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SEO Experts

cubemonkeycubemonkey subscriber Posts: 11
edited November 2016 in Search Engine Optimization and Advertising
If there are so many SEO experts out there, how come only 1 out of the top 5 results for SEO on Google is an actual SEO website? Aside from saying that you`re targeting "seo optimization techniques for blogs" and not "seo" because you know if you had plain old seo your business would increase 100 fold.
The leaders are:
Wikipedia
Google Webmaster
News
seo-usa.org (which has nothing to do with SEO)
and the only real one from what I can tell: seochat.com
How can you optimize a site for a keyword if you can`t do it for your own?
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Comments

  • VideographyVideography subscriber Posts: 401 Silver Level Member
    Good observation.  When I see anyone who guarantees "top placement", I look for the asterisk.
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  • WeblineWebline subscriber Posts: 13 Bronze Level Member
    Variety of reasons .... keyword density, inbound links, site age .... maybe black hat techniques as well ....On top of what Steve said .... never work with anyone that guarantees top placement .... if they do, walk away .... there are no guarantees .... SEO experts can help increase your rankings, but cannot guarantee them to be at the top of any search.
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  • DavidJacksonDavidJackson subscriber Posts: 143 Silver Level Member
    never work with anyone that guarantees top placement .... if they do, walk away .... there are no guarantees .... SEO experts can help increase your rankings, but cannot guarantee them to be at the top of any search.
     
     
    Exactly right. No legitimate SEO company will guarantee top placement. If they do, you can bet your bottom dollar it`s a scam.
     
    David Jackson
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  • vwebworldvwebworld subscriber Posts: 40
    If there are so many SEO experts out there, how come only 1 out of the top 5 results for SEO on Google is an actual SEO website? Aside from saying that you`re targeting "seo optimization techniques for blogs" and not "seo" because you know if you had plain old seo your business would increase 100 fold. 
    How can you optimize a site for a keyword if you can`t do it for your own?

     
    As Craig notes... your premise assumes a "SEO expert" would optimize his/her site for the search term "SEO". That is likely a bad assumption.
     
    A search for SEO yields 271 million results, whereas a search for SEO service yields 12.3 million results. Optimizing for "SEO` is a lot more competitive and difficult.
     
    Also, many SEO services are performed or offered by web designers - who may optimize their site for other search terms.
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  • cubemonkeycubemonkey subscriber Posts: 11
    I get all your points and thanks for the responses.
    But the bottom line is that if these people are preaching "content is king" and "its all about inbound links" "keywords" then why can none of them over take a site like seo-usa.org which has only 260 pages, only 75 inbound links, and ZERO meta tags, no keywords, nothing? Even the majority of their text is in images.
    I see your point with the not targeting for "SEO" generically. But we all know they would do anything to have that position for that term, they just dont have the knowledge to make it happen.cubemonkey1/24/2009 12:29 AM
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  • WeblineWebline subscriber Posts: 13 Bronze Level Member
    seo-usa.org is not about website seo, it`s educational based ( so it really isn`t competing, if you will, with web seo ), plus it`s an .org, which gets a boost on it`s own.Wikipedia topics show up for searches for a lot of things, jpartly because they`re within Wikipedia, which is pretty huge.Google Webmaster .... probably due to content, and of course it`s part of the huge Google network.SEOChat is popular, and has a lot of relevant content.There are a lot of various reasons why some show up at the top, and others don`t. 
    Webline2009-1-24 8:13:7
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  • vwebworldvwebworld subscriber Posts: 40

    But the bottom line is that if these people are preaching "content is king" and "its all about inbound links" "keywords" then why can none of them over take a site like seo-usa.org which has only 260 pages, only 75 inbound links, and ZERO meta tags, no keywords, nothing? Even the majority of their text is in images

     

    Seo-usa.org or any website with a domain name that includes "SEO" will always have an advantage in search results than a website that doesn`t have "SEO" in the domain.
     
    That advantage may be overcome, but a simple goals is - if you want to have good search results for a keyword, try to get a domain name with that keyword in it.
     
    ~Roland
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  • DavidJacksonDavidJackson subscriber Posts: 143 Silver Level Member
    I get all your points and thanks for the responses.
    But the bottom line is that if these people are preaching "content is king" and "its all about inbound links" "keywords" then why can none of them over take a site like seo-usa.org which has only 260 pages, only 75 inbound links, and ZERO meta tags, no keywords, nothing? Even the majority of their text is in images.
     
