SEO Standards and Certifications and Definitions, Oh My!

Lately there has been an outcry for SEO standards, certifications and definitions of terms for our industry.  Because the Internet is in its infancy and the search engines and technology are rapidly changing, we are a long way from standards and certifications.   While everyone has differing opinions, we want you to know our SEO standards and how we help our clients meet their goals. 

We run with the White hat crowd that follows the SEO Code of Ethics, written by Bruce Clay.  We are also a Bruce Clay Certified Organization.  Our goal in optimizing our client’s sites is to provide them with the best services for the investment that fits their budget.  

At Smart Solutions, we believe that companies should address SEO the same way they address their marketing efforts.  I don’t hear many business people saying, “Someday I won’t need people to know about my business.”  Search engine optimization and online marketing is the same way; it is important and you will never stop needing it.  Today, websites are as important as a business card.  But what good is your website, if no one can find it?

That is where optimization comes in.  Your site needs to be optimized for both your human visitors and the search engine spiders.  A clear objective and path needs to be developed on your website (examples include:  buying products, calling your sales staff, signing up for your newsletter, etc...)  In the SEO world we call this a conversion.  A conversion is when a user of your website does what we proactively designed your site to have them do.  Every site has different design and structure needs based on the site’s conversion goals and target market. 

When optimizing for the search engine spiders there are some elementary standards that everyone agrees on, like: unique title, meta description, meta keyword tags for each of your website's pages, writing about what your business does on your website, etc…  No one in the industry disputes these facts.  But there are so many more factors that influence the effectiveness of your site.  This is where people inside the industry start to disagree about what is really at the heart of SEO.  Some SEO companies or contractors advertise themselves as being able to get anyone to rank #1.  But that’s like your advertising agency enthusiastically saying they can get you a billboard in North Alaska!  You wouldn’t think the billboard in Alaska would drive white, female, mothers with infants into your store in Portland, Oregon to buy bottles and diapers, would you?

At Smart Solutions, our standard is to meet the objectives our clients have for their websites, while following the rules outlined by the search engines.  We optimize websites for human visitors and the search engine spiders in a balanced approach, without compromising either objective.  When a prospective client comes to us, we take special care to get to know their business and their online goals before we embark on optimizing their site.  This allows us to optimize for the keywords that will drive qualified traffic to your site and organize your site to increase conversions.  That is what truly makes us different.  If you would like more information about how we can optimize your site, contact us today.