almost 4 years ago

Every SEO Company out there seems to offer a "Free Website Analysis", normally performed by some auto program that automatically crawls your site and tells you what you are missing.

Why I don't recommend relying 100% on them? The major problem with these auto programs lies with the business of Search. Many forget that basic concept and why you can't always think/react like a program. That is because search engines are in the business of providing their users with the most "qualified results". What does this mean? That every time you search, the search engines want you to find what you are looking for... period. Really, it is that simple. So why all the suggestions, why all the auto programs? To gather information (i.e. name, email, website address.) Now they know you are interested, now they know how to contact you, now they know you need what they are offering.

I am not trying to bash on these companies, or even the method of collecting information. However, there are also sites out there that offer hands SEO analysis of your site. These are more in-depth analysis, and why they can charge thousands if not tens of thousands dollars each, but also why they are proven to produce conversions (which is why you should be paying them). SEO suggestion, done properly, can be worth the time and money. That is why even the biggest names (i.e. Microsoft, Amazon, eBay) pay millions of dollars each year just to maintain rank. Knowing how to optimize for those seeking your product/service should be looking at SEO as an extension of marketing/branding and not a "quick fix".

SEO is a marathon and not a sprint. So those that push a timeline or position for search results you should turn and run... fast. Looking for an SEO Company should be an interview process, and if you aren't willing to put the time and money into it you should focus your efforts on PPC (pay-per-click) until you can. Starting with 100% of your budget on PPC and then slowly shifting it to 90/10, 80/20, 70/30, and so on, is the best option. However if you do have the marketing budget and time to do SEO, when done correctly, will pay off every time.

Consult with your SEO Company on providing a 3 Page In-depth Free Website SEO Analysis. Implement the suggested changes along side with analytics to monitor results. Be sure to promote your site through link building techniques (community blogs, related sites, off line marketing, etc.). Even if you move up from 100+ rank to page 2-9, you will see by making the suggested changes do actually show results.

Optimizing your site is so much more than ranking your site. What really matters is converting traffic into revenue. In the end that is exactly what the search engines want to provide to their customers... results