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Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide from Google

Google put this document online a long time back, but I’m sure there are a lot of people who have never read it. For a free consultation on how we apply these SEO techniques for your website, call Curved Marketing at 512-322-9566.

All this related business about “spiders crawling” a page and “indexing” it can seem somewhat confusing, and if you hate bugs, even unsettling. However, once you get past all the vocabulary the concept of SEO itself is relatively simple. Search engines use an algorithm to rate content based on how closely it relates to a search being run by a user. If someone were to type in “Search Engine Marketing “ for example, the search engine would provide them with a list of sites that most closely relate to both that term, and other words or links associated with it. Websites that rank the highest would most likely have more related words and consequentially more traffic. Call us at 512.322.9566 for your free SEO consultation.

This is where search engine optimization firms come in. These companies, specializing in online marketing strategies, run keyword searches and find phrases that most closely relate to the content a business wants to provide. Fill out contact form to discover how search engine optimization can help your online business.

Combining knowledge of both the systematic process used by search engines to rank websites with the desire of the user for relevant, interesting content, they can weave in words that have a higher probability of being searched while preserving the integrity of the information. Please feel free to call us at 512.322.9566.

Through a careful, considerate balance, SEO companies such as Curved Marketing are able to increase search engine rankings and page views and businesses can enjoy growing success without that expensive magic fairy dust.

Call us at 512.322.9566 or fill out our contact form to get started on crafting your own custom SEO package today.

Maybe it’s just writers block or something, but every single day it seems another post like that gets made. And all of them are bogus questions.

You don’t choose ppc or organic search engine optimization, you do both. You don’t choose to focus on content or links, you do both. The answer is all of the above.

You need on-page optimization of the code. You need well-written content that not only focuses on seo and making sure it’s interesting, but also content that is written by someone who knows how to sell.

You need to build good, related inbound links, using proper anchor text, to more than just your home page. You need links to interior pages as well.

You need to advertise. You need to do video marketing. You need to do article marketing. You need to build Google Knol Pages. You need to be involved in as many social networks as time allows. And those are just a few things you need to do in order to be successful.

It’s isn’t one thing or the other.

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@reelseo awww man google already removed it. in reply to reelseo #

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@contentmanager RT 37% of American consumers still rely on Dial-Up internet connections at home! only 5% when u exclude GA, Alabama, Miss in reply to contentmanager #

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If your phone is still ringing then the economy is good. #

@mattcutts I just want your old one. in reply to mattcutts #

@WordPressWizard still waiting on that nice long email. in reply to WordPressWizard #

@mattcutts can’t wait to see what your april fools joke is this year. in reply to mattcutts #

@maritzaparra lol. Was just a thought. in reply to maritzaparra #

@maritzaparra Like, right now I have to go run. Running is boring. Well . . . I do live in Miami beach, so not too boring. in reply to maritzaparra #

@greatestseo it makes them feel like buying something. in reply to greatestseo #

@seoexpertbd was just wondering. Google and Yahoo don’t validate, why should I? in reply to seoexpertbd #

@andybeal does anyone still use the google toolbar? in reply to andybeal #

Offering Free 140 character website reviews here on twitter. #

@WordPressWizard You should extend that nostalia stuff into a blog post. in reply to WordPressWizard #

@linnetwoods I’m good. just gettin old. Still doing SEO, Blog management, and even Article Marketing. What are you up to these days? in reply to linnetwoods #

@linnetwoods we should chat sometime about business. in reply to linnetwoods #

@cutemama007 “don’t stop cutemama007!” in reply to cutemama007 #

@ignighter well, “are you ok?” in reply to ignighter #

@ErikAstrand I have the only seo company to hire. #allaboutme in reply to ErikAstrand #

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The SitePro News article asks; How can you tell if an offer like this is coming from a SEO scam artist?

Do your due diligence. Have a look at the page rank for the website of supposed SEO experts who’ve contacted you. If their site isn’t highly ranked, then run in the opposite direction. After all, what kind of results can you expect from a SEO company which can’t secure a high page rank for its own site?

Not necessarily true. While it may be one indicator to consider, remember the old saying about a plumber never having time to fix his own leaky faucet. I know some really good SEO guys that don’t rank well for the term SEO let’s say, but they do know what they are doing and they are not scammers.

First of all, when you are trying to rank for terms that have SEO, SEM, Search Engine Optimization, etc., the level of competition for those phrases is extremely tough since all the people trying to get ranked for those terms are likely professional SEO companies.

