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Is it fair to say that a large percent of website / business owners have little or no knowledge of what search engine optimisation is all about and what it can do for them. We as SEO specialists know the benefits in terms of increased website traffic and sales, and it is for this reason we are out there to help website owners take advantage of this.

A new dawn has arisen, the dot com bubble has burst, competition on the internet has become very fierce and simply having a website “out there” is not going to cut it! Websites and their businesses need to be found and offline marketing is no longer the only option available. Knowing this all to well and what SEO can do for one’s business, it is up to all SEO specialists to spread the word and make businesses see the light. Having said that, what is an SEO specialist to say to a potential client? What words of wisdom can he use to sell SEO to the business leaders? Bear in mind these same business leaders only remember too well the dot com bust and the false hopes and promises that IT would present their company to the world. The point that had been overlooked is that they needed SEO to help bring that exposure. Be careful in your approach when preaching SEO, plan and think carefully about what you might say.

Below are a few pointers on what to say and what not to when selling search engine optimisation services.

The Don’ts

1. Don’t guarantee top ranks - A big no-no. Many SEO consultants guarantee their clients top rankings in search engines only to later realise that the task is not that simple and might not be achievable for competitive keywords. This often leaves the client frustrated, disappointed and in demand of a refund for their investment.

2. Don’t offer an exact timeframe for results - Achieving top search engine ranks, and search engine optimisation in general, requires a lot of time and in depth work. There is no exact time or way of predicting when a client’s website might hit the free listing top ranks. One thing is for sure, SEO consultants need to emphasise that time, together with quality SEO work, is needed to achieve high rankings.

3. Don’t show any doubt and do your research beforehand - Just like an interview with a prospect employer, be prepared in your first meeting with a client. Do your research, study the company and its website and note its good and bad points. You will be expected to express your views on the client’s website and make a brief analysis. Don’t be afraid to be critical and offer some constructive criticism. Landing a contract is based primarily on building the client’s confident in you and your services.

4. Don’t agree to unethical SEO practices - Certain clients may be in a bit of a hurry to get listed and may ask you to use SEO practices which are considered unethical. Such practices include using link farms, IP cloaking, hidden text, etc. Spam techniques can not only hinder your client’s performance in the search engines but can also result in a possible ban. It is in yours and your client’s best interest to keep away from these futile and harmful practices. Strongly emphasise this point to your client.

5. Don’t overdo on your SEO knowledge - Stick to what you know best, there is no point selling spin on SEO. Be honest with your clients and try building an honest and trustful business relationship. If you are not too sure about certain practices, do not exaggerate or use them as you will be caught out sooner or later if the final results do not eventuate.

The Do’s

1. Emphasise that SEO will increase website traffic and sales - The first and foremost thing a client wants to hear is that you are going to “show them the money”, in other words, show that the website exposure is going to lead to a better ROI (Return On Investment). Explain the basic nature of search engine optimisation and the benefits it can bring companies i.e. increased traffic, visitors and contacts / sales.

2. SEO is a very effective and extremely targeted form of marketing - Unlike expensive TV, radio and press advertising, SEO marketing is relatively cheap and cost effective. There is less money and effort spent on broadcasting and trying to appeal to an audience that may or may not be interested. In search engine marketing, the users are already present and know what they want and where to get it.

3. It won’t happen overnight - Patience can be a problem when optimising a website. You may be asked numerous times by your client “is it there yet?”. You should point out that search engines take time to evaluate and show results. It is recommended that you declare a period of at least 3 to 6 months to see any real gains.

4. Offer a free short website analysis for your clients - Freebies always go a long way. Create a free assessment on your clients current website status, show him / her what the site is lacking and how you would go about enhancing the site’s optimisation in order to achieve a higher ranking in the search engines.

Selling SEO to a company is never too easy. The clients may see it as a luxury they can’t really afford or just another internet gimmick they can do without. It is up to you to make them see the light and the vast benefits that SEO can bring them, as a cost effective and extremely powerful marketing solution.

About the Author: Ilan Touri works for SEO Sydney, the SEO Consultants. He has worked on various projects and offers search engine optimisation in Australia.

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Let me show you How to Get Top Listings for every page of your site and Rank No. 1 for all of your Keywords in the Search Engines - Guaranteed.

Did you believe this? If your like me you’ve probably seen a million pages and emails like this that claim they can work miracles for you in all the search engines. They claim everything from having inside information or special relationships with Google and all the search engines.

The simple Truth is this: No one can guarant

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We’ve all seen the email spam professing to submit your site to an incredible 45,000 search engines for $19.95 or some ungodly claim such as this. Do you read this trash? If so, I’d like to clarify that this is nothing more than a spammers attempt to steal your money and is basically useless.

Have you seen the others that guarantee #1 search engine rankings? Insert that into the round file as spam message #2. This is a false claim and guarantee and if ANY company tries to promote this guarantee put your money in your pocket and run as fast as you can in the opposite direction.

Here are the facts

There are simply not 45,000 legitimate search engines out there. The truth is there are about 8 major search engine players and these 8 supply results to many other smaller engines and directories. Most of the other sites that theses spammers are calling search engines or directories are actually nothing more than spammy link pages or link farms as they are sometimes called and submitting your site to this places can and in most cases does have an adverse affect on your website. In some instances your site can be banned from the major search engines leaving you to pick up the pieces, buy a new domain, build a new site etc etc. Is it worth your $19.95 and the risk?

False guarantees in regards to search engine rankings and internet marketing have been around for awhile now and the fact remains that NO search engine marketing or search engine optimization company can guarantee you anything in regards to search engine rankings. As I said above, if they do..run quickly!! A legitimate and professional search engine marketing firm will state the facts and will not make these false guarantees because we know it is the search engine engineers and their staff that control the ranking algorithms and not the search engine optimization firm. In short, the only thing an SEO firm CAN guarantee you is that they will perform research, optimize your site to ensure that you have good quality content for both the search engines and your target audience in the hopes that you garner top 10 positions. The other thing that a legitimate SEO firm can offer you as a guarantee is that they will continually strive to re-optimize your site for current search engine algorithms etc. in an effort to keep your site in the top 10 once it is there. No search engine optimization firm is a Google search engine engineer and even if they were there are still no guarantees with how the search algorithm will rank the sites submitted to the index.

The message here to anyone considering hiring an SEO firm is to find an honest one who will tell you the truth, one that you trust and one with consistent proven results. Oh, and don’t forget to trash that spam!

About The Author: Kevin Gee is a certified SEO specialist through Coastal Carolina University and has been performing SEO strategies since 1998. He is currently employed as Internet Marketing Manager at JUMP Internet Marketing.

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