我不时会看到篇文章说到人们在选择搜索引擎优化公司给自己的网站做在线推广时应该期望一些什么。大部分这样的文章都是由做SEO的人,或者是对此领域熟悉的人写的。这些文章就其所涉及的过程最重要的方面提供了很有价值的信息(或者是那些作者们自以为如此)。 在一个很流行的业内网站上最近有一场讨论,使我不禁想到了事情的另一个方面。我不想再列一个单子,告诉他们对于SEO应该或者不应该期望什么。我反而想分析一下,一个客户在筛选搜索引擎优化公司时,实际上在期待些什么。下面就是一个客户考虑的七点要素:[b]价格[/b]:尽管许多人愿意为一项好的服务多付费,但是通常还是会出现这样的情况,价格高出了一个公司当时的预算。与公司的工作质量无关,他们只不过是出不了那么多钱罢了,至少在当时的确如此。然后,大家就开始讨价还价。和我在探讨合作可能的客户有一个说我的价格太高了,另一个说我的价格和他正考虑的其它公司差不多。其实这和每个人的期望值有关,每个人都有个他能或者他自认为能承受的价格范围。从来没有人给我说过我们的价格不够高(尽管我想某些客户的确能会这样想!)[b]资历[/b]:我最喜欢的问题之一就是“你们从事这个行业多久了?”我知道有许多优秀的SEO从事此业比我们的时间要短得多,但是我知道能够告诉人们我们从事此业的时间对他们来讲是一个使他们放心的值得考虑的因素。我们的资历告诉他们,SEO不是种不可靠的行业,不会一夜之间就倒闭的。[b]信任[/b]:网站上有许多能增加客户信任的内容,这也起一些作用。这种内容的表现之一就是属于某种协会,比如Better Business Bureau(美国的一个商业管理机构)。在网站上展现这种内容,包括网站的资历都会增强客户的信任度。[b]保证[/b]:我不会说我能确保什么,但是我相信人们已经开始认识到没人能保证网站在搜索引擎中靠前的排名。甚至网站的收录与否都不能轻易保证,除非SEO公司能真正完全地控制一个网站推广的全部方面。经常有人问我们能否保证什么样的结果,结果我们发现当我们说不保证任何排名时,他们都松了口气。我们的回答给了他们所需要的保证。这些客户如果碰上了那些承诺在19天内能使网站排第1名的公司是会知道及时抽身的。[b]舒适度[/b]:我认为选择一个SEO,在很大程度上取决于做出决定的人和SEO公司或个人在交流时的适度程度。SEO公司/个人可能正确地讲到了所有的工作内容,但是如果做决定的人和他在一起交流时觉得不很舒服,他完全可能去找其它的公司/个人。对SEO来讲,将自己的个性和那个找交道的人相适应是很重要的。在谈话时,我可以和我的某些客户开开玩笑,但是和另一些,我就得严肃些。我找到使他们最舒服的方法,并应用它。[b]规模[/b]:是的,SEO公司的规模也有影响!不同的客户根据自身的需要寻找不同规模的公司。有的人觉得和SEO个人合作,更能关注他自身的需要;有的人觉得只有大公司才能处理好他的问题。还有些人需要得到非常贴心的个人服务,但同时要确保他们的合同没有分包给远在印度的他人。没人能提供每个人都适合的完美的规模,还不如去提供客户需要的保证和关注,确保工作的成功。[b]成果[/b]:许多潜在客户指望着SEO的保证,但是真正聪明的人会想知道你的工作成果。他们想知道你取得过的成绩,还有曾经服务过的客户,可能他们还会想和你的客户通个电话,聊聊你提供过的服务。 SEO公司/个人会告诉那些潜在的客户应该期望些什么,但是这和客户自己实际上所期望的通常完全不同。这当然不是说,这些客户们不应该听取我们SEO所推荐的,但他们推荐的那些只不过是冰山一角罢了。那些是工作的重要组成部分,但不是最重要的。如果能够使客户在以上领域满意的话,一个SEO就会有极大的优势,不仅在获得客户方面,也会在维持客户的满意度方面。...
