Website Design, Development, Social Network Marketing, Search Engine Optimization

and Mobile Marketing Services

What To Expect And What To Look For In An SEO Consultant

Ensure that your website is optimized using trusted Google webmaster guidelines. Never allow anyone to use black-hat strategies in your Search Engine Optimization process. Black-Hat strategies are dangerous to fool around with and can ultimately get your site removed from the index of most major search engines. The damage is VERY hard to reverse and in rare cases; permanent. 

Here are 3 things to keep in mind when you are looking to hire a SEO consultant:

 

1. BEWARE OF TOO-GOOD-TO-BE-TRUE PROMISES

Beware of 'SEO' consultants that say they can get xxx links to your website in xxx time or get you to page 1 of SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) with little to no effort. They are probably using shady strategies. Search engines actually LOOK for these unethical methods to remove your site from their index.

Some 'SEO consultants' even use methods such as spamdexing and keyword stuffing to get you amazing results, collect a check, and dissapear. A day, week or month later your site is nowhere to be found on Google. You call your 'SEO expert' and you can't seem to get past their voicemail or their phone number has been disconnected. Hmmmm?

 

 

 

2. WARNING... THERE IS NO SUCH THING!

Keep in mind that there is no actual 'SEO' certification or accreditation, so pretty much any 19 year old with a keyboard can claim they are an SEO expert. Yeah... ok... there are companies that 'offer certification', but I agree with Edward Lewis on this one. There are some of us that may be intellectually certifiable, but if someone tells you they are a 'certified SEO professional', they bought a piece of paper and are blowing smoke... well somewhere...

 

In Fact, There Is NO CERTIFICATION 
For SEO, Social Media, Or Social Networking.

 

In fact, true SEO professionals will NEVER claim to be certified... please read this article on ZDNet: SEO Certification and Standards: Do They Exist? or why Jon Henshaw thinks that SEO Certification is a horrible idea.

While third-party certification through SEMPO may seriously now be on the horizon, it is still non-existant at the moment and will take SEVERAL years to standardize... if it ever actually happens.

 

Where I Stand on The Issue of Certification

I, for one, am TOTALLY against standardization... Think about it! We would have to re-certify every time Google, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter (and a multitude of other social networking sites) made a major change to their site, algorithms, applications etc etc. While this may become a gold-mine of a business venture for the certifying testing authority, it will become a financial nightmare and logistic HELL for those of us actually making a living practicing SEO for our clients.

Oh! You think it's just everyday scammers that try to pass off certification as a reality? Nope! Even the NAR® (National Association of Realtors®) is guilty of trying to make a quick buck off the back of unsuspecting consumers. At one point they too were offering a Social Media Expert 'Certification' to unsuspecting real estate agents! They collected money, scheduled the two day 'certification event' and then suddenly... without notice... they quietly returned everyone's money and cancelled the event. hmmmmmmm???... no further comments there....

 

 

3. VERIFY AND THEN RE-VERIFY

Look for references before you hire anyone to work with your website or social network.

I have been in internet marketing for over 7 years, website design/programming for over 12, work with international companies, have testimonial after testimonial of real clients with verifiable profiles onlinkedIn (no A. Smith or J. Jones testimonials), and tested in the top 2% for SEO expertise against a worldwide pool of 'SEO companies' and 'experts'.

(This is displayed as top 5% on my elance profile; they display icons for top 5%, 10% and 20%... after that they pretty much shouldn't have taken the test... I mean, do YOU REALLY want someone who received a 'D' in SEO to work on YOUR site???)

 

I have helped hundreds of business owners get much higher rankings in the major search engines and improve the overall bottom line of their business without the use of unethical or ‘manipulative’ techniques of any kind. It takes time, it takes patience, it takes work. NOTHING in life is easy, there are no shortcuts. If you do it right the first time, you will benefit.

 

If You Try To Cheat.. You WILL Fail!!

 

Let's Get Started

 

 

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