Search engine optimisation - why do I need it?

So you're thinking about search engine optimisation for your web site. What search engine should you optimise your site for? How can you be sure if you are doing the optimisation for the right keywords or key phrases? Once you hand over your money to a search engine optimisation consultant, how can you be sure you'll get good results? How can you monitor the effectiveness of your search engine optimisation afterwards?

Many people who have web sites recognise that much traffic is generated by search engines. A high search engine ranking for your site is crucial as internet users seldom look beyond the first page or two of the search engine results. Search engine optimisation is a skilled procedure that can take time to achieve successful results. However, it is a proven way to significantly increase the number of visitors to your web site. Couple this with a statistics gathering tool for your site and you can monitor the effect of search engine optimisation, even verifying what keywords or key phrases are driving traffic to your site.

So what do you need to look for when choosing a search engine optimisation consultant? Well its a good idea to ask for references. What sites have they already search engine optimised and what keywords did they use. You can then check these to verify that they perform as stated. Ask for proof that the keyword or key phrase to be used is a good one. A good keyword or key phrase is one that is used frequently on the search engine that your site is to be optimised for. Of course, if there is less competition for the key word or phrase this will make it even better. Finally, are they willing to accept payment only if pre-agreed results are achieved? If not, try somewhere else.

Finally, you'll need to decide which search engine to optimise your site for. There are a number to choose from but many use a common source for their results. For example, HotBot, Overture and MSN all use the same basic engine and so produce similar results. Some are more popular than others. Google handles about 35% of searches, Yahoo about 32%, MSN and AOL about 12% each and most others are less than 2% each. It makes sense then to optimise for Google or Yahoo. A good result in these often results in a good result in many of the others.

So, if you'd like to know more about promoting your website, just click the 'Contact us' link and send us your questions. We will respond as soon as we can.