by Trenton MossWednesday, October 27, 2004 That's right - this search engine optimisation article is telling you not to submit your website to any search engines. Not Google, not Inktomi, not AltaVista. Sound a bit strange? Read on...Submitting to all the search enginesSubmitting your website to every search engine is an incredibly time-consuming process. There are hundreds and hundreds of them out there - no doubt, you've come across the companies who'll submit your website to 1000 search engines for you.Search engine professionals know that the vast majority of these search engines have a very low usage rate and will drive hardly any traffic your way. In fact, it's only a handful of search engines that drive the majority of traffic from search engines to websites.The major search enginesSome of the most important search engines, probably accounting for over 90% of the search engine market, are:[list][*]Google[*]Yahoo! [*]Inktomi[*]Teoma[*]Fast[*]AltaVista[/list] Please note that the new MSN search engine is soon to roll out and will be very important.Don't submit to these search engines"But there's only six of them - why on earth not!?" Well, aside from saving time and a bit of money (some require a submission fee), quite simply there's no need. Allow me to explain...Search engines crawl the web every few weeks (or months) looking for websites to index. Here's how it works:[list][*]Search engines start at one website with a large number of outbound links (usually a directory)[*]They follow every link they come across, indexing each page they arrive at[*]Once a page has been indexed they follow all the links from that page [*]And so on until there are no more links to follow[/list] Unless today is your very first day on the Internet, you might have heard that inbound links into a website are extremely important in establishing its search engine ranking. If a search engine can't find you by itself through crawling the web, then your website doesn't have any inbound links. If so, you'll never achieve a decent search engine ranking so what's the point in registering?Getting incoming links quicklySo, how do you get incoming links? Well, this is a vast topic which I won't be discussing now, but if you want to get a few good links quickly then there is a solution: web directories. If your website is listed in the Yahoo! directory (not the same as Yahoo! search) and the Open Directory (which Google uses) all the search engines should find you within two to three months.There are plenty of other directories you should get listed in too. Global, local and industry-specific directories abound on the Internet. To find them run a search for 'web directory' on your favourite search engine. The directories that come up highest in the search rankings will probably generate the most traffic. You can also check these directories of directories:[list][*]http://dmoz.org/Computers/Internet/Searching/Directories/[*]http://www.searchenginecolossus.com/[*]http://www.seo-lab.com/directory-articles/best-free-directories.php[*]http://www.isedb.com/html/Web_Directories/ [*]http://www.directory-pages.com/[/list] Another even quicker solution is webmaster forums. Search engines love forums because they include so much fresh content. Most have an area where you're allowed to enter your URL to get feedback from other webmasters. Find some forums, sign up, and get posting!To find out more about building up links to your website please read the article, Build up links to your website.A quick fixIt can take a couple of months to get listed in some web directories. If you can't wait that long then it might be worth submitting your site into a paid program and "artificially" boosting your rankings. Again, this is a whole new topic so please feel free to read more about the paid submission options.Long term strategySearch engine optimisation is a long term strategy. You'll be successful if you:[list][*]Structure your pages correctly by positioning your keywords in effective places [*]Build a great site with unique content that other websites will want to link to [/list]Register with as many web directories as possible and then concentrate your efforts on these two things. Within a few months you'll start to see success....
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) must be considered a process and over time you can build your ranking and traffic.This article provides 10 SEO tips that will build your search engine rank.1. Title The Title is (usually) the hyperlink provided in the search results so make sure it抯 people friendly. Put the most important keyword first, followed by the 2nd of you need to have your Company name there (branding), put it at the end.2. Meta descriptionsUse the keywords once or twice in your Meta description. It can be the text that shows up in the description area of the search engine results.3. H Tags (and proper use)Have your keywords in an H1 tag at the top of your page embedded in a good description. Not only will it help your rankings but many times the search engines will actually display it in their results.4. Keyword positioning (on the page)Have your main keywords high up in the page (the higher the better). The most valuable real estate on a web page is top left corner ?people (& engines) read left to right starting from the top.5. Number and Quality of inbound linksEach link from another web site acts like a vote of confidence ?A link implies that the site believes your site has value.However, all links are not equal. You must get links from sites that have a similar theme to yours ONLY! Anything else may actually hurt your page rank. 6. Linking Text/DescriptionWhen building a link campaign, make sure to use keywords in the link. For example, a link with click here? doesn't help you with search engines. A link such as internet Marketing? is much more effective (if that's your keyword).Also, don''t forget to use keywords in your linking description as well.For the most thorough ebook on developing a strong linking campaign read Jack Humphrey ower Linking 2: Evolution!? ([url=http://www.money-teacher.com/PL2.htm]http://www.money-teacher.com/PL2.htm[/url])7. Content is looking?Not only is quality content what people are looking for, but content is also what the search engines are looking for. Content is basically good? for the search engines.IMPORTANT: DO NOT try to trick? search engines with useless content. Not only won't this work, but it will bother potential customers. Also, while you want to mention your keyword, DO NOT keyword stuff? A too high word density will penalize you ?make it natural.8. File size Keep file size as small as possible. It will make for faster loading pages, happier visitors and the search engines like them.9. Bold & ItalicIt's good practice to highlight your keywords in your copy a few times, but don't overdo it.10. Alt tags in image linksSearch engines can read text but they can't see a pictures. Putting in Alt text for a graphic tells the search engine what it is about and also helps people who have their graphics turned off. Make sure to put your keywords in your Alt tags.Here is an example: Once your site is optimized for the search engines, you can then start submitting your site. Practice these tips and over time you will see your search engine rank increase....