Professional SEO

People often ask me if they really need professional SEO help, and if they can do their own search engine optimisation. My answer is always the same: of course you can. Just like you can fix your own plumbing, do your own mechanical repairs, and add your own home extension.

That's not as silly as it sounds. There are elements of SEO that anyone can do - just spend a few minutes on Google and you will probably learn some valuable search engine optimisation techniques.

I've provided a rough guide below to determine if you can run an effective self-run SEO campaign. If you cannot answer in the affirmative to all of the ten questions posed below, you need the services of a professional search engine optimiser.

Matt Cutts, who works for Google's Search Quality Group (specialising in search engine optimisation issues), says the key to achieving great Google results is "simple":

1) making great content that will attract links in the first place, and
2) choosing a site architecture that makes your site usable/crawlable for humans and search engines alike.

Bear this in mind when you look at the checklist below.

1) Do you have an understanding of HTML?

This extends from very basic stuff like adding meta tags and alternative text, but may also include ensuring your site complies with W3C web standards. Note the quote above from Matt Cutts ("choosing a site architecture that makes your site usable/crawlable...). You may have the best content in the world - but if your website architecture lets you down, you won't get very far.

2) How much time do you have to dedicate learning what to do?

Learning how to identify and fix issues can take many, many hours. But, if you don't understand #1, you may not understand a lot of what you are reading.

3) How much time do you have to spend on your website fixing it's search engine and human accessibility?

Let's say you have ticked #1 and #2 - when optimising a website can take anywhere from 1 hour to maybe several days if re-construction is required, do you have that time?

4) The human condition - can you start NOW?

It's only natural. If you don't start a job soon after you decide something needs doing, often it will be left by the wayside, or go in the "too hard basket". Do you have the time to start your own search engine optimisation campaign in the next few days?

5) Will your time spent on SEO impact other areas of your business?

OK, so you understand HTML, you have the time to learn, you have the time to dedicate to executing your SEO plan, and you can virtually start now. Who will be doing what you normally do while you spend the many hours necessary for numbers 1 through 4? And what if the job grows? What if instead of taking 20 hours (eg), it becomes ongoing and more difficult than first expected.

6) Website copywriting

Usually when customers ask when what to write for their web pages, I tell them to just write naturally. - write about what they know. This will work for a lot of people, but then do you understand how keyword densities can affect SEO, either at a glance or using software (which is not always accurate anyway)? Do you know how much or how little to write on any given subject? Will your copy be engaging?

7) What if you already have website copy?

You may already be getting some decent Google results - just not enough. Do you know how to alter existing website copy so as not to damage your current search engine optimisation results, but improve them?

8) Experience - do you have any in SEO?

This is the key. If you do not have any prior SEO experience, then what starts off taking a few hours, may end up taking weeks or months - and you may STILL not get it right. Even experienced search engine optimisers can take weeks to get the SEO right. However, you SHOULD start to notice improvements in the first couple weeks.

9) Do you know what software to use?

You only have to do a search for "SEO software" and you are bombarded with choices. Which one do you pick? Do you pick the one that looks good and is cheap, or the one that costs $1000 but looks complicated and "clunky"? Good luck with that one!

10) Haven't you got anything better to do?

If you have reached this far on the page, then its pretty clear you want to improve your listings in the organic results (as opposed to the pay per click results). Think of all the time and effort the above will take you away from your business.

In summary, I urge everyone to have a BASIC understanding of SEO. The reason for this is there a lot of so-called search engine optimisation specialists and website designers who really don't know enough about achieving results - so you need to be able to identify them and move on to people who CAN help you.

Also be wary of people who "guarantee" results - read my article entitled "Guaranteed SEO" for more information.

A good litmus test is to ask a prospective search engine optimiser what sort of results they achieve for themselves and their clients.

Here are just a few justweb™ page one Google results:

Note that the following keyword phrases are not obscure or very specific - they are broad terms which are searched for often and mostly have a lot of competition.

Dennis Rutzou Public Relations (Public relations company)
public relations company, public relations Sydney, pr firm, pr services

Back To Basics Chiropractic (Chiropractic clinics)
chiropractor, chiropractic conditions, chiropractic problems, referred pain

Itech Corporation (Human Machine Interface systems & electrical management)
electrical services management, human machine interface

Nightingales (Wedding and event planners)
wedding planner, wedding designers, wedding planner Sydney, wedding stylist Sydney

Proctor & Associates (Lawyers)
dui lawyer, criminal lawyer, licence appeals, dui

Pro-tech Corp Pty Ltd (Synthetic grass and putting greens)
putting greens, synthetic lawn, golf practice net, artificial turf

justweb™ (Website design & search engine optimisation)
SEO Australia, SEO Sydney, search engine optimisation Sydney, website design Sydney, law articles, best publicity, free Google advertising, spam law, good copywriter, video sitemap
(each month, over 7,000 different keyword phrases are used to find justweb™)