What do I really need

[AshJez]

Hello all. I’m new to this SEO stuff and after reading much, remain very, very confused as to what I really need. First, I’ll say I’m here because I have been impressed with the posts and the general professional approach that seem to exist on Seomoz.

My problem is that I run a small business that’s not doing so well and I do know that my website needs to be found. With this being the case I contacted an SEO company and on being given a price for 12 months of service, almost feel of my chair as this would clear me out. This, without any guarantee.

Due to the above I am now considering having a go at the SEO myself. However, this leads to another problem in that, given it appears I need so many online services, it again becomes very expensive for one man and his single website.

I have seen much written about Seomoz, Raven (something I’m trying now), Seospyglass and Seo Powersuite (a few reports appear bad) and between these and other possibly lesser well known brands leaves me wondering what I need to achieve improved website visibility.

Does not one product exist that can help the smaller business without breaking the bank, and if not, what might be the best approach to tackle this problems cost effectively. I am aware that Seomoz has it’s followers, but having said this, it appears that a good degree of openness and honesty is provided here.

Your comments would be most appreciated.

[Bshu7]

• what type of writing worked better, highly technical or conversational

• what length of article worked better

• what keyword density worked better (don't concern yourself too much with this)

Different niches will require different things.

Once you've done enough to get a little search traffic, expand on the post that worked, write a similar post about a slightly different topic.

Basically, throw some stuff at the wall and see what sticks.

[fatetmpwcosl]

You need to do some off page stuff for your site to rank it on google with the help of SEO. I have done it for my blog post.

[MarieA]

There is no need to be rude. You should learn to be a bit more grateful when an experts uses his time off to help you for free.

[AshJez]

Okay I've tried again.

[webfeatseo]

I pmed you again about your link. What you sent me was not working. Please resend.

[dogflog]

AshJez,

Webfeat and EGOL make a centralized point in their responses and it has to do with content and effort.

Theo points out that no one tool is going to be your key to success.

Further, they all made the point that SEO is a business and requires a concerted effort on many fronts to get found at a high level and then convert search into dollars.

Probably the most important point is that SEO is a business of constant trial and error. Tools can help you to an extent but, success has more to do with the magician as opposed to the wand.

As you move ahead you'll find yourself using all sorts of tools on a regular basis. Most of the people in this forum have tools constantly running as browser add-ons and such that are giving them a never ending supply of metrics as they cruise the web.

What good are those metrics all compiled in a spreadsheet or in one's head if they aren't being put to work in a practical manor every day.

The only way to learn at this stage is to do. Preparing to do, wanting to do, wishing to do, is not doing.

**What you need, is to write stuff. **

The easiest way to get found AT ANY POINT IN YOUR SEM CAREER is to have more good content than your competitors.

Before I knew about any of the tools available, I would keep a running list of possible topics. Don't even think of them as keywords at this point. Just make sure that they are relevant and useful to readers.

It's easy to get lost in Google Keyword Tool for days at a time. Tap into your friends and family at first.

Send a simple email to a few people and ask them what they would type into google if they were searching for "whatever it is you do".

I do this now, you would be amazed at the simple and effective keywords actual humans will give you. Absolute Gold. I got a long tail keyword a few months ago from a guy I hadn't seen in years that is delivering my client over 120 visits per day.

I never ever would have though of it as a keyword. Now Google shows it as a suggested word when someone begins to type it's root into the search box.

**The best topics are simple, they pose the question and provide an informed answer. **

Keep loading up the site with simple content and then you can start using tools.

You would have to be in a really tough niche if you can't get at least a few visits per day with 20,000 words on your site. That may sound like a lot of words but many of the people in this forum have hundreds of thousands of words on their site, even millions.

Think about these words as built up equity. Every time you post an article, your building a little more equity in your site and in your brand.

Words are an investment. If you were a fisherman would you want a bigger net or a smaller one? Words are your net.

Write something as OFTEN as you can.

Now, once you start to build more and more equity, starting in a tight niche and expending slowly, now you can circle back and start paying more attention to tools.

Monitor google analytics each day to see what worked:

• what type of modifier worked better than others - does adding a year or a locale to your article title work?

• what type of writing worked better, highly technical or conversational

• what length of article worked better

• what keyword density worked better (don't concern yourself too much with this)

Different niches will require different things.

Once you've done enough to get a little search traffic, expand on the post that worked, write a similar post about a slightly different topic.

Basically, throw some stuff at the wall and see what sticks.

A tool like SEOMoz may not be your answer.... yet... but, it will be once you have something to monitor!

I doubt that will be an "Endorsed Answer" but, I also doubt that Rand himself would ask for your last dollar with hardly anything to monitor or the know how to monitor it. You can get the know how for free on this site.

[AshJez]

Many thanks webfeatseo.

[AshJez]

That's better EGOL.

I am aware that I can't get to position one overnight and that it will take time. I also realize that the learning curb may be steep and that is why I am here.

Thank you for your updated comments.

[webfeatseo]

Im going to take a look at your site tomorrow and get back to you

[EGOL]

The question was what do I really need?

You need expertise or money.  Your choice is expertise and I salute that.  It is the method that I have taken.

However, since you are a beginner you are going to need a lot of time to learn, make mistakes, recreate and build the popularity of a site from scratch.

Your reply could make me jump off the cliff and give up. That’s not me thought and the question remains.

"That’s not me..."  Good, you are a fighter.  You will need that.

What do I really need apart from the desire to succeed.

My advice above is simply..... Pick a fight that you can win.

We don't know what you are planning to attack.  We know that your financial resources are thin and that you are a beginner at SEO - starting from scratch.

