SEO Consultant Fact or Fiction?

By Jeffrey L. Smith

Have you ever wondered about the role of an SEO consultant and what value they truly offer to your business? If so, here is a glimpse of some of the various functions an SEO consultant would perform to optimize your website. The process involves a thorough analysis of the components that comprise your website including a comprehensive checklist ranging from the server and hosting environment to the words used on your pages to describe an offer. All of which can affect how you rank in search engines.

Increases or decreases in rankings are typically not impacted from any one aspect of development, web design or hosting, but rather how they interact holistically is what determines placement aside from competition and other off page factors. As search engine algorithms change constantly, changes are required for fine tuning to ensure that your pages adhere to the guidelines established by each respective search engine.

During a diagnoses, these and other elements would be observed under the scrutiny of an SEO consultant.

(1) where the website is hosted.

(2) if the IP Address clean or has been used in the past for hosting spam related websites or sites known for using deviant practices.

(3) does the server display crawl errors while attempting to access the data in the headers.

(4) what links the site has internally, is there a site map, or privacy policy. Is it accessible?

(5) Which keywords are used in the heading, title, meta tags and on page content affect search engine placement.

(6) Are their forward or back links coming to or leaving the website, if so are all of the links optimized?

Each industry has it’s own unique requirements for optimization. There is no one size fits all in SEO, ranking and relevance revolves around updates to search engine algorithms and the engineers who program them. What works wonders on one website may have little if any affect on the other. It's about finding the right solution for specific problems to mend or improve a potential snag, or prevent one to begin with. The role of the SEO consultant to dissect the components, look for flaws in structure, function or usability, prime and reassemble the website in pristine condition through making logical adjustments to optimize it’s performance.

Although certain familiar fundamentals remain stable since they are structured on logic, one constant that resounds throughout the web is that the algorithm that the embraces the vast library of content displayed in search engine queries is in a constant state of flux. An SEO Consultant must think like both an engineer and the end user to gain valuable insight for each project. By doing so, they can develop a ranking strategy and make adjustments to a website until the desired result is achieved. SEO consulting involves more than educated guesses, it’s a process of trial and error, research and constant modification.

Here are a few more considerations an SEO consult may assess.

Keyword Research - determining relevance the keywords is of the utmost importance. The choice to use the word meal instead of food for example can mean the difference between zero traffic and striking keyword gold. One word used in the wrong place or one variable out of sync with the holistic message your website can impact rankings. Keyword research involves finding the most descriptive communication format to heighten usability for your clients, while simultaneously serving a dual purpose of creating relevance and authority for your website. Sure, anyone can perform keyword research, but the result of a campaign could make it or break it based on this fundamental step.

Web Design and On-Page Optimization - Validation and compliance of W3C standards is ideal, having text links instead of java script, making sure the java script is not inline and is saved in an external file much like a style sheet can assist spiders in getting to the content on your pages. Sites should not employ frames if they want to rank well in addition to adhering to certain principles when using dynamically loading pages such as ASP, PHP and the like all come into consideration.

Analysis of Internal Link Structure and Backlinks - Links are the essence of the web, without them we could not navigate, find other sites or move from page to page. Optimization of links both internal and external links that point to your site, away from your site and the links that allow your site to function internally can all be utilized to maximize your rankings in search engines.

SEO Copywriting - Effectiveness of content in relationship to desired keywords. On page content can make the difference between just showing up for your company name in search engines, or landing a top 10 position. Content is the basis of authority and authority dictates relevance. Is your content speaking to visitors in a way that it compels them to take action, are unnecessary words taking away from the core message? This by far is the number one reason websites rank or tank online. Although it stands to reason that a few paragraphs could summarize a point. Sometimes it’s better to have a little more information on each page so that the search engine spiders can have something valuable to report back to the search engine. For this reason, having 750-1000 words on a topic and using clearly defined header tags (H1, H2, H3) can work wonders for website rankings.

Server Side IP address, DNS & Hosting - Checking your websites hosting environment and making sure that your content is accessible is a large component to SEO consulting. Various tools exist that allow diagnoses to determine compliance. It’s not always the things that are easy to spot that can affect search engine placement. But rather it is observing and optimizing the components as a whole that can put your website in the spotlight.

Anyone can learn the basics of search engine optimization, topics regarding the subject are scattered all over the web. However applying all of the element with efficiency should be left to certified Seo consultants. This way if something gets broken, they can easily diagnose the problem and get your rankings back on track.

Jeffrey Smith is an seasoned search engine optimization strategist and founder of Seo Design Solutions in Chicago Illinois. Jeffrey has been involved in internet marketing since 1995 and brings fresh optimization methods and solutions for business seeking long-tail organic search engine placement.