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Know What Your Goals Are Before Asking for a Search Engine Optimization Quote

Getting a quote for search engine optimization (SEO) is not like getting a quote on a product; where what you are buying is always the same and the lowest price is the obvious purchase choice.

Choosing a search engine optimization company based on lowest price will seldom get you what you want or need to succeed.

Search engine optimization varies so much in process and approach that it is difficult to compare two SEO companies to each other, even when they both have a clear picture of what you want, let alone if they have to guess at what you want.

It’s like calling a dealer and asking “How much for a car?”

It’s impossible to answer that question without more information and if it was possible, why on earth would you want to let the sales person decide what he wants to sell you?

What kind of car are you looking for? What will you be using the car for? What options do you want?

Depending on your answers, your car could cost you from $100 to $300,000.

For myself, I would want to have some say on what the car dealer will sell me!

The same is true for search engine optimization; the options are endless and your participation is not only needed, it’s crucial.

SEO Quotes are Unique to Your Website

It is to be expected that when someone decides to market their company, they might not know or have thought of all the factors involved.

It is odd however, that many people requesting a quote prefer to avoid talking about what their goals are for their website. Instead, they insist they just want a quote, as if search engine optimization were some well-defined, off the shelf product.

SEO services are not all the same; in fact they are often not even similar. On a well developed search engine optimization campaign the actual process used to optimize a website is unique to that website.

To get a proper search engine optimization quote and to ensure your search engine marketing campaign will succeed, you need to provide the SEO Company with as much information as possible.

  1. What are your goals?
  2. What do you want your website to accomplish?
  3. Who are your competitors?
  4. What do your customers want?
  5. Is your market regional, national or world wide?

At its best, search engine optimization is a well-defined strategy to design and implement the changes necessary for your site to succeed.

Unless you have some new revolutionary product or service that people just can’t live without and everyone in the world is searching for, you will need to develop a good reason as to why they should buy from you rather than your competitors.

The process of discussing your goals with your SEO company will also educate you on the methods and the options available, thus enabling you to make informed decisions on all aspects related to making your website a success.

You will understand why you need to do some of the work to change your website to make it better and how you can help in that process.

When asking for a search engine optimization quote, you should look for an SEO company that wants to discuss your goals…so have an opportunity to reach your goals.

Chris Genge
Search Engine Optimization Strategist

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Finding the Right Mix for Internet Marketing

Somewhere throughout life you’ve probably heard the saying, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket“.

This axiom is as true for your Internet marketing strategy as it is for anything else.

A mix of various forms of online advertising combined with website analytics will allow you to test for measuring conversions, tracking ROI and gauging the success of your Internet marketing strategies.

Choosing Internet Marketing Strategies

If the big keywords are important to you; simply think outside of the box. Big keyword phrases are worth a lot of money and bluntly said; you are going to have to pay for them.

  • PPC Advertising – typically a higher cost per click (CPC) for each visitor that comes to your site.  You will get traffic immediately but will lose traffic as soon as you stop your PPC advertising campaign.
  • Organic SEO – typically monthly fees spread over a longer period of time that generate slow but steady growth. Over the long run, a lower CPC.
  • Online Ads – typically you will pay a higher cost per thousand impressions (CPM) and are not guaranteed traffic to your website.

Regardless of what combination of the above three strategies you choose here are an additional five Internet strategies you can use to spread your budget effectively and achieve your desired goals.

1. Website Analytics Account

All of your hard work, effort and budget will be spent in vain without having the ability to track where visitors come from and how they interact with your site. Website analytics is crucial to tracking ROI (return on investment).

Simply sign up for a Google Analytics account and ensure the code is added to all pages within your site.  Setting up the goal and conversion tracking is crucial; so don’t skip setting up the various ways sales and leads can be generated through your site.

2. Search Engine Friendly Web Design

If your site is poorly designed or limited in its ability to convert sales then you will have to push a higher number of visitors to your site to achieve the same level of Internet marketing success as a higher quality site.

A site that does not have a user friendly or search engine friendly web design will cost more money to attract more qualified visitors.