     
    In my opinion, both your question and logic are flawed.
     
    You`re erroneously assuming that if an SEO website doesn`t rank well the company is incompetent. Nothing could be further from the truth.
     
    The fact of the matter is only ten listings can appear on the first page of search results. There just isn`t enough real estate for every site to rank highly.
     
    However, I`d venture to say that there are dozens of competent SEO companies outside of the top 10 practicing their craft.
     
    The point I`m trying to make is you shouldn`t make false assumptions about competence based on a site`s search engine ranking. There are far too many variables involved in ranking - not the least of which is the age of the domain.
     
    And considering the number of talented individuals there are online, it`s very likely that the SEO website ranked #50 is every bit as competent as the website ranked in the top 10.
     
    In either case, anyone searching for an SEO expert would be wise to do their due diligence!
     
    David Jackson
    DavidJackson1/24/2009 9:10 PM
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  • DavidJacksonDavidJackson subscriber Posts: 143 Silver Level Member
    (Actually, using Google`s "Preferences" you can have up to 100 listings showing on the "first" page.)
     
     
    That`s a nice tidbit, except most people don`t search that way.
     
    That`s why business people are climbing all over each other trying to get top 10 rankings.
     
    David Jackson
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  • DavidJacksonDavidJackson subscriber Posts: 143 Silver Level Member
    SEO, it  still seems confusing.   Welcome David Jackson!
        Thank you for the welcome, Janie! Yes, SEO is confusing for most people. That`s why they hire experts to handle it for them. David Jackson
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  • WeblineWebline subscriber Posts: 13 Bronze Level Member
    Hi Janie!  
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  • DavidJacksonDavidJackson subscriber Posts: 143 Silver Level Member
    I have had many calls from these type of companies telling me that they can get me on the first page of google search for beef jerky. 
     
     
    I`ve already said this once, but it bears repeating.
     
    Legitimate SEO companies don`t make those kinds of promises. Scam companies do.
     
    David Jackson
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  • DavidJacksonDavidJackson subscriber Posts: 143 Silver Level Member

    Okay David........tell us how,... to find a legitimate Seo company, and what qualifies them to be one?  Janie, what qualifies companies to be SEO experts is competence. And the way you find out if a company is competent as well as legitimate is to check their credentials thoroughly, by exercising good old common sense and following these steps: 1. Verify their contact information. 2. Talk to previous customers. 3. Visit top SEO forums like Jill Whalen`s High Rankings Forum to find out what other legitimate SEO experts have to say about them. 4. Check their  Better Business Bureau record. 5. Check them out with the Attorney General`s office. 6. Check them out with local police agencies. 7. Check them out with various online scam watch sites like Scam.com 8. Avoid companies that send you unsolicited e-mail (Spam). Legitimate companies don`t send spam. 9. Avoid companies that aren`t among the top 100 SEO sites, (although there are exceptions to this rule). 10. Avoid companies that try to pressure you into making a quick decision. 11. Avoid companies that aren`t willing to stand behind their work. (Money back guarantee, etc.) 12. Avoid companies that promise top 10 rankings. Legitimate SEO companies don`t make those kinds of promises. 13. Monitor their willingness to answer your questions. If they seem evasive, walk away. 14. Monitor how quickly they respond to your communications, or if they respond at all. 15. Listen to your gut. If it doesn`t feel right don`t do it. David Jackson DavidJackson1/26/2009 8:21 AM
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  • DavidJacksonDavidJackson subscriber Posts: 143 Silver Level Member

    Great check list!!   Thanks, Janie! David Jackson
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  • DavidJacksonDavidJackson subscriber Posts: 143 Silver Level Member
    I just checked Angie`s List and see no category for SEO or SEM. You`d think there would be, right? These companies aren`t quite the same as a full-fledged marketing company, but they`re still contractors I`m thinking?
     
     
    Craig, SEO is an extension of marketing. The entire purpose of search engine optimization is to improve your website`s positioning and visibility with the search engines, so that you can attract more customers. That`s the very essence of marketing!
     
    David Jackson
    DavidJackson1/25/2009 11:26 AM
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