Posts Tagged ‘Link Building’

Things to consider when hiring an SEO

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

For many people outside of the industry, hiring a Search Engine Optimisation Consultant can be a daunting task.  One of the main reasons for this is the number of SEO’s who falsely claim to be able to actually optimise your site correctly and get you results.

The Internet is now an important tool for any business.  Due to the number of web sites and businesses that are now online, is it any wonder that there has been an increase in the number of SEO ‘Consultants’ over the last few years?   There is no doubt that the demand for good SEO practioners is high and personally I feel that the phrase ‘you get what you pay for’ is entirely relevant in this niche.

The problem with so many SEO’s is that simply don’t have the skills to effectively carry out an SEO campaign, and yet they still charge premium rates.  The other problem however, is that many businesses go for the cheaper option which ends up in tears as the campaign doesn’t live up to expectations.

So how do you choose the right SEO?

Firstly, check to see how their own web site ranks within Google.  If they can optimise their own site there is a good chance that they know what they are doing and their methods are effective.  This is especially true for SEO companies, who operate in a very competitive field in terms of search results.  The thing to remember here is that each industry is different.  That’s right.   Whilst techniques remain the same some industrys are considerably more competitive than others in the search engines – so will the cost of your campaign give you enough man hours to compete with the top dogs in the listings?

Does your potentional SEO offer just Google results, or do they throw other search engines into the mix aswell?  It’s important that they don’t just focus on one search engine – after all why cut off a % of searchers that might end up putting online business in your direction?

If you are a small business, with a small budget, then you should consider local SEO.  This would mean that you can get a presence on Google for localised search terms (e.gStaffordshire Plumber).  This route would probably see quicker results and ROI for you business than simply optimising for the term plumber.  After all, even if you ranked number one for the term plumber, is it likely that a search in Inverness is going to land you a job?  Highly unlikely.

There are a number of tricks and promises that you need to remember to stay away from.  Some of these include:

  • Promises of certain positions within the search engines
  • Submissions to 1000’s of search engines on a regular basis

Still not sure?  OK – when you speak to your SEO make sure you ask them a few searching questions:

  • What sort of metrics do they measure the campaign on?
  • Does the proposal look solid, built on common sense?  Have they offered suggestions on how their campaign will help your site or is it very much cloak and dagger?  SEO isn’t a secret so your consultant shouldn’t make it one.  Find out what techniques they are using.
  • Do they promote silly gaurantees such as No.1 in 24 hours?
  • Have they provided you with keyword research, showing you keywords that will actually drive you relevant traffic to your web site.
  • Does the campaign include optimisation of your existing web pages, link building, social media, metrication and Search Engine Marketing or does it just pick certain elements out of these?

Dont be afraid to ask for samples of the consultants work.  See if they have any testimonials and if possible contact the companies that they have worked with to get a better picture of their methods.  Usually if the consultant refuses to give you references it’s a sign to walk away.

One of the bets ways to find the right consultant is to get a recommendation direct from an existing customer.  This is something that I have been very successful with in the past.

This post was written by Ian Sheldon, an SEO Consultant and founder of UK SEO Company, eSoftware Solutions.  If you are looking for help with your back link campaign then why not get in touch with us on 0845 838 8588 or email info@esoftware-solutions.com

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The fundamentals of link building

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

As more businesses turn to the internet, it becomes more competitive, and  Search Engine Optimisation is one of the main methods used for increasing traffic and potential income.  Search Engines are very sophisticated and it may come as a suprise that nobody really understands exactly how they rank web sites in the results but one thing we do know is that inbound links to your site definately help.

The reason for this is that links that come into your web site are classed as ‘votes’ for your site, and Google likes popular sites that have many votes.  However, just to confuse matters not all links count as votes.

For example, links that do not have the ‘nofollow’ attribute are the ones that are valuable when it comes to link building for search engine optimization. Nofollow is an attribute that is applied to some links which tells search engines not to bother following the link. Ideally, the Nofollow links want to be avoided.

