What Does SEO Do For Your Website? Since the mid 90’s Webmasters have been finding and creating ways to optimize their Websites for search engines. Higher ranking within the search engines meant more traffic to their page, thus leading to manipulation of meta-tags and various other search algorithms. Search engines then needed to find a way to provide better results to users, and therefore developed highly complex algorithms less subject to manipulation. This is when SEO writing for web content came into major play. SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, has quickly become one of the most widely used online marketing strategies around today. Anyone and everyone owning or running a Website have started using this unique marketing strategy to help their ranking throughout search engines and increase hits to their Site. The theory, as with earlier search engine optimization, is that with a higher ranking and generally more hits to their site on daily basis, will cause their business to see a higher return on profits. Why SEO Works For a Website Essentially SEO is used as a marketing strategy for Webmasters looking to increase their ranks on a search results page. Therefore, professional SEM firms (Search Engine Marketing) consider all sorts of variables to conclude what exactly will help a Website get into the top ranks of a search engines results page. A couple of these variables include speculation on how certain search algorithms function, as well as what exactly people are searching for to find such a Site. Based on what people could be searching for, certain keywords and unique content are made and placed throughout the text on the Website. Then, when those specific keywords or similar content is searched in such search engines as Google or Yahoo, the Web crawlers of those search engines will easily index the visited Site and shoot it up through the rankings on the results page. Other work of SEO might include changing up aspects of a Website that could prevent a Web crawler from completely spidering a Site which would lower the Sites ranking. Changing the configuration, appearance, and coding aspects of the Website to appeal more to search engines, all assist in helping to prevent such problems. Benefits of Professional SEO Services Obviously the main benefit of using some sort of SEO on a Website is increased traffic to the Site and hopefully an increased return on profits. However, there are many unforeseen benefits to SEO as well. These unforeseen benefits include: • Speaking the visitor’s language - Keyword research between the Webmaster and the SEM firm allows the Web administrator to discover the language in which their visitors speak. This allows them to use that language within the Website content and make it more appealing to guests. By utilizing keywords and creating unique text, the Website then becomes content riche, which allows for more information and detail for visitors. Thus, keeping guests coming back and generating even more hits to the Site as word spreads. • Using Page Titles Efficiently – A professional SEM firm will know that many search engines place more importance on the page title than the rest of the page. Assuming that the title accurately
describes what is on the page, the search engines are able to better predict what that particular page is about. Accurate title pages will also help visitors to know where they are which keep them coming back. Headings and Sub headings are equally important as well for search engines and visitors. Search engines scan the headings text just as people do and determine what is of most importance. • Link Text that is descriptive – SEM firms will also provide certain descriptive linked text that is significant not only for search engines that place importance on these links, but for the usability of the site in general. Users will see the descriptive links while scanning and click on what is most important to them. • Quality Content – One of the most important aspects of what an SEM firm can do is to provide quality content on the Website. Through providing quality and well understood content, other Webmasters will be willing to exchange links. This drives even more traffic to the Site and is beneficial for all parties involved. Costs of SEO and SEM Firms The costs of having professional SEO services added to a Website can vary throughout different companies and can be dependent upon the type of services or how many services one might choose. A breakdown of such options can be seen below: · Hourly – An hourly rate is probably the most common and easiest way to price certain projects. Depending on the level of firm, SEO consultants can vary from $40 an hour at the low end, to $500 at the top end of the high demand firms. · Packaged rates – Often an SEM firm will provide a package deal at a certain price for a set amount of work. Such a package might include 20 articles, 15 blogs, 3 press releases, 2 email letters, and keyword research for a monthly rate. These rates of course will vary depending on the experience of the firm, but for the above package anywhere from $2000 - $5000 per month would be reasonable. · Monthly Retainers – Many SEM firms will use a monthly retainer that comes with a general workload package or the option to modify it from month to month. · Pay based on ranking or traffic – Some SEM firms will allow the option to pay for a certain ranking, such as page one or two in a Google search, or pay for a set amount of traffic to a site. Those wanting this kind of deal might have very specific search terms that would yield a high ranking in the search engines. Success with SEO Undoubtedly, SEO is a great marketing strategy for any Website looking to receive a bigger return on profits. When SEO is utilized well, it can ultimately increase ranking and the amount of visitors to a Website while also escalating the usability for guests. However, SEO is most effective when using various other online marketing strategies to support it. Therefore, a professional SEM firm should be consulted when considering online marketing for a specific Website. website content