So what actually is search engine optimization, (seo), all about?

To quote Wikipedia:

Search engine optimization is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines via the natural or unpaid search results.

Another definition would be:

Search engine optimization is the science of understanding the way search engines process data, and using that understanding to ensure that a site, (or other web property), is

found easily by the search engines for the appropriate searches
is regarded as an authoritative answer to given search queries
and consequently is outputted by the search engine amongst its first results

The ultimate goal of seo is to get a site to rank No1 on Google for a particular Keyword, be that something unitary, like “seo“, or a composite phrase, like, “the best seo service in the west of England“….(for instance).

There is of course a lot more to marketing and internet marketing than simply being first in Google, but search engines and the practice of searching have become so pervasive, that simply ranking well on Google can have a huge effect on your business. According to research, search engines are the first port of call for over 50% of people when they intend to make a purchase. In the UK, over 92% of searches are conducted on Google, and there are over 250 million searches made daily. Of those searches, around 45% are for products and services, and around 25% are local searches. Put simply, search is to the 21st Century as television and women’s rights were to the 20th Century; it is an integral part the dominant leisure pursuit, (the internet), and has signalled the empowerment and emancipation of the consumer. By not optimizing your site for search, you are simply foregoing a significant amount of potential exposure. When searching, over 50% of searchers find their answer in the first 3 results in the search engines, only 1 in 4 searchers leaves the first page, and a negligible percentage of searchers go beyond the third page of the results. According to some studies, as many as 70% of searchers distrust paid adverts, all of which points to the value of getting your site organically ranked up at the top of Google. (Unlike some statistics, these statistics I would wager firmly confirm our own personal experience).

How difficult is search engine optimization?

Search engine optimization requires considerable inter-disciplinary skills, and a detailed understanding of how search engines work. There are many elements that go into effective seo, for instance: market research, data analysis, code diagnostics, information and code structure, content creation and presentation, content dissemination.

When undertaking seo work, Orange Whale Ltd formulate a clear plan of action as well as properly establishing the campaign objectives; furthermore, we set milestones for key processes along the way, in order that the process is fully audited, thereby establishing work completed, and keeping the client fully aware of any materials being used in their campaign. (The terms black and white hat are becoming somewhat obsolescent, owing to the fact that so-called black hat methods – methods designed to cheat the search engines – are being ironed out by Google, and are generally of much lesser impact than they once were. Furthermore, we do all our work within Google’s stated parameters, and more importantly, we only use materials for our clients that reflects positively on them and their brand, and we are 100% transparent with our clients about the methods we use).

A standard seo campaign involves several stages, and is always ongoing. Even if all your objectives are met, it still requires work to maintain those rankings once established.

Our seo service starts with us establishing your marketing goals, so we can understand the overall purpose of any seo and lead generation work we undertake. This normally involves keyword research and strategization.

We would then undertake a rankings audit so we can benchmark your present levels of seo, and establish the necessary levels of improvement required.

We then undertake a complete site audit, which allows us to look at all the technical elements of your site, and establish where improvements and modifications need to be made.

Having taken a global view of your website, your present seo, and your overall seo and marketing goals, we then seek to develop a content strategy in line with your keywords, and adapt, mould, or revamp your site architecture according to your content strategy. We also determine a strategy for your content dissemination and promotion.

All our seo work is ongoing, so we continually improve and upgrade your site as necessary, oversee and implement your content strategy, and incorporate the necessary analytics packages for you to see and appreciate the developments.

We accompany any seo campaign with a linkbuilding campaign, and can deliver rankings reports on a weekly or monthly basis as required.

These elements are further explained here:

How expensive is a search engine optimization campaign?

We prefer not to offer boil-in-bag solutions when it comes to seo, but rather evaluate the scope and extent of the kind of campaign you want to run, the extent of the work that will be needed accordingly, and then we can quote you for the work.

We try to shape a pricing model to your particular needs also. For that reason we can run campaigns where you pay only for search engine results, or only for actual leads.

Because of the way listings are now personalized, (Google is moving away from a standardized set of results, and towards results individuated around a whole set of factors), its not really possible to even arrive at truly objective rankings anymore. Aside from this, rankings fluctuate, especially in competitive markets, so you can easily float, say, between 3 and 5, over a period of time. These kind of factors make it hard to say conclusively that a site ‘is now ranked at such and such a place’ in the search engines.

If we work on a lead generation model, we believe a 12% commission on the annual value of the customer is appropriate.