, I hate to say it but that is short-sighted and unrealistic. No one can promise you #1 rankings for anything ever. Just not possible. It is like asking a financial adviser to guarantee a certain rate of return - out of their control, can’t happen. What can be offered is a sound, SEO strategy that takes ongoing work and effort. That includes finding the right keywords to target (for you).

Doing so is a time intensive process, so expect to pay for good service. It is more than just sprinkling a few words in your copy and calling it a day.

Here are two of my favorites from Josh Garner’s article:

1. We can rank your site in 48 hours!
Boy, I wish this was possible. It sure would save me a whole lot of time slaving over my computer like a maniac, pouring over search term trends, conversion reports, traffic and ranking reports, etc. I wouldn’t be spending hours on end modifying and optimizing content until my SEO fingers bleed. Unfortunately, this just isn’t the case. It takes hours to find the right search terms. Depending on the size of a website, it can take days to implement changes. It takes weeks to see the initial effects. It can take months to get things going in the right direction. If you’re being promised results in a few days, your being offered a money pit and little more.

7. We guarantee page 1 rankings!
Nobody can do this. Nobody. In SEO, there are no guarantees on rankings, traffic, or any other measure. Think of SEO like advertising (that’s really all it is, just online). The best marketing guys don’t guarantee anything either. Neither do doctors or lawyers. You hire these professionals based on the questions you’ve asked them, their past successes, experience, etc. SEO is no different. Good SEOs are good SEOs because they have spent years learning and testing, and know of the measures most often needed to produce results. So if anyone guarantees anything, they are only guaranteeing that you will be wasting your hard earned money.

Head on over and check out the full 7 myths. For anyone seeking to understand what SEO is even at its most basic, it is worth your time. That way you can be sure to avoid getting scammed or wasting your pipe dreams on unrealistic expectations.

The term SEO gets bantered about these days. It is everywhere. It is treated like the holy grail and consultants charge anywhere from a little to a whopping sum promising you outstanding search engine results. So what is the real scoop?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and it is the process of optimizing your web site for the search engines in an attempt to be one of the top results when someone enters one of your keywords into a search engine. Note that when you search in Google for instance, you will see many results at the top and side of the results that are sponsored ads. I’m not talking about those (but will define them in a future post). I’m talking about what they refer to as organic search results. That is, those results that the search engine determines naturally (aka organically) based on its algorithms for determining relevancy.

Wouldn’t you love to be the first result when someone searches for your business in Google? So would everyone else. That is why SEO needs to be taken with a grain of salt even though it is a wonderful marketing strategy. Read the rest of this entry »

It is not often that I write strictly to promote a teleclass, but I just need to tell you about an amazing teleclass Karyn Greenstreet is offering.

So many people I work with come to me and wonder “How can my prospects find me via Google?” Everyone wants it, but few people achieve this. Often it is more because of a lack of understanding and implementation than anything else.

You see, in order to achieve high rankings on search engines, you need to know and use search engine optimization (SEO) techniques. Now if you work with me on your web project I can certainly help you understand these and implement them. I’ve found it works best and is most cost-effective for you if you have a rudimentary understanding first.

That’s why I invite you to join Karyn for this two-hour teleclass where she will cover some
of the most important things you can do to improve your search rankings.

It doesn’t matter if you are not a technical person. This class is intended for small business owners (I’m the tech geek and can help you make it happen). Karyn teaches you how to do SEO techniques and why they are important, regardless of how you update your website.

I can personally attest to the powerful workshops Karyn presents as I’ve been in them myself. Here are what some of her other students are saying:

“Since we began this process in early February I’ve jumped
from 8 clients to 23 paying clients — with 8 prospective client
inquiries this past week! I believe the combination of the new web sites we
designed together and the marketing planning work you had me do is what made
the difference. Thanks!” –J. Val Hastings

“I wanted to thank you for an awesome class! Your passion for
your business is apparent in the energy you exude in your presentation. Who
would have thought that a day spent learning about marketing could be fun? I
enjoyed the day and came away feeling motivated to implement the ideas you
taught us. Your thorough step-by-step explanation of the marketing planning
process is so helpful. Thank you again for a fun, educational day.” –Patricia
Carr

If you would like to learn the most important things you can o to improve your search rankings. I invite you to take a look here.