COMMENTS
I'm a search marketing specialist and my biggest complaint is the design firm who fails to apply basic SEO principles to a website. I'm often in the position of having to turn away clients because my recommendation is a complete redesign! In this day and age, with all the free tools, forums and books on SEO, it seems unconscionable that someone would charge thousands of dollars for a website that's virtually invisible to the search engines.
I agree with you all the way we should make a SEO Check Lists for people to use when shopping for a SEO Services
Thanks
LK
Please write follow-up article! We're about to re-launch our site with a new brand name. We're also trying to boost our traffic with link love. We have a great deal of original content that will be building up over the next year. If companies take on SEO themselves....what's the checklist? Thanks again for another great article! EAD
Dharmesh - I usually run into another room quickly when non-SEO folks start writing about SEO, but this is good. :-)
Elizabeth -- there are lots of great SEO resources online for small businesses. Just do a little clicking/searching and you should find a wealth of information.
ooh, oooh, is she in Northern California? I think I have seen some of her handiwork on reddit - weird submissions touting some weird product web sites - completely fish out of water topics for reddit, clearly no clue that the stuff would get either massively downvoted or completely ignored.
My favorite was the SEO outfit that sent me an offer to create content for my site. I replied back with the numerous spelling and grammar mistakes corrected. :-)
Worse than SEO consultants are the SEO wannabes. They are thos who cause the biggest harms at companies. That guy who knows a bit of HTML code and thinks that SEO is all about imbounds links.
Actually, Matt is still running Elite-WebDesigns.com with no staff to support the services he is selling. He's also hiding assets under my company name, solutions-recovery and senior solutions... Both rehab centers being run out of his house on tenaya.
I never wrote the posted blog above.
We worked for Matt in Egypt and got screwed.
We are still holding over $27,000. in bad checks from Mr. Marlon. As far as hiding assets, He's probably having trouble hiding his ass right now from ALL the people he screwed that worked for him. In my case I don't wish to ever see or be near Mr. Marlon again.
Thank you David for the update. I will make sure he gets a visit at his house pretty soon.
The message posted on July 9th again was not me. I never wish to see Matt again. At his house or other wise. Fuck him, Traffic-power,Elite webdesigns and Maryann and anyone else affilliated with him. And you too for posting shit with my name on it. If you have a problem with Matt then put your own name on the post asshole.
I will continue to post messages untill you figure who this is. Matt A Marlon
Well written article. You need a comprehensive organic strategy to opimize what you have and grow your site with more pages. Acquiring links should still be a big part of that but publishing fresh content daily should be paramount. I've never met an SEM company I liked.
Hope there was an painful cavity check at the dentention center.
Great materials! Thanks to this page it was easer to exxpalin to my boss that the email he just received is a scum. My best! RS
It's really amazing how many claim to be expert at SEO! The bottom line is references and proof of performance... The tools and resources on hubspot.com are a valuable resource and I love sharing them with my clients ;)
Also, if I can make a late add. A good indicator that you should look elsewhere is if someone guarantees a result. Truthfully, if a SEO company is doing their job, you should be in the top ten results for some key phrase. I used to work for a "false seo" company, who claimed that they would give a money back guarantee that they would get people on page one of Google. There is really no way to know that they will succeed.
Thanks for sharing all this great info. Would love to see the follow up article.
I get at least one call per week from some bogus SEO expert promising to get me on the front page of Google, they all want control of my Google Adwords account. Like I'm going to give that up to a company I've never heard of!
Wow, I'd be pretty terrified if all the advice an SEO Consultant told me was to buy links...ouch, that's like saying, "it's okay if you have no clue what you're doing, just buy the traffic."
Absolutely! This is such good sense.In the beginning I spent far too much time submitting my blog and website to a whole lot of arbitrary directories with no obvious increase in traffic. Now I just concentrate on my own content and stuff that interests me and I have the same results. Message: do what you love and the right traffic will come.....even if it takes longer.....
Back in the late 1990's I was sysadmin/marketer for one of the first internet malls. Since I had access to the control of the logs I logged everything. Back in those days free-for-all were free and all the other directories were useful and I put them to good use - a full 20% of our traffic (and revenue) came from them. Now a days that is no longer true. Sad.
Main problem I find is that they have paid for design and then are quite reluctant when you start engaging them about usability and the layout of the site in terms of specific calls to action because this typically has an impact on the original design. Colour, style, image are all important but the connection has to be made between design and the potential to convert your online visitors.
My biggest problem is the clients who create their own website, and then want me to "SEO it" for them. Or they pay someone else to create it who doesn't know what they are doing. These people have a hard time understanding it's not just something that's done magically by adding a couple of tricks, but a strategy that involves the entire site.
I really enjoyed the article, you'd be amazed how many of these people there are in Spain. It almost seems that anyone with a computer is also a web designer and SEO expert, and sadly, the hard working hotel or bar owner knows no different and trusts them.
Excellent. It always makes me feel better as an SEO consultant when someone outside of the biz writes pointers that I agree with.
Thank you.
