Posts Tagged ‘seo’
Choosing an SEO Consultant – Part II
Posted by Michael in Tips & Myths Debunked Saturday, 18 June 2011 19:48 No Comments
A quick search in Google for “SEO Consultant in Vancouver” turns up thousands of results. How do you know who is a legitimate expert in your area? How do you know if they are really local, and actually know what they’re doing?
In a totally unregulated industry with no recognized certifications or professional association to determine who can call themselves an “SEO Expert”, business owners are on their own to do their own investigating and due diligence to determine who really can deliver results for their business.
Choosing an SEO or AdWords Consultant
Posted by Mike Owen in Tips & Myths Debunked Monday, 30 August 2010 21:22 No Comments
Choosing an SEO or AdWords Consultant
In an industry that to many seems full of charlatans, rip-offs and con-artists, there are in fact many honest, professional SEO and PPC experts who can truly help your business and save you money. But how do you find them among all the noise and “Be #1 in Google” spam emails filling our Inboxes?
Over the next couple of articles I want to provide some practical advice on what to look for when selecting an SEO or AdWords Professional. Regardless of where you are located it really breaks down to these 2 Key Rules: Deal Locally and Verify Knowledge!
Choosing a Winning Domain Name
Posted by Michael in Tips & Myths Debunked Wednesday, 4 August 2010 19:50 No Comments
Does your domain name communicate what you do? Is it memorable? Is it short & easy to spell? Does it contain keywords?
Which comes first, the brand or the domain? Many start-up companies decide on their Domain Name first and then build their brand and identity around that name. Older, established companies tend to want to retain and carry their off-line brand onto the web, which can present additional challenges in finding the perfect domain name.
Your website URL is your online identity that is visible to millions of internet users. It impacts your business image, seo, and even if clients can relate to you. All these factors should be taken into consideration when deciding on a new domain (URL) for your business.
Also keep in mind that there are several ways to go about purchasing (or trying to purchase) that perfect domain, which is a topic I will cover in detail in my coming post, “How to Find and Buy the Perfect Domain Name”. Just because the name you want is already registered doesn’t mean it isn’t for sale or lease.
So without further a-do, here are my top 5 tips for finding that Perfect Domain Name:
Common SEO Myths Debunked – Part 1
Posted by Mike Owen in Tips & Myths Debunked Tuesday, 3 August 2010 23:50 No Comments
The world of Organic SEO is unfortunately littered with fly-by-night companies, self-proclaimed “SEO Experts” with no qualifications, and enough myths and urban legends to make your head spin! The following was originally published on my old blog in April 2009 and was so popular so I updated it and re-posted it here.
SEO is an inexact science primarily because of the secrecy of the algorithms the major search engines utilize to determine where your site “ranks” for specific search terms. The SE algorithms are not simple mathematical formulas, but actually take into account hundreds of factors, some you can control – others you cannot, which will ultimately determine where your website will appear in the search engine results (SERPS) The rules can change weekly or sometimes daily!
Google and the Keyword Meta-tag Myth
Posted by Mike Owen in Tips & Myths Debunked Monday, 21 September 2009 22:52 No Comments
I have been telling clients and others for several years now that Google Does Not use the Keyword Meta-tag. Most of the time my proclamations have been met with scorn, disbelief and amusement. 
Google themselves have repeatedly said as much, but always in pretty obscure postings, or at SEO conferences. Well, today they finally posted a public statement on the Webmaster Central Blog what I already knew, and people have argued and debated for years. Google Does Not include the keyword tag in it’s ranking of websites.