SEO Program Outsourcing

Managing Search Engine Optimization By Outsiders

Part 1

By Bob Garcia, Director WebPosition by WebTrends

Originally Published: January 2005

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Introduction

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an ongoing effort. The variables that influence search visibility and rankings are constantly changing: Search engines update their rules. Competitors constantly optimize their pages to improve their rankings. New players enter.

Without a SEO solution to keep you constantly "updated" on changes that could affect your rankings positively or negatively, you could lose highly targeted web traffic to your competitors.

Several times a week we receive calls from firms who are looking for help with their search engine marketing efforts. Their reasons vary from, "I'm just too busy to stay on top everything" to "The competition is heating up online and I want to maximize the return on my SEO efforts." Before you charge ahead, you should take a few moments to more narrowly define your objectives and requirements.

Establishing your top priority and the time frame for achieving it should help determine your course of action and what type of search engine marketing help you need. For example, are you looking to:

1. Get an immediate bump in temporary traffic?
2. Temporarily direct traffic to particular pages/areas of your website?
3. Build a longer-term, lower-cost, sustainable source of traffic?
4. Do all of the above?

Your answer to this question will help determine the proper solution. Temporary or tactical needs such as immediate traffic bumps or promoting specific areas of your website might favor solutions such as PPC or Paid Inclusion. If, on the other hand, your time horizon is longer or more strategic, an organic SEO resource is your best bet.

Although we strongly advocate balancing your off-line and on-line marketing activities, for purposes of this article, we will focus on how to optimally select an SEO resource to help optimize your organic search engine rankings.

Why focus on organic? Organic search listings generate an estimated six of seven commercially natured search referrals. JupiterResearch estimates organic indexes generate 87 percent of commercial referrals from search engines. Click here for more insight into search marketing.

As I'm sure you are aware, true search engine optimization takes many factors into consideration and a SEO consultant should be able to demonstrate their competence with:

• Keyword research and selection
• Writing and language skills
• Linking strategies and tactics
• HTML and website design skills
• Tracking and reporting

If you're looking for a SEO business partner, finding a partner who has the required knowledge and successful track record in SEO should be your top priority. Beyond demonstrating deep SEO domain expertise, you should also ask any SEO company:

Continued: Finding A SEO Company >>>

This article is copyrighted and has been reprinted with permission from FirstPlace Software.

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February 04 2012 04:34 UTC