Thursday, October 21, 2010

Can You Manage Your Own SEO?


When you hear the fact that “Search Engine Optimization (SEO)” could do wonders to your business, you might wonder how. Search Engine Optimization helps you to achieve good ranking in search results when the net community looks out for information through search engines on the Internet. Every website owner wants his site to be known, searched, visited, and contacted. If you are on the 9th or 10th page of a search result, the chances of being clicked are very meager. You must get a higher ranking and find a place in the first page. Achieve this by doing search engine optimization for your company’s website by yourself or through a SEO provider.

Here are some tips and tricks of the trade.

Learn the ABCs: Search Engine Optimization is the formula that gets your website ranked higher on search engines. A search on the net will tell you how. If you are techno-savvy do the entire process yourself. All you need is time and constant updating of knowledge as this is a fast moving field and search engines keep changing their search logic to avoid fraudulent practices. Even if you are not techno-savvy, there are a few processes (off-page optimization) that you can do by yourself or you can always seek the services of a SEO company that has perfected this fine art as search engines constantly keep changing their modus operandi to ensure fair play, best results to the searchers, and minimization of fraud.

Understand the art and science of SEO: By now you must have realized that the science is the algorithms and techniques that rate the websites on the search engines, while the art is the way that expertise is used creatively to ensure that your website gets the optimal rating.

Judge how techno-savvy you are: Now take a critical view of your technical skills. Add to your technical skill the finesse of writing the right keyword at the right spot, linking to and from the most appropriate web pages and websites, and highlighting the content where it gets maximum attention. Do a self-analysis and assess how far you will be able to manage.

Analyze your road fitness: Managing your own website could save you money in the short run, but ensure that it meets your purpose in the long run. Strictly ensure that you do not indulge in any malpractices as your site might be totally banned by search engines if detected. Managing the website, updating it regularly but not losing the targeted keywords, keeping track of competition, linking with other websites to get maximum coverage, writing content, bookmarking and getting bookmarked, submitting articles and press releases, social networking, etc. are some of the requisite processes. If you have the time and the expertise do it yourself or else seek the services of a SEO service provider.

Keep a contingency plan ready: Many people manage their websites effectively and successfully, but there are times when you hit a roadblock either due to lack of resources or you are busy managing your other business affairs. At those times you could outsource it.

The ultimate purpose is to promote your business. You can do your own Search Engine Optimization if you have the time and expertise or get it done for you through a service provider if you have more fruitful endeavors to undertake for your business.

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