Search Engine Optimization

Realities and Myths and How We can Help

by Daniel DiGriz (www.MixMySite.com)

The first thing to keep in mind about search engine optimization (SEO) is that there are three ways to affect your rankings:

1. Consult with a real SEO specialist, who will need username/password access to your site's back end, to do anything meaningful, and allow them to make improvements aimed at increasing your searches and rankings.
2. Blog daily and accumulate inbound links.
3. Contact the search engine itself, and pay for a service like Google Adwords to ensure highly placed listings.

ALL of these are recommended.

Myths to Watch Out For

What about services that promise to increase your rankings but don't need username/password access to your xsite to do it, and don't plan to make changes to your site? Frankly, for the most part, these are just telemarketers who take your money, put your URL (your web site address) into a piece of software, and then go on to the next call. It's automated smoke and mirrors that can actually reduce the human traffic to your site, while increasing hits from automated software robots, and even drive more spam. Usually, once you agree to a contract, a computer submits your pages to hundreds of search engines (most of which aren't even relevant), and submits individual pages to the big ones like Google and Yahoo (which can actually cause your rankings to be lowered). Search engines don't like individual page submissions and can blacklist your site for it, or dramatically lower the rankings. And ordinary URL submissions to search engines is something that is AUTOMATICALLY done by the XSite ANYWAY, so at best you're paying for something you already have.

Companies that pretend they don't need administrative access to your XSite:

• cannot optimize your content for search engines
• cannot building a truly competitive set of meta-tags (the hidden tags behind each of your pages),
• cannot insert the special file and header that are required for Google and Yahoo to map your site
• cannot do the things it really takes a human being (not a computer) to do

Take a fraction of the expensive money fees you'd spend on these promises and have a real web builder (like us) do a one-time customization/optimization of your site. Blog regularly, and accumulate inbound links (we can show you how to do this with no technical knowledge and in conjunction with the marketing tools that already come with your XSite) -- Why pay for something you ALREADY HAVE? Then, if you want even more, invest in the far less expensive Google Adwords service and, in our experience, you'll really get your money's worth.

Daniel, our internet marketing consultant, actually wrote and helped write a lot of the content on the a la mode Search Engine Optimization site, while he served as Sales Engineer for a la mode. He's one of the most highly recommended web builders doing XSite customization and optimization. Daniel would love to speak with you about what we can do to optimize your web site.

What about services that promise to get you on the front page, or guarantee a certain ranking?

It's mythology. Anyone can get you on the front page if you search under your own company name. How many companies are named exactly the same thing? How many Levitt and Sons Mortgage Services are there in the English-speaking world? But that's for people that already know you. If you're trying to grow your business, what matters is coming up at all in a variety of searches that real prospects will do, like "Macon, Georgia Home Loan" or "Condo in South Beach" or "Appraiser Las Vegas". That's a whole different ball game. And the truth is that no one except the Search Engine Itself can guarantee you a certain ranking in a certain search, because no one controls that except the Search Engine Itself. In fact, Google so closely guards it's formulae for determining rankings that anyone who promises to have it down pat would have to stolen the most closely guarded secret of our time, and how long do you think they'd really be in business?

The truth is there is a lot of MYTHOLOGY out there, and a lot of outdated knowledge. Google, for instance, changes its formulae over time. Did you know that it no longer pays attention to keywords, but reads your page like a human being does, and formulates its own 'keyword' list? Even a lot of web designers have no clue that that's changed. Yahoo on the other hand, still uses them. It's important to have someone who stays up to date and doesn't promise you the moon, but still can deliver a high level of optimization and make valid recommendations for what changes need to be made. There is a lot that we can do to improve your search engine optimization, and we'd like to talk with you, but we prefer to be honest, ethical, and candid about it, rather than sell you what no one can sell you, or else what you already own. No snake oil here.

If that sounds good to you, give Daniel a call.

Real Help with SEO

• Content is King. The more unique, relevant, frequently updated, original written content (text) you have, the better. That's what search engines care about. This is an area we have a lot of experience to help you.
• Blogging generates content. Getting your blog off the ground is a powerful way to improve search engine optimization, and attract people to your services. We can help with this.
• It's not just getting people to your site (traffic), it's turning those visits into contacts (calls, emails, applications, etc). That's a matter of site organization, navigation, content placement, standards, and other areas with which can help.
• Photos actually can help. In the case of photos with links, there are three hidden tags that can actually help it improve search engine optimization. We know how to maximize each image on your site.
• Inbound links (people linking to you) helps tremendously. We provide a confidential report to clients who opt for our customization/optimization package that provides a plethora of simple things you can do without any technical knowledge, to generate tons of inbound links.

Disclaimer: Information related to specific search engines like Google and Yahoo may change at any moment without notification, and so this page should not be taken as a scientific report or a statement of Google or Yahoo policy. For information about the most current policies and practices of any search engine, you must refer to the search engine provider.