5 questions worth asking.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who would love to take your money to “get your website on the first page of Google.” If your e-mailbox is like mine, you may get solicited constantly by them. Here are some questions you can ask them to help determine if they can deliver on their promises, and the answers you want to hear.
1. How do you decide on which keywords to target?
A. We do keyword research to determine what phrases people are actually looking for when they search for your products and services. We also make judgments about which of those keywords are more apt to be used by people who are ready to act, rather than those just looking for information. Then we see how many pages are already indexed for those keywords, and we look at the pages that are ranking on the first page. Our goal is to find keywords that are being searched for by real people who are going to buy, with a realistic level of competition.
2. What guarantee can you give me about ranking on Page 1?
A. Anyone who guarantees you Page 1 ranking is either naïve or lying. No one can guarantee Page 1 ranking for worthwhile keywords. It’s usually not difficult to get you on Page 1 for your business name, and you certainly should be there! But the purpose of optimizing your website is to move you up in the rankings for searches by prospective customers and clients who DON’T already know your name.
3. Are my page names important?
A. Yes, your page names will help in your ranking. Google uses page names as one clue to determine what your page is about. So a page named “products.htm” tells them much less than one named “blue-widgets.htm.” But don’t go changing all of your page names without first planning for that migration! Remember that once a page has been indexed and cached, consider it permanent. So you need to properly redirect traffic from the old page, to the new page. The best way to do that is using what’s called a 301 Redirect. The worst way is using a Meta Refresh statement.
4. Can I use a Flash intro page on my site?
A. No! Your homepage is the most important page on your site to Google. The spiders collect all the links from your homepage, then they visit each link in turn. If your homepage is a Flash movie, chances are your links will not be visible to Google: the spider will see a dead end. So all the great information you have inside your site will not exist, and Google will have nothing to index. End of story!
5. Do I need to re-write my homepage copy?
A. Yes, if we modify the keywords we are targeting for your homepage. Your website can only rank for phrases which you are actually using on that page. If your homepage is mostly images with words as part of those images, or if you have a lot of text but none of it contains your keywords, then you will NOT be successful in ranking.
Do watch out for firms who ask for a large lump sum to start, plus a monthly retainer with a long-term commitment. Some will charge you $5000 or more up front, and anywhere from $2000 to $10,000 or more each month, and require you to sign a 6- or 12-month contract. Experts in the field agree that unless you are a national brand, this practice, and these numbers, is well beyond your needs. In the SEO arena, paying more doesn’t necessarily mean you will be getting more.
SEO evolves over time because Google and the other search engines continue to refine their algorithms. What worked two years ago may not even be relevant today. It’s worth revisiting your optimization with a professional on a bi-annual basis. In the interim, you – or a less-highly paid employee – can keep your site moving forward. Next month we’ll talk about how!
