1. What is Search Engine Optimization?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of increasing traffic to a website by improving its content through the placement of targeted keywords, while ensuring that the organization and structure are as search engine-friendly as possible.

2. How soon will I see results from SEO?

It depends on your individual situation. An existing website in a local market or niche industry could see results in a few weeks. A new site or one in a highly-competitive business could take several months to see results.

3. Can you guarantee that my website will achieve a top ranking?

There is no possible way to guarantee a specific result, as each search engine modifies its algorithm on a regular basis. Additionally, competitive factors affect the ranking.

4. Does my whole site have to be optimized?

Yes. You never know what a user will be searching for. Just as a store owner must constantly monitor and update all of his goods to attract as many new customers as possible, you must monitor and update all of your content to attract potential users.

5. What is a spider?

Sometimes called robots or crawlers, spiders are programs that “crawl” from link to link around the internet, devouring content and feeding it to search engine indexes.  In-bound links are a key strategy to attracting spiders as they can only crawl from link to link– the more your content is linked to, the more there is for the spider to devour.

6. How do search engines rank websites?

a. Major search engines such as Google, Yahoo! and MSN use classified algorithms and criteria to determine where your website will rank in comparison to your competitors. A site that ranks #1 on a Monday could very well rank #25 by Friday due to the ever-evolving systems used by these search engines to position results.

b. There is no magic formula for achieving consistent top results, aside from budgeting for paid placement in the highlighted sections at the top search engine result pages which,when you stop paying, your “advertisement” disappears.

7. If these algorithms are secret, how can SEO help my company?

a. Although the algorithms themselves are in fact top secret, our search engine optimization and marketing experience gives us insight into the criteria for which search engines reward and deduct.

b. Most search engine users only look at the first few pages of search results, making it crucial for your website to appear as high as possible. Achieving consistently high placements in the results requires a multi-faceted search engine optimization and marketing plan.

8. What will a search engine optimization and marketing plan do for my website?

The execution of a comprehensive search engine optimization and marketing plan makes your site more relevant to search engines, increasing your rankings. A typical plan includes: competitive analysis, industry keyword research, content development, assessment of your website’s structure, quality control and regular reporting to allow for continual adjustments based on market conditions.

9. How do I begin optimizing my website?

Drop us a line or call us at 301.213.0455 and let us guide you toward success!