The article says “After all, what kind of results can you expect from a SEO company which can’t secure a high page rank for its own site?”. Most terms clients want to rank for are much much easier to get than a top ranking for the term SEO. The article makes it sound like it should be easier to rank for an SEO key phrase and if you don’t rank for that term, you must not know how to rank for anything else.

Secondly, most SEO pros know NOT to just rank for the term SEO. A searcher who types in the keyword SEO could be looking for information on how to do SEO, wanting to know what SEO is, or just wanting general information. This is not a buying term, therefore not really a worthwhile target for anyone who sells SEO work.

SEO Consultant, SEO Service, SEO Company, SEO Services, SEO Prices, SEO Rates and other two word phrases are much more targeted than just SEO and anyone typing those phrases is looking to HIRE an SEO company.

The problem is that the article says to see if the SEO company is ranking for it’s own search terms, but fails to tell the reader what search terms they should be ranking for.

I do agree, however, that unless the user found the SEO company through a search engine somehow, somewhere, they likely should not hire them. If the offer came through unsolicited email or by phone rather than by a search you performed, then you should be very careful.

I believe that was the point the author was trying to make.

They guarantee that your site will show up in the first page of results or even as the number one result! Time for a reality check: the algorithms that the search engines use are closely guarded trade secrets meaning that no one outside of a few people at the search engine companies know exactly how it all works. Guaranteeing a certain page ranking is a sign of inexperience at best – and much more likely, indicates a scam.

Absolutely agree with that. No one can guarantee you a top 10 listing in any search engine. If they do, there is something wrong with this picture.

They phone you from what is obviously a very busy call centre. If their sales department is a room crowded with telemarketers trolling for business around the clock, you can hardly expect much personal attention being paid to your site.

As the author indicates, sometimes smaller is better when hiring an SEO company. I only take on a few clients at a time for example, otherwise, I would be too busy to pay the right amount of attention to each client I do take.

It took me time to learn that. I used to do a project and quickly move on to a new client, meaning I had no time to really monitor the results of the work I did for the last client. I learned how to say no and it was the most important SEO lesson I ever learned. So now I do have the time to do the proper followup and analysis for the SEO work I do for clients.

So, some SEO companies may not be scams per say, they may just not have learned the lesson I learned about how to build a good SEO business, about how to take what you can really handle and do a good job with and saying no to the rest.

Just don’t assume that the bigger the SEO company, the better results you will get. That would be like saying GoDaddy Hosting must be better than other hosting companies because they are a big company. If you don’t already know that isn’t true, you should.

They promise to secure your site top rankings for long tail keywords which strike you as unlikely to be used by anyone. For starters, they’re trying to sell you a guaranteed page ranking (but we know better, don’t we?). If the keyword they’re offering you a top ranking for sounds a little fishy to you, look up its popularity with the (free) tool Google AdWords.

Just wanted to add the link to where the (Google Keywords Tool. is, since the author did not. Check the phrase the SEO company is promising to get you ranked for to see if it’s even worth the effort.

Their services are offered at unrealistically low prices. There are some SEO scammers who lure victims by offering to optimize your site and run promotional campaigns for prices that sound entirely too good to be true. An effective SEO campaign takes a significant amount of time and effort for keyword research, reworking page content, building high quality back links and designing and implementing traffic driving strategies. It’s not something that can be done on the cheap, at least not well.

That statement is not entirely correct. When I started marketing on the web, I had no cash at all to promote my websites with, yet I’ve done very well. Some SEO companies, like my own, will work within the budget you have rather than just saying that it costs x amount of dollars, take it or leave it.

As a company, you have to stay within a budget. Many SEO companies, like my own, will help you decide how best to use the budget you have rather than offering you a gold, silver, or bronze pre-set package you may not be able to afford.

And with companies who use these set prices and packages, you are not getting the best service. Every client is unique. You have a set budget you need to stay within, you have different obstacles to overcome, different levels of competition, different goals, etc. than the next client.

You need an SEO strategy that fits into your budget your plans, and your unique situation. So, I would add that you should be leery of any SEO company that offers only preset packages that are a one-size-fits-all approach.

I would also add that you should be careful to avoid signing any long term contracts with any new SEO company you hire. Too many SEO companies have a strategy that includes getting every new client to sign a 3-month, 6-month, 1-year, or even a 2-year contract.

You do not know how well they will perform for you, yet they want you to sign up for a long-term deal? Yes, they will argue that it takes time to do a proper SEO campaign and they are correct. They use that as a reason they need you to sign a long-term contract.

However, there are metrics and analysis tools that will tell you about some of the progress that is being made during a campaign. You do not have to wait until the campaign is complete to see if it is going anywhere.

