Hiring an Internet Marketing Service – Keeping it Safe

admin    Website Marketing     Hiring, Internet, Keeping, Marketing, Safe, service

Hiring an Internet Marketing Service – Keeping it Safe

A frequent mistake that businesses make is hiring an internet marketing company too quickly — primarily based on price. Your website is a visual representation of your business and a poorly designed site can frustrate visitors, misrepresent your products and even lose sales. Before you hire an internet marketing firm, research the answers to these questions:

1. How Much Experience Does The Internet Marketing Company Have? Do They Have Any Special Qualifications Or Specialties?

Longevity in the industry is a good indicator of stability and skill. Online marketing firms that have been in the business for a while and built admirable reputations are usually known for sound design work and customer service. Choosing an internet marketing company that has been around longer means they will be more likely to be around in the future for ongoing maintenance and updates to your website.

The answer to this question will give you a general idea about the skill set at the web company. Having a tertiary education is good. Having a lot of experience is better, and combining experience with a tertiary education is best.

2. How Many Staff Members Do They Have And What Are Their Roles?

Bigger is not necessarily better when it comes to effective web e-marketing. Companies on average have one designer, a couple of web developers, analysts, and a few sales and support people. Some companies use Just-in-Time staffing, adding or removing staff as needed. This helps keep overhead low and skills fresh.

3. In Addition To Internet Marketing, What Other Services Does The Agency Offer?

Many prominent internet marketing firms are branching out and offering other services, including web development and design. SEO, Search Engine Marketing, Web Content Writing, Social Media Marketing, Blog promotion, and Google AdWords Management are services offered by many experienced online marketing companies. The key is finding a company that offers the services that you are looking for.

4. Does The Internet Marketing Firm Spend Time With You To Gather Business Knowledge And Give You A Formal Proposal?

It is good to select a web marketing company that will take the time to offer a custom solution for your website. Oftentimes, the online marketing firm will provide you with a questionnaire to fill out so that they can get a better feel for your goals, competition and overall website needs. Your website will play a large part in your overall brand marketing. Therefore, it is important that your internet marketing firm have a clear picture of your overall marketing goals.

5. What Are the Internet Marketing Company’s Payment Terms?

For anything from a small non-profit site to full corporate branding, most internet marketing companies will charge an upfront deposit and stage payments based on agreed milestones and deliverables. Be wary of any internet marketing firm that asks for payment in full before starting the project.

6. What Is The Internet Marketing Company’s Policy On Non-Disclosure And Privacy Of Information?

In order to create the perfect marketing plan for you, your internet marketing firm needs access to important information about your company — information you wouldn’t want your competition, or anyone else, to know.

This is particularly true if you are starting a new company. You don’t want others to steal your concept before you’ve had a chance to monetize it. Therefore, a solid non-disclosure and privacy policy will protect your information.

7. What Are The Average Timelines For Completing Your Web Design Project Including Ecommerce, Logo Design, And Corporate Branding?

If the company does both web development and internet marketing, ask what the firm considers a typical turn-around time for projects similar in size to your own. This should give you a fairly clear idea if the website designer/developer has time tracking and project management systems in place. If you have a hard deadline that you need to meet, be sure you tell the design company up front so that they can plan accordingly.

8. Who Will Be Your Central Point Of Contact For Your Internet Marketing Project?

It is important to have a single point of contact for your project to ensure nothing gets lost in translation. A Project Manager should be assigned to all web projects. If you are working with a small web company, however, the Project Manager may also be the web designer and/or web developer himself.

9. Does The Company Outsource Any Project Components To Third Parties Or To Countries Like India? If So, Which Components?

While outsourcing may be a valid business decision to save costs and keep overhead low, you’ll want to be cautious with any internet marketing company that takes your project and out-sources large components to another country. If you have concerns about low quality, cheap labor, and remote project management issues when jobs are outsourced to India, be sure to bring them up before your project begins.

10. Can The Internet Marketing Company Help With Website Content Copy Writing?

SEO copywriting can make or break your website. Your website design may draw the reader in and focus their attention where it needs to be, but the words themselves do the selling. And if the content is optimized correctly, your website can be showing up on the front pages of the search engines for your chosen search terms.

Be sure the internet marketing firm you choose offers copywriting and ask to see samples — particularly samples of sites within your same industry. This will give you a good foundation on which to base your decision.