Just as a boxer must work his way up from amateur to the ranks of heavyweight champion.  As your trainer at this moment I would not send you into the ring against the heavyweight champion.

Pick a fight that you can win.  Not one that will defeat you at a time when you can't afford to lose.

[AshJez]

Hello EGOL.

The question was what do I really need? Your reply could make me jump off the cliff and give up. That’s not me thought and the question remains. What do I really need apart from the desire to succeed.

I’ll point out that things are not great in my business at the moment and this gives me plenty of time to research the subject of SEO. Now, if I don’t want to engage the services of an SEO company that wants to charge huge amounts of money and provide no guarantee, I have an alternative and that is to try myself, to improve the position on my website.

Just because I don’t have huge amounts of cash to throw around, in all honesty, only puts me at a disadvantage in that it becomes a do it yourself project.

[EGOL]

The critical question that is not often asked by people placing a new store on the web:

"Do I have the resources to become competitive?"

Selling a very niche product line is where you have the best chance.  However, if you are going to sell something like "gift baskets" from a rural location then you will face enormous competition.  There are already a ton of people selling them and thousands of tons of people trying to sell them.

Are you attacking a specialized niche or are you going out with a potato gun to challenge the United States Navy?

Although I love to cheer the little guy on to victory I would advise a lot of them to become more focused and niche.  If you almost fell out of your chair at the cost of SEO for twelve months then maybe you don't have the resources to become comeptitive?  I am here working seven days a week with employees doing nothing other than the work that is needed to keep a couple small websites competitive.

Another important question....

"Do I have the ability and time to write expert product descriptions and content for the site?"

That is the downfall of most people who want a business website.  They never deliver the content to the developer and the site never gets a good launch.

[AshJez]

Hi. Just sent the link. Thanks.

[webfeatseo]

Feel free to send me over your link

[AshJez]

Thanks for the comments Webfeatseo.

I have analyzed the competition and I know the keywords I need to go for. It seems that the searcher will almost always go for two words and its these two I can get (a the moment) If the search types in the main keywords and my county (state), then I’m okay and on page one.

I feel that the site is optimized reasonably well and doing the check in seomoz, I receive an A. Just one problem at the moment and that’s mydomain.co.uk and mydomain.co.uk/ suggest duplicate content according to Seomoz.

I’m sure that adding more content to the site may help, but in all honesty, it really seams that there is little I can add. At one time I was in position one for the keywords I need, however, things have changed.  Up until a few years ago I had a huge amount of other information related to the trade I am in and I also had a section on poems and this out ranked the main site purpose and I felt that it was hurting the site so removed it. Perhaps this was a mistake. Not sure.

You may like to take a look at my site and see if it is as good as I think. Yes more content can be added but I do wonder if I have the basis of a good site.

[AshJez]

Hello Theo and thanks for your input. I’m happy to put the effort in and spend an affordable amount. So far, the tools are reporting over my head but what they are providing is information on who my competitors are linking to and that in itself is very valuable.

I have already setup Google Analytics and this does provide me with a degree on information. However, what it does not do is tell me how to compete as it provides me with what I am being found for. From a local point of view I do well where a county (state) is added to the search phrase. Unfortunately, this is also dropping in the results.

With regards to Google Webmaster Central, I need to look into that so I understand what you mean. Thanks.

[webfeatseo]

There are no tools you NEED where you have to go out and buy stuff but of course it can make your life easier.

I will give you a basic process to go from.

1. Analyze your company - what kind of people you want to bring to your site.

2. Use the Google adwords keyword tool to do research on relevant keywords. I use the exact match setting. Look for keywords that get a decent amount of traffic, not a huge amount of competition, and would be a good keyword to bring in sales/visits.

Word of thumb is that broad keywords will bring in more traffic but less conversions where longtail less but more conversions.

To look at competition quality you should do an open site explorer run for the top 5 or so results for the keyword you think you would like to target. Check out their links, anchor text, linking domains, PA, DA, etc. See if you think you could match it or do better.

3. After you have selected a keyword (I usually say no more than 1 or 2 a page) begin to implement that keyword on your site's respective page. Write QUALITY content that is NATURAL. Do not keyword stuff. Do not use meta keyword tags. Put keyword in titles, headers, alts maybe a bold or italic, in url if possible...basically all your on page stuff. I love the seomoz on page term grader. Check that tool out and aim for an A.

4. After your page is properly optimized you should begin doing link building. Never buy links, do minimal link exchanges, do not spam forums or comments, or any spam. The best way to get links is to write tons of content to get published on sites that allow guest blogging. Those are great one way links. Just making quality content in general will get you links as people find it and post on their site to share.

This is just a basic process and there is of course a lot to it but this should give you a decent framework to go by.

Feel free to PM me at anytime with questions.

[Theo-NL]

Just to be clear: there isn't going to be 'the one' solution that will boost your rankings up high with few effort any money. Getting to to the top of the SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages) will require the proverbial time, sweat, tears, sleepless nights and in most cases some money. Especially considering you have a small website, most tools will provide 'over your head' reporting.

You might want to start by setting up Google Analytics for your website (if you haven't already) and connect your website to Google Webmaster Central. This should provide you with valuable insights on how to improve your website further. Basic keyword research (what are your visitors searching for, and how is your website acting on those visitors?) and great content on what you do (case studies, testimonials, image galleries, product descriptions, etc.) might help you rise the rankings. My suggestion would be to start your focus on more long tail keywords (such as 'red nike running shoes' rather than just 'shoes') because the competition for these keywords is far lighter, and assuming you sell those specific items / services your conversion rate should be pretty nice.

Good luck!