You do need to understand that the analysis you do during the campaign is not complete and that if you set up goals to achieve in 3, 6, or 12 months, that you still need to wait until the deadlines to see a true analysis.

But, seeing some progress during a campaign is a good indicator that your SEO company is working toward your goals. And if they are making progress, you should continue to stay with them and see the campaign to the end. If you see absolutely no progress or they cannot tell you what progress they are making during the campaign through real analysis and proven metrics, then you may want to go another direction.

Either way, with a contract, you are stuck. Without one, you are in control and your SEO company must perform and get results in order to keep you as a client. So you decide what is best for you.

They promise results in 48 hours (or less). If this could be done it would save everyone a lot of money and time. The results of optimizing a site aren’t visible at all for at least a few weeks – and for the results to really begin trending in the right direction, you often need to wait a few months.

I agree with that 100%. You need to be patient and not believe anyone who tells you they can get you ranked in 30 days or less. Sometimes we get lucky and we do get a site ranking fast. But you shouldn’t be counting on luck. It takes time.

The article goes on to say; Now, if you’re looking for a legitimate SEO firm:

Again, do your due diligence. Look at their credentials, find out who’s used their services in the past and what they have to say about the company.

I don’t totally agree with this statement. I won’t send you a list of my clients so you can check their sites out. With some, I have non-disclosure agreements. I even do the SEO for some of my competitors, names you might even recognize, and they sure wouldn’t want you to know that.

Some SEO companies will approach me for a list of sites i’ve worked on just so they can solicit business from my clients. My clients don’t need more spam from fishers. Sometimes another SEO company wants to check me out so they act like a potential customer wanting a list of clients I work for. Not happening.

It can just be a privacy issue. Some companies, especially large corporate clients, just dont’ want anyone to know they outsource their SEO work. So there are legitimate reasons I or some other SEO professional might not show you some client websites we have worked on.

I do however own enough of my own websites that rank well for competitive terms and can show a client those. I can also show some client websites because that client has agreed to let me use them as an example.

That brings up another point. If, as the author states, you should check to see how well the SEO company ranks for it’s own terms, then it would be fair to want to see non-seo related websites that they own that sell other products or services and what success they have had selling something besides SEO work.

If they have never done affilaite marketing themselves, then how good can they be at doing affiliate marketing for you? If they have never run an online store themeselves, how can they help you run your online store? If they have never sold anything ecxcept SEO and website design, it only proves they know how to sell SEO and website design. it does not mean they know how to sell anything else.

Some will say that’s unfair. After all, they are in the SEO business, so why should they sell anything else. I put up some websites and blogs on unfamiliar topics just as an experiment to see how well we can do with those topics. I keep my hand in affiliate marketing so I don’t lose touch with how it needs to be done and whatever changes come along.

But, just because an SEO company does not do those things, it does not make them a bad SEO company, just like not ranking for a term you think they should rank for does not indicate they are bad at SEO.

You should expect regular reports on how your keywords are performing and you should be able to easily get in touch by phone and speak to one of the SEO consultants to get their advice and input as needed.

The reports you get from me can be found at Google.com, Yahoo.com, MSN.com, Bing.com, etc. You simply type in your target keywords and phrases and you will get an immediate report of how well I’m doing for you.

Written reports can be made to look good. Lots of little graphs and charts make you feel good. It may be something you can take to a meeting and put into a PowerPoint presentation. But written reports are useless compared to actual results. I simply meet with my clients and show them how they are ranking for their terms. I’m either getting results there or I’m not. The client can see for themselves.

So written monthly reports do not indicate your SEO company is legitimate or even good at their job. Even a scammer can create a graph in a word doc. There is nothing wrong with written reports, it’s just not any kind of proof of legitimacy or effectiveness.

The best SEO companies have years of expertise in the field and know the most effective SEO methodologies inside and out – and how to use them to get results for their clients. They won’t make you the outlandish promises that the SEO scammers will and they may not offer bargain basement pricing, but keep in mind that this is one service where you do get what you pay for.

Absolutely correct.

I hope you don’t take offence at my post Andrew. I just see people writing this “How to recognize a legitimate SEO company” type of article all the time. The common thing I always see in these articles is a kind of “everyone-who-does-seo-like-me is legitimate, everyone-who-does-not-is-not-legit” approach.

Different SEO companies do things differently. That alone does not indicate whether or not they are legit. As you said, a lot of proven experience is a good thing to look for, but that does not mean someone new cannnot come along, learn SEO the right way, and start themselves a business. They may be perfectly legitimate, but less experienced. They may even offer lower rates to build up their client list.