My views on keyword density: I do believe that using a spider sim tool can help you win with content and some of these will point out keyword density, & some even keyword proximity. I agree that there is no set rule of thumb for keyword usage however I use keyword density tools - I use them as only one possible measure of many but it can help show why one page on a competitor’s site may be doing better than a page on a client’s site. It can also help show differences in similar key phrases and to decide if you are wanting to target longtail vs. go for the gusto with shorter higher searched on terms.
Dharmesh, I couldn't agree more. And well written, with a bit of tongue-in-cheek.
We use social media to help drive traffic and brand for our clients.
That said, we spend too many hours instructing clients to clean up their sites, use best-practice design and navigation, and test, test, test.
Driving traffic, backlinks, content... any and all of the basics, without having a site that will perform, is a complete waste of time and resources.
Fix your home first. Then bring the traffic.
Thanks for the great articles.
Best,
Mark Alan Effinger
RichContent Permanent Media Placement
I am just starting up on my site and am key for a follow up to this and knowing your "positive" signs as well.
Nice post Dharmesh. My personal experience is that my web hosting company offers many products (at a fee) and one of them was top-ten placement in the search engines for 20 keywords.. Guaranteed! I supplied a list of 50 keywords and they chose the 20 they would use (or else there was no guarantee).
Well guess what? I'm out over 2k and the keywords are sitting in search engine limbo with no better placement than if I had a 4th grader do it. (The keywords were low search volume words!) If I had been a Hubspot member back then, I never would have used their offer.
The lesson learned here is what Russell mentioned above, run if they offer an unrealistic guarantee and don’t look back!
Dharmesh- We just lost a prospect to your service, and while I am quite sure that we didn't hit any of the issues that would drive away a perspective customer, I really appreciate your take on the foibles of the the SEO consultants. Thanks.
Good article. Google's algorithm distinguishes between links that are purchased and links obtained for free
due to your content. Bad site structure reduces your chances of a high ranking. I have seen websites with a customised Content Management system where you could not assign a different title for each page. Keyword densities will depend on the industry as as long as your content is natural sounding to the site visitors it should be allright.
Indeed, run screaming from screaming from any marketing consultant who's ready to plunge into a tactic with you without understanding how the tactic is supposed to move the needle at the client's business.
A client may want to offload SEO like a transaction, and that's not cool. You need a partner who insists on identifying your specific business goals before making recommendations about SEO or any other marketing program. Only with goals in hand can a partner responsibly look at all the options then recommend the marketing strategies and tactics to get you there.
Related point: I'd run from someone who makes it sound like they can "handle SEO for you" as if search is a silo. Picking keywords should stretch your brain to make some high level decisions about positioning and priorities.
In sales discussions about SEO what we offer is along the lines of:
“We should see this sort of progress at about this rate for the programs implemented. Success depends on A, B, and C. You, client, play a role in A, B, and C...”
The best way to find out if you are being fed a load of horsesh*t about SEO is to learn (at least) the basics yourself.
No better place in my opinion than Stomper Faculty member Dan Theis' http://www.seofaststart.com (not an afiliate link) which is absolutely free.
... agree with Rebekah. I would add to the "run" list and suggest if the firm does not actively involve you... rather insists that SEO is some black box, then it is a definite bad sign.
excellent read everyone thank you, I was just about to go for one of these top ten placements or your money back.
lc
Great article! I agree. Your business can't live without your SEO guy. -Biztrader.com
It's a little known fact that one of the so-called "trusted sources" mentioned in the beginning of this article has never even optimized or positioned ANY website ever. Talk about a fraud; what a joke. We've been doing SEO quite successfully for 10+ years and we also have a list of red flags to watch for when considering an SEO. See it
here. Going public and being very visible along with a large readership is NOT the measure of a great SEO. The really good ones are either unavailable or too expensive for most companies, or they're too busy working to hang out in forums or post articles all over the Web.
@ The Visible Dentist the page you've linked to is great.
What do you mean by "folks who hang out in forums and post articles all over the web"? That's just about everyone here...
Great write up, I especially love number 6. I love getting new clients that have a ridiculous amount of hidden text. I especially love being approached by other online marketers at local meetups who claim this is "the way". I should tell them about your post. :D
Great list. What about...the SEO Consultant who still puts an emphasis on the meta keyword tags.
I think the absolute number one thing you can do is write good, relevant content often. Here also is one of the articles I wrote.
http://www.dashaver.com/SEO-Malpractice
The tool is great and the information here is really very helpful. Thanks so much for the great information, as I also need great SEO services, as your website grader indicated.
A great post. I recently completed Howie Swartz Apprentice 1 & 2 programs. He teaches what you said. I don't totally agree with #6. Depending on the type of niche you are in, you can be more aggressive with SEO. Under Howie's hands on teaching, I ranked for my seasonal niche on Google 1,2,3,4,12,13,etc, out of 1,350,000 searches. I would recommend anyone follow him, either in free programs or paid programs. He is a master in niche, keyword, and SEO research.
An interesting article and yet kind of humorous. When I was a 'newbie' , I remember talking a lot about keyword density, etc. It makes me laugh thinking back on it!
Good read!