Your website must have the following:

  • Easy, intuitive navigation
  • Easy, user friendly ordering process
  • Visual appeal and layout
  • Compatibility with various browsers
  • Handicap accessible
  • Secure credit card processing (if applicable)

3. Staying Impartial

Lastly, don’t just take “your” word for it.

As hard as it is to believe; what you find easy or understandable may not be the easiest or most attractive to outside visitors.

Solicit feed back from your friends, family and colleagues, especially those who will remain impartial and give you some constructive feedback. Have them run through your site.

Stress testing and quality assurance can save you literally thousands of dollars down the line.

4. Pricing Your Products

No matter how superior your products are, at the end of the day you will be compared to your competitors.
If you sell high end products; you must position yourself as such. For instance, if you sell $200.00 bottles of perfume, targeting the phrase “perfume online” is not recommended.

Understanding your visitors and their mindset will allow you to align yourself with the correct demographics.

Know your competitors and their pricing, and utilize that knowledge within your campaigns.

Finally, be sure to do testing to see what pricing works best for you. If you insist that your products are worth $200.00 but your visitors don’t and are not buying, you either need to accept that you will be selling less products or you must rework your pricing structure.

Remain flexible and adjust to the market so that your budget and business doesn’t suffer.

5. Developing Content That Sells

If your goal is to sell something online then you must be able to provide more information (unique content) than the manufacturer’s stock description of that product (and certainly more relevant information than your competitors are providing.

Many online retail businesses make the mistake of just posting these stock descriptions provided by the supplier or manufacturer, which are often provided to literally hundreds of websites (like yours) who sell the same products.

This creates duplicate content issues and any credit given by the search engines will be given to the site of origin…the manufacturer.

In order to set your website apart from your competitors your content needs to be unique providing more details and information that is relevant to a searchers request. This is your job…and a crucial one.

If words do not flow easily for you, you may need the services of a professional online copywriter, a content writer that specializes optimized content development.

Remember, building a portfolio of successful online advertising campaigns will give you a better grasp of market share and allow you to utilize each marketing vehicle to its fullest potential. Give our internet marketing experts a call at 888-262-6687 if you need some help in implementing marketing strategies that work for your website.

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SEO ROI – Measurable Website Optimization

How targeted keywords can make your company more successful and more importantly make more money. Is it worth the investment and what’s in it for you?

Return on Investment (ROI) is twofold:

  • There is ROI of your website, and
  • ROI of your advertising campaign.

For a good ROI, both your website and your advertising campaign must be effective. Without some type of advertising your beautifully crafted website is really no more than a billboard on a deserted island. If nobody sees it, does it really matter how striking it is or how competitive your prices are?

You need people to see your website to make it a success. Businesses who have had their websites optimized properly will confirm search engine optimization is a very cost effective method of website promotion/ Internet Marketing.

Some people might be reluctant to try search engine optimization because they say it’s hard to initially quantify the numbers or potential results and it takes longer to set up than some other forms of advertising. This is not necessarily bad since it gives those people that do use less competition and an even bigger advantage. Let the skeptics try the less effective methods like offline advertising and banner ads.

What makes search engine optimization so effective is that you are essentially just making your website available for those people looking for the products that you offer. When someone decides to look for a product/ service and uses a search engine to locate it, your site is displayed in the results. You are now given an opportunity to make a sale that you would otherwise not have had!

Once your website is professionally optimized and listed for relevant keywords on the search engines, can your website close the sale? If the answer is yes, the next question is: how much more should you invest in your company’s future?

Simply put, the more you invest in search engine optimization, the more you’ll make in profits. I am not saying invest more money, I am saying evaluate the opportunities. If you invest money in search engine optimization and your sales increase delivers a profit, is it worth doing more? At this point, the amount of money you make could be proportional to your investment.

When you buy any type of advertising, you are building your future sales. What are your short-range goals? What are your long-range goals? Are you confident in your idea and your business?

A well-developed search engine strategy will give you a good return on your investment. Here at 1st on the List Promotion Inc. we have developed effective search engine strategies for our clients that deliver profits and meet their needs. If you are successful, so are we.

Let us develop a website promotion/ search engine optimization strategy for you that will turn your website into a money making asset.

Call 1-888-262-6687 or complete the Request Information form.

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