None of that means they are not legitmate. So beware of blanket assumptions as to what indicates good or bad seo companies, except the obvious things you mentioned like; Promises that sound too good to be true, offers to target keywords that no one searches for, unwillingness to give out their phone number, unwillingness to give their real location, unwillingness to offer different ways to pay them such as; by check, paypal, google checkout, direct credit cards by phone, etc.

The cool thing about asking about how they can be paid is that paypal, google checkout, credit card companies, and banks have at least verified the existance of the people you are dealing with and that they have a US bank or take US credit cards.

Agreed scammers can get these set up as well, but it’s one step toward veriffying they exist and there are options with those payment systems of recovering money if you get ripped off. If the SEO company wants you to jump through a lot of hoops to get them paid, it is an indicator they may have had problems with chargebacks, bad checks, etc.

In a buyer-beware world, you do have to be careful. But we should also be careful when making a list of things that supposedly prove or disprove the legitimacy of a company.

Andrew, your article was as helpful as you intended. I just thought a few points should be clarified since so many people write about this topic.

In that initial SEO consultation, one of the first things I have to do is find out which type of client I’m dealing with. Here are 10 types of SEO Clients;

1. The “I know all about SEO and just don’t have time to do it myself client”. This one can be difficult. They have read a couple of eBooks, read some SEO blogs, maybe even got a website to rank once for one of their keywords. And now they are going to want to micromanage the SEO project they hire you for. They will want every detail. They will want to second-guess everything you do. They are paying for the right to do so.

But I also get the right to refuse that business if I think it will be too much hassle. Or maybe I’ll just charge them more. An old joke about a sign in a mechanic shop comes to mind.

Labor – $20 per hour.
$40 per hour if you watch.
$80 per hour if you help.

Bottom line: If you are a client who fits into that category, either do the SEO work yourself following whatever blog or eBook or guru advice you heard or read about or let the guy you hire do their job.

2. The “I don’t know much about SEO, but I know I need it client”. This client at least is wise enough to know what they do not know. They may want a lot of details, but they will actually listen to you and probably take your advice.

I don’t mind spending extra time with this client and even teaching them the things they want to learn while we do their project.

3. The “I got ripped off by my last SEO Guy client” is one of the worst clients, but it isn’t their fault. Maybe they really got ripped off, maybe the SEO company was just not experienced enough to really be doing SEO, or maybe they just think they got ripped off because they were unwilling to what was recommended by their SEO guy and now the SEO Guy is to blame for everything.

You have to figure out which one of those is true, because if it was the last one, then you need to make sure that you explain every detail and what they should expect from it and what will likely happen if they don’t take the advice you give them.

4. The “I’m not really sure I want a web business, but I want to see how it works client”. Running a web business is just like running a bricks and mortar offline business. If you do not commit, If you do not have an actual budget or plan, then you will fail. It is really that simple. It doesn’t matter who does your SEO.

You wouid not open a store in your city with no business plan and no budget, so why would you think that you can do so online? it’s ok to experiment if you want, but to do so, you should either learn to promote your own website or be prepared for poor results due to the lack of commitment on your part, not because your SEO guy didn’t do their job. We can only work with the budget you give us.

And speaking of budget. Make one before you call us. Don’t wait until we give you our recommendations and prices to make a budget decision. Decide what you are willing to invest in your online business. Decide how much will go to organic SEO, PPC< Advertising, Website Development, etc.

If you really need help on figuring out what percentage of your overall budget should be spent on each thing, then say that to the SEO guy you call. tell them you have an overall budget of X and want to know how to break that down into percentages for everything you need to do.

A good SEO guy will help you break that budget down for you in such a way as to get the most bang for your buck and they will make sure that you stay within that budget.

5. The “I know I need SEO, understand it somewhat and just want you to get-er-done client”. My favorite of all clients. They want to hire me and let me do my job. They are only interested in actual results.

This type of client will get the best results from their SEO company because they are going to let their SEO guy do what he does and the only time there will be a problem is if the SEO guy doesn’t get them any results. It’s very simple. This type of client will just go hire someone else who can.

6. The “I want a deal on everything because I’m such a friendly guy client”. This client can be really irritating. They think they are the greatest salesman ever born and that they can talk anyone into anything. Every time you give them a price, they will spend an hour and 100 emails to get a $5 discount.

Seriously, most legitimate SEO guys do not have the time to bargain with you over every detail. You will just end up becoming less important to your SEO Guy. Here is what I mean.

