Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Usually the story goes something like this: Your web site is complete, your budget is spent. Your site looks the way you want and says what you want - but none of that matters because nobody can find it.

With more than 82% of people in the US starting their search for the things they want on a search engine, SEO is an essential way to help people find your web site. Search engines (like Google) are constantly refining their formulas to list the most relevant websites for each and every search term.

Be sure that your SEO is not outsourced to countries where the lingo may get lost in translation. Remember that searches are started by people. As an example, here is an actual quote from a blog of an SEO company based overseas:

"After concept was done, it was time to how to start and make it possible, my command was make it re-usable and obviously I will like to change the image and texts that appears above it whenever I would wish to."

Nobody speaks like this, so a web site should not be written like this.

Our goal is to make your website easy to use, while at the same time one of the most relevant websites for the search terms that are most likely to lead to business for you.

Initial SEO Analysis

When we consult with a client about SEO, we start with a general analysis:

Keyword research: We want to find out which terms relevant to your site are being searched. For instance, you may think that "Tampa real estate" is an important term, but we may find that "Tampa homes for sale" gets more searches. It does you no good to rank high for a term that nobody searches for. We also analyze how many other sites are competing for these terms.

Ranking analysis: Once we've established keywords, we analyze where your site currently ranks for those keywords. This provides a baseline against which we can judge our future efforts.

On-page analysis of your current website: We look at your current website to see if there are any "red flags" that might result in penalties. We also analyze the construction of the site to see if it's blocking the search engines' ability to crawl the site. We then analyze the presentation and copy on the site with respect to our keyword research.

Analysis of the backlinks to your website: Links from other websites are important. Simply put, they are like "votes" for your website. We want to know how many links you currently have and from where they are coming.

On-page analysis of competing sites currently ranking for the keywords: We then analyze your competition to see what they're doing right (or wrong).

Analysis of the backlinks to competing sites currently ranking for the keywords: We find out who's linking to your competition. This usually lets us know if they are actively optimizing their own sites, and also gives us an idea of other sites that might be willing to link to you.

Tweaking: If the website is new, we'll develop it with the above information in mind. If we're optimizing an existing site, we tweak the content, and a few meta tags based on our research.

Creative content suggestion: We offer creative suggestions of new content (articles, video, etc) to add to the site. We want stuff that people would be happy to link to.

Future Suggestions: We lay out a roadmap for future optimization.

Analytics: If the website has no analytics software installed, we install Google analytics to monitor traffic.

This process provides a good overview of the landscape and a solid roadmap as far as what needs to be done to further increase rankings. Our minimum fee for this initial analysis is $2000. We’ve had great success going through this process with our clients. Not only has the initial effort provided solid increases in search engine rankings, but the report provides the clients with a practical tool with which to budget future internet marketing endeavors.

"My website and the way that I promoted it were in need of some 'tender loving care'. The site needed text changes and organizational changes so that the message I was trying to get across would jump out at you and get your attention. RDesign helped me accomplish everything that I was trying to do. After some minor tweaks and doing a thing called search engine optimization, the response that I am getting nationwide from my website is overwhelming. Businesses from all over now have access to my telecommunications service. I don't know how they did it, but I am truly grateful for what they have done. Thank you RDesign. You have made this entire process painless." ~ Rick Nowak

What's PPC?

While SEO is a more long term approach to search engine marketing, PPC allows you to immediately appear on the search engine results pages for your chosen terms - for a cost. "Pay-per-click" advertising includes listings that typically appear in the top "Sponsored Results" section of a search results page. Often, the first website listed in the "Sponsored Results" is the one that has bid the highest amount of money per click for a particular search term. You pay to target people who have searched for specific keywords and key phrases, so you know they are qualified leads. Using this form of advertising is a powerful tool, and we can help you track your bids, clicks, conversions and return on investment. Email Brian, and he'll tell you all about how it works.

When will I be ranked #1?

Some search engine optimization companies use tricks to make web sites seem better to search engines so that they will rank higher on their results pages. Many will even guarantee top positions on the search engines. Often, these tricks are meant to fool the search engines into thinking your site is more important than the others. Some of these tricks work in the short term, but in the LONG term get your web site banned. It is important to ask anyone who promises you a #1 ranking, "My site will be #1 for what search term?" Don't be fooled by companies who will promise you the world. Often you'll end up ranking number one on three search engines that no one uses and are owned by the very company who promised you the rankings. When all else fails, remember that the best SEO's don't make cold calls.

At RDesign, our approach to search engine optimization is not to make the search engines think your web site is important for certain keywords, but rather to actually make your site important for those keywords. That way, your position in the search engine rankings will remain strong, no matter how many times the search engines change their formulas for determining ranking. We look at the keywords and key phrases that people are actually searching for and we optimize your web site with those that are most relevant to your product, service or information. This also ensures that your visitors are those that are looking for the content on your web site. We might also suggest social networking online or creating pages about your business on MySpace or Facebook. A lot of the decisions regarding search engine marketing depend on your GOALS and your AUDIENCE, so we'd need to speak with you in depth before putting a plan in action.

Was it easy for you to find our site online? Most of our phone calls from new clients come from Google. We've even been told, "I see your site on Google every time I search for something to do with design in St. Pete."

We do not guarantee positioning on any search engines, but if you contact us to get started, we will put a solid plan forth to help your web site ranking improve. No matter what your internet marketing strategy, our affordable search engine optimization services can help you navigate the internet marketing jungle.