11. What Programming Languages And Operating Systems Does The Internet Marketing and/or Web Development Company Work With?

Ideally, your web development company should offer both the open source PHP/MySQL and ASP.NET programming languages. They should make a technical recommendation on which

Platform would best meet your needs and budget.

12. Do The Internet Marketing And Web Development Experts Build Websites To Web Standards?

Standards compliance, such as W3C and Web Standards Group are highly recommended industry practices. The main reason is consistency in how your visitors view your website on different platforms and future proofing.

13. What Is Covered In The Firm’s Website Testing/Quality Checking Phase? Are You Able To See The Website While It Is Still In Development?

Basic testing requirements should be browser testing, checking for broken links and general usability tests to ensure the website is easy for website visitors to use and interact with.

By seeing a development staging version, you will be able to check the website before the launch date and make any necessary adjustments.

14. Does The Internet Marketing Firm Allow Clients To Host Their Websites With Any Host?

Sometimes, for the sake of functionality or other good reasons, a web company may ask that you host your website with them, but this is not always the case. You may have existing commercial relationships with an ISP or web hosting company that you would prefer to use. It is important to know before hiring an internet marketing firm if they will require you to move hosting to them.

15. Do They Provide Any Training Once The Website Is Launched?

If your website project includes customized systems or software, it can be extremely helpful if your internet marketing company provides you with training documents for future reference. If your system is very detailed, it might even be optimal to arrange for a training program or ongoing customer support. However, this is really only necessary if you plan on hosting the website yourself or you have your own people to support it after development.

16. Is The Internet Marketing Firm Knowledgeable in Web 2.0? Is This Included In Your Quote, Or Are There Extra Charges?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a science in itself; an experienced Internet marketing company should be able to offer you a variety of options including organic, PPC and social media marketing as well as online advertising. Depending on your business requirements, you should consider hiring an internet marketing company that can create a custom online campaign to help you achieve maximum results.

Usually there is an extra charge for single items like developing videos, commercials and ads, photo shoots, copywriting and so on. Ask about these if they are part of your marketing plan.

17. What Is The Charge For Website Updates After The Initial Website Is Completed?

While marketing is an ongoing process, the website is often considered a one-time effort. But there is always extra work to be done: changes and updates, new content and so on.

Be aware of the charging structure for updates to your website. Consider how often you will require updates and ask the internet marketing firm how they handle future updates and maintenance.

If you have frequent or large updates to your website, you could consider a Content Management System. A CMS is only really useful in the event of regular changes and if a staff member has good training in it. If neither are the case, it may just be cheaper to have the supplier to manage small updates.

18. What If You Find A Problem Or Code Bug After The Site Is Finished? Does The Graphic Design Company Have Any Kind Of Code Warranty Or Guarantee?

Often web companies will make the change if it is small for no additional costs. However, be aware that if it is a change and not a bug fix, you may be required to pay extra. Typically, internet marketing companies will give you several designs to approve initially and then involve you every step of the way. Each approved section of the project is considered finished. Going back and making changes — even if they seem simple — can be costly.

19. Is The Copyright For The Website Transferred To You When The Project Is Complete? What About Images in The Website? Logo Design?

Copyright law is a specialized legal field. You should ask to own the copyright on all of the work designed and developed after you have paid in full for the project.

20. Will The Website Development Company Comment Your Source Code?

Commenting code is part of good website development. If code is commented well, you won’t spend a lot of time if the unthinkable happens and you’re forced to find another website supplier either part way through the project or its maintenance.

Finding the answers to these questions may seem time consuming and quite involved, but it is an important part of the interview process. After you have interviewed several companies and had your questions and concerns addressed, you should be able to select a talented internet marketing and web development company that is knowledgeable and easy to work with. The firm you choose also needs to have the ability to produce a web design and website that represents and enhances your overall corporate branding.

Of course, you could choose to not follow our suggestions and just hire the least expensive firm available — or a friend of a friend who does graphic design and internet marketing. But then you could end up with a real mess. Your internet business depends on how good you look. You wouldn’t ask a friend to install a new set of teeth for you, would you?