Client A paid me full price to build his microsites. Client B took up an hour of my time to get me to give him a discount. Guess whose microsites will get done first? You cannot constantly ask me to give you a discount AND think you are going to be a high-priority client at the same time.

Now, on the other hand if you say I want a discount and I am willing to wait until you can get it done, we may be able to talk about it. But if you want it done asap, then quit bargaining with me and let me get started on your project!

7. The “I just paid $5000 for a program some Internet Marketing Guru sold me and I don’t have much money now and I want you to fix it so it makes money client”. Seriously? You paid this guy $5000 for something that doesn’t make you any money and you want me to fix it for less? Seriously?

If you are the type of person who sees that guy on TV that tells you that you can make thousands of dollars in your very first week when he gives you those “free” websites and believes them, you have a real problem. Any guy who hires some big-breasted women to stand around a pool and interview people who say they made thousands of dollars with this system with little or no work at all is counting on your stupidity.

Seriously, if you think you can make money online without putting any work into it and get rich, someone should take you to court and get a court order to manage your money for you. Maybe they don’t need to prove you are insane, just prove you are stupid. That should be legal in this case.

You CAN make a network marketing deal work and bring in some income. You will not likely ever get rich from it. And you will need to hire an SEO guy to make it happen for you. So if you spend all your money to buy the program and have nothing left to use for SEO, then you are stuck with what you bought. You should think about that before investing in the next get rich quick scheme.

8. The “My website was ranking for my keywords and now it isn’t client”. This client may be similar to number 1 in that they are going to want to tell you what they want you to do rather than letting you do your job. They are going to tell you to do the things they did before that worked for them once upon a time.

You can’t keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect different results. remember that phrase and let your SEO guy do their job. They are not going to do it just like you did it before. If they are good at their job they are going to get your rankings back and make it stick this time.

9. The “I just need more links and traffic client”. This person isn’t making sales and they believe that if they just had more traffic, it will solve everything. They also believe that if they just have enough links out there they will rank better and all will be good in the world.

First of all, if you have a terrible conversion rate with the traffic you have, then more traffic will not improve the percentage of customers who buy your product. It may improve the number of overall sales, but at what price?

You need to improve your conversion rate with the traffic you have first. Once you know you are able to convert sales at a higher rate, then you go after more traffic. So your SEO guy needs to work to improve your website and you need to have the patience to let him do so.

And let’s dispel a myth about link popularity right now. Just increasing the number of links to your website does not automatically lead to higher rankings in the search engines no matter what you read on someone’s blog or in an eBook or on a website.

That’s right. I invite someone to argue that point with me any time, any place. I can get websites to rank on the front page of search engines for very competitive terms with as few as 8 backlinks. If you cannot do this, don’t think that means you need thousands of links to get a site ranked. I will call you out on that. If it take you thousands of inbound links to get a website ranked high for a competitive phrase, then you just don’t know how to build or optimize a website.

10. The “I’m a newby and don’t know anything at all client”. They want to run an online business but they do not understand the basics yet. As their SEO guy it is your job to guide them in the right direction and to help them be successful. if you take this client, you need to know it will require some hand-holding, some patience, and a lot of extra explaining time.

I personally don’t mind teaching as we go along with their project, but if you are not the type of person who enjoys teaching, you shouldn’t take this client at all.

Anyway, that’s my take on the ten types of clinets that call for an SEO Consultation. All clients should be treated with respect and as an SEO guy, you need to figure out which type of client is calling you and whether you are really equipped to handle their project or willing to deal with the issues that come with accepting that client.

That means you cannot take every client that comes along. If you are doing that, you must not have the confidence that you will get enough business and feel you need to grab every dollar you can from each and every client that calls. Or you are just in it to get as much money from them as you can with no real concern for their success. Either way, a bad SEO company is one that takes every single client without evaluating the circumstances.

As for clients, you really need to ask all the questions you have, admit it if your are the type that is going to micromanage everything, let us know if you are going to want daily updates on everything, and you need to have a budget in mind before you call.

This might sound like a rant, but it is not intended to be one. There are just a lot of clients out there who need to understand the relationship between them and their SEO guy and there are a lot of SEO guys out there who need to understand their relationship with clients and what is expected of them and how different each client is.

Every client is unique and has a unique situation. If you are unwilling to give the personalized service that is required to make people successful with their online business, then maybe you should be doing something else.

For a free SEO consultation by someone who is willing to do what it takes, call 786-317-8774. But remember, I may or may not take you as a client just as you may or may not want to hire me. We both have that freedom to choose. But the consultation is free, so you have nothing to lose to see if we are a good match for you.