Secondly, you will remember me blogging about Page Rank not so long ago.  Links going to your site from a page with a high page rank and few links will carry a greater vote that one from a lower page rank source, or a page covered in links.  Try to concentrate on getting your links from pages with a good page rank, and few outboud links

The last think you want to consider with your links is the anchor text used.  The anchor text is the text that the web site visitor clicks.  The anchor text, where possible should always be one of your keywords.  Google see’s the anchor text as a source of relevant information and ideally wants to see relevant content to match it.

Here are 5 simple steps to getting your linking campaign stated.

1. Write Guest Posts/Articles
Probably the easiest way to build one way links to your web site is to write and distribute articles to article directories.  If you write engaging, good content then people will also replicate your articles, giving you even more links back to your site!

2. Swap links with web sites similar to your own
This can sometimes be difficult.  Afterall, consider the value of links and people who realise this might not be so willing to just let you have one.   Generally this is a two way link scheme or otherwise known as a recipricol link.

3 Directory Submissions
Just like article submissions, there are hundreds of web site directories out there that allow you to submit your web site.  Many free directories are just link farms and Google may penalise your site if it finds links from them.  Paid directories and generally better and hold more value.    Take a look at some of the sites listed in the directories before you make the decision to submit your own.

4. Blog Posts and Comments
Many blogs contain the “Nofollow” link, however many dont which means you can get some good juicy links from content rich sources. 

5. Social Bookmarking
Social Bookmarking sites are an excellent way to not only create backlinks, but also attract the interest of real people.  You can also find that links on social bookmarking sites are also indexed fairly fast. An good example of Social Bookmarking sites is Zig Tag

So there you have hit.  5 quick tips on link building.  Of course, we have missed off the one major source of link building from this list and thats creating great content that people will want to naturally link to.  At the end of the day, thats what SEO is all about.

If you would like more information on Link Building contact UK SEO Company eSoftware Solutions.  Visit their web site at http://www.esoftware-solutions.com or email Ian on ian@esoftware-solutions.com

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Why link building matters

Thursday, June 4th, 2009

As someone who is interested in Search Engine Optimisation, you have probably heard how important back links are as part of your SEO Campaign.  When a search user enters their criteria into the search engine the search engine has to be able to return the best results to gain the trust of the user.  It does this by evaluating which pages relate to that query and which are most important.

Importance is determined by ‘votes’ and each link back to a page is seen for a vote for that page.  However, links do not just ‘come’ to sites.  You have to publish great content that people want to link to, so you need to shout about it (try using social media channels such as Digg and Twitter to start with).

One thing to consider is that you get links from relevant web pages.  Dont just go buying links from ‘link farms’.  Carefully source your web sites / pages and if possible get them from pages with relevant content to your own.  Naturally, links are valuable so dont expect people to just give them away!

Moving forward, each link to your page, or vote, passes a part of the page rank of the origin.  So if you get a link back from a web page with a high page rank (and few links) you will get a higher slice of the source ranking.  If your source page is cluttered with links then you will get a smaller slice of the pie.

However, if only it was as simple as just getting a slice of the pie.  There are now two other factors that Google has thrown into the mix.

However, it has gotten more complicated by the introduction of 2 new factors:

1. Relevance. If the link comes from a site that is on the same topic as the publisher’s site (or a closely related topic), that link is worth more than a links that comes from a site with an unrelated topic.

2. Authority. It is generally accepted that search engines attempt to measure how much they trust a site. If a site is highly trusted, its vote will count for more than if it is not that trusted.

These factors are the two single most important items you need to consider when building your back links.  Back links from bad neighbourhoods may provide you with a quick fix, but it wont be long until you find your site sliding down the listings.

So why does link building matter?  Done correctly, It helps your site gain page rank, and most importantly trust from the right neighbourhoods.

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