E-Commerce Times Talkback

Re: Search Engine Results That Pay Off
Posted by: Mark W. Vigoroso 2001-12-07 16:48:30

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Competition for premium placement on the Web's search engines has spawned an
advertising market for paid search listings. However, e-commerce sites that consider
advertising via paid search results should understand that not all search engines are
created equal. "Marketers must balance how much they are paying with how much traffic
will result and what type of customer they will be reaching," Forrester Research analyst
Shar Van Boskirk told the E-Commerce Times.

Re: Search Engine Results That Pay Off
Posted by: Jack Chen 2001-12-15 09:05:29 In reply to: Mark W. Vigoroso

If the search engine can provide a very perfessional knowledge. I will happy to pay if it is not too expensive.

Re: Search Engine Results That Pay Off
Posted by: Nicsun 2001-12-07 17:01:31 In reply to: Mark W. Vigoroso

It’s all in the words!
Pay for placement work, spiders work, I have found pure descriptions representing your site's content works. I.e. three weeks ago I was hired by a company to assist in search engine placement, within three weeks they are ranked on google's first query page, after never having placed in the past, they are now the ninth listing (keyword computer liquidation center), they are also the top two under another keyword query (keyword computerliquidationcenter). META tags and traffic will provide you with prime placement.

Re: Search Engine Results That Pay Off
Posted by: Andrew Goodman 2001-12-08 22:29:27 In reply to: Nicsun

It always pains me to see that the search engine "placement" and/or "optimization" industry has so many deceptive practices. Firms that charge x number of cents per lead "they" generate from you are misrepresenting the nature of search engine referral traffic.

Your own site, really, is generating this traffic. Giving a piece of your site's growth to a search engine placement firm which plans to be around for years collecting 30 cents every time Google refers a search query to you is a BAD idea.

Search engine optimization is something of a science, and it definitely makes sense to hire a specialist to do it for you. But the consultant doesn't literally deliver the hits to you. There are too many variables, and the search engine optimizer's causal impact on traffic growth is too hard to track exactly, though one can always get a general idea.

My firm charges cash rates for each project much the same as any other consultant or specialist would. Would you expect to hire a competent programmer by promising to pay him every time your business reached some benchmark? The programmer is just there to do his job - ultimately, it's YOUR business.

The idea of paying consultants only "for performance" has gotten way out of hand in this field. And too many firms have to lie about the nature of search engine referral traffic in order to justify their own bizarre fee structures... and their existence.

Why not charge reasonable rates and tell clients the truth about the SEO process? Just a wild thought.

Re: Search Engine Results That Pay Off
Posted by: Terapeta 2004-04-17 22:31:51 In reply to: Andrew Goodman

How to qualify an SEO
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1. Require three references from unbranded companies
2. Ask to see a minimum of three top rankings for the companies
3. Require that the terms to be searched are generic and that the maximum length of the search phrase be three words.
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If these three points are followed to the tee and demonstrated to you in full confidence, then you might have someone who understands the process and is worth paying.
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However, make sure when running the test that the test is run on Google and the minimum number of returned results is 1.25 million.
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If they can't do this, then they are wasting your money - and you are wasting your money.

SEO Professionals
Posted by: Terapeta 2004-04-17 22:22:23 In reply to: Andrew Goodman

After continuously reading where companies have been ripped off by so-called SEO Professionals, I have decided to jump in the water and eat the SEOs for breakfast.
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The reason for this is that most SEOs tell their clients that nobody can guarantee top placement. Those words were pulled right out of the Google dictionary - LOL - as the excuse why SEOs can't produce.
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If an SEO is supposed to be an architect of search engine optimization then they should guarantee the results or they are not an architect, but simply a lower-end draftsman collecting overpayment for services rendered.
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This excuse is like the faith healer saying 'you just don't have enough faith to be healed,' when in reality the healer should be the one with the faith.
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It's like Steve Martin said in that one comedy, 'Even a con man knows when to pack up when the real thing shows up.'
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Perhaps SEOs have the mentality of a practicing physician - just practising.
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The truth of the matter is someone can guarantee top placement - if the term top placement means the first page of the search results.
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If they can't guarantee you results, then why would you pay?
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In nearly 10 years of writing on the web, I have never had a problem getting #1 rankings - but I only obtained top placement when the content was original, the information in-depth and the site properly designed.
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Perhaps there should be an international challenge and certify those that can produce and either educate or whatever to those that don't.
Hope I didn't rant too long.

Re: Search Engine Results That Pay Off
Posted by: jjjpickle 2002-02-14 16:28:31 In reply to: Andrew Goodman

So what is the best way to find and select a company to optimize search engine results? What criteria should be used to compare these companies? Thanks.