7 Steps To Avoid an SEO Scam 1) seek an SEO specialist in your industry niche
2) ask the person or company for references
3) request to see examples of their work
4) establish goals and a campaign strategy to get there
5) require keyword benchmark positions to gauge progress
6) expect a flat-rate fee or one with a monthly payment option
7) insist on a performance guarantee and only pay once goals are reached
John Barremore
Houston, TX
Russell - I read how those folks can guarantee page one of Google. They choose a long-tail keyword that absolutely no one is using (or searching for) and optimize for that - And then, behold! Page one
for a keyword nobody wants. Oh, and great post by the way. An awful lot of SEO is just common sense - and remembering to use the basic methods. Write for people with an eye to search engines.
We have an SEO company working for us (not my choice) and the fees seem absolutely outrageous. They are "buying keywords" on Google and we rank in the top 3 on Google searches, but the hits aren't converting to leads. We get probably 3000 "unique" visitors a month from Google but it doesn't necessarily translate into sales. I swear they are scamming us but they are "industry experts" for automotive. How can I make them prove we are getting what we pay for?
Hey great little post...I totally agree. I hear the darn comment about keyword density! just write for human consumption already.
Give me the POSITIVE ONES! a few at the very least. lol
Ok, I'm laughing right now, seriously. I think I'm gonna have to do a link back on my page to this article because it is so true. I am just starting off in this venue professionally but that doesn't mean I haven't done my research. I think the reason I consider myself no good at "sales" is because I'm too honest, and I believe the more honest you are with your clients, the more you will receive in return. I believe in building "organically" I honestly would not and have not suggested to any clients to buy links...I think it ridiculous, and in these days a total waste of money. It would be more cost effective to hire a someone to work part-time, and research QUALITY links within your niche. As for overly complicated explanations...if I don't know it, I don't know it but I'll sure as hell research it and get back to you instead of building up a bunch of BS, it's just not worth it, and makes you look like a clown.
These are great tips. I have set up my website for a year now. Learning as I go, 1 page at a time. I also tried submission to many directories sites initially and only managed to get my site downgraded by google after a few months! A total waste of time. From then on, I read up on SEO online and offline. "The Idiot's guide to growing your business with Google by Dave Taylor" is a good read. Today, I pretty much just focus my attention on creating good content for my site one page at a time. Nothing fancy, just good content with a sprinkle of keywords as I write. Along the way, I have adopted good habits such as good title, good description, information alternative text for images, linking to other parts of your site that is related etc. I am already pretty successful with both Yahoo & Google searches for my targeted crowd. From an initial Alexa rank of 20million, I have currently reached 960k and hitting for 500k in the next 6 months. One page at a time:)
I would add one more: The SEO expert promises near immediate results or quick fixes. The key to SEO and other inbound tactics is SUSTAINED commitment and exposure in multiple categories of marketing: podcasts, PR, print publications, blogs, plus SEO. Even as a small compmany, you need to have a good marketing mix. An SEO expert who doesn't know other tactics is probably too specialized.
I'm visiting this same post the second time. The post is also a good starting point for any SEO consultant who is just setting off on a route to becoming a consultant!!
Many of the comments would add to his knowledge.
I agree, Atul.
I'm looking to add SEO to my skill set, and would love to be a consultant. I've decided though, to show my potential clients this article. Just to put it all out there. Relationship building and getting referrals will be the basis of my business...showing my integrity will be important.
Are we allowed to use hubspot articles in our blogs, this article is great
Melissa: We ask that you do not republish the entire article elsewhere. However, a small excerpt or summary -- with a link back to the original is great.
Glad you liked the article.
Im an seo consultant myself and totally agree with the arguments above. Especially when clients ordered a website that suposedly is search engine friendly because of some extra module they bought...
Great article Dharmesh! I wish I could get my clients to stop looking for the silver bullet and make the commitment to continuously creating quality content. One of the challenges is that we often work with small professional services companies who are all about billable hours and taking time to create this content is not high on their list. We're finding ways to help them through this.
Mike
Great article,Dharmesh. I hope there's a follow up article on this. Thanks.
I'm not an SEO expert, just a sole proprietor. Of 14 search keyword phrases by which clients may find me, I rank in the top 3 non-paid listings in 11 of them (often #1). The info available on the web is good enough to position yourself #1, if you take just a little time to apply them. No SEO expert needed.
Thank you for the insight. We had a guy that was supposed to handle our SEO for naperdesign.com and he left with the money. Now I'm having to learn all of this even though I'm just a designer.
Nice Posting.
Thanks for Sharing.
Thank you for the tips. It's really helpful cuz I'm looking for an SEO consultant for me website.
Great article. The reason I use Hubspot for my dc nightlife website
DC Clubbing
I like the 1st comment. I would say 99% of websites have to be rebuilt.
The problem is a client's initial SEO education is from a "Internet savy" guy that thinks he knows SEO, but in reality has no clue.
Then I love the do-it-yourselfers. I had one guy with about 100 keywords in his title tag telling me why he was right and I was wrong. Then I asked, do you get customers form Google? Client say ahhhhhhhh.