Hiring the Perfect SEO Staff From a Business Process Outsourcing Company

admin    SEO Marketing     Business, Company, From, Hiring, Outsourcing, Perfect, Process, Staff

Hiring the Perfect SEO Staff From a Business Process Outsourcing Company

Are you trying to look for the perfect Search Engine Optimization SEO staff from a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Company as a business solution? Not certain how to get one? And if you do, how will you recognize when you have found the perfect SEO Staff? SEO is not something you do one time and then it’s all done, you have to continue executing it and keep developing methods to improve what you have gotten along. Just like any variety of marketing the goals and the formulas are continuously shifting about.

Search engine optimization is the word of mouth and any small or big business must achieve to beat up the top of Search Engine lists. However, you could pay SEs like Yahoo, Google and MSN for a sponsor link, but generally the strength of this approach is expensive and a lot of businesses discovered the competitive secret tool of hiring and outsourcing SEO staff, IT Staff and is by far more economical and effective. Naturally, you as a beginner in the world of Search Engine Optimization you do not have the tools to really distinguish from the skilled SEO Staff and the one who could use up your money just to merely do substandard processing or black hat SEO.

Now here are some points you can take to guarantee you’re on the right path and get the best from the rest:

A perfect Outsourcing SEO Staff Company will guide you on the whole process. They will discuss and work with you the terms used in SEO in its simplest language and not only serve to reach the lead but let you realize how you will get there too. A search engine optimization BPO Company is worth its fee. It offers not only to adopt an existing web site but as well progress a web site from its foundation and base upward. There should be samples of projects available and the general total appearance of the web sites developed should be professional, usable, and focus on its business’ requirements and goals. A good and well experienced SEO Staff from a trusted Business Process Outsourcing Company will really not cost you anything in the long run as it will measure to add exposure and increased traffic hits which successively gain more revenue from your site. SEO work in truth demands a full time line of work. You could tell that you will only get somebody on staff full time rather than hiring an SEO staff from a BPO company. But do you believe that you’ll be able to save up money? To employ someone of your search engine promotional campaigns will need anywhere from 40 – 50k or more than annually. And in that respect are health benefits, retirement plans, holiday and sick time to consider with. Right away, you’ll be able to hire an SEO company like RemoteStaff.com.au that will effectively set up your search engine promotional efforts and work it for you starting at only -8 per hour or 0-00 per month or ,600 per year, and you don’t pay for holidays and sick pay from their offered IT offshore outsourcing services. That’s real savings for your business! Perfect SEO staff for your business site is more than barely getting an individual who can collect a site and do it advantageously in the search engine rankings. Rather, it represents an investment that lets in a program for future development and should embrace a long term business relationship. An effective and well experienced SEO Staff will submit your web site wisely. They will carry grading reports that tells you precisely where you are placed in several Search Engines and if you are badly positioned, good SEO Staff will make essential readjustments then submit again. An expert SEO Staff won’t simply resubmit just for the sake of submitting. Because if you have respectable placement in a search engine for a specific keyword, and so it is advisable not to resubmit and allow things the same. A good and well experienced SEO Staff will submit to the top web sites manually and don’t trust on automated software programs because almost top search engines don’t like automatic submission and be branded as Spam. Experienced SEO Staff will not merely furnish you on elaborated ranking reports that will indicate where you are placed on several search engines, but will furnish you with site traffic reporting. This kind of coverage will present what kind of traffic you are getting and where it’s coming from. This type of information is highly crucial and will assist you to effectively appraise your Return on Investment. A good outsourced SEO Staff supports on new trends in the Search Engine industry. They will build important modifications to your web pages or your effort to adapt these alterations so you do not drop off rankings. This is an ongoing procedure that never ends. It is a full time work just continuing with the entire changes and transitions that progress.

Should you practice it yourself?

If you have enough time, so it is strongly advice executing your own SEO and to begin you should be able to read much about SEO stuff. Sounds like a lot of work? If you would be in favor to focus more of your efforts on working your business then an experienced SEO staff from a trusted Business Process Outsourcing Company is the perfect answer.

Conclusion

There are numerous reasons why your business should hire an expert search engine optimization staff from a BPO Company instead of simply giving the SEO work to a novice existing team member. Hence, it is highly suggested that you hire a professional SEO staff from a trusted Business Process Outsourcing Company if you would like to achieve the top of search engine results. It is advantageously worth the money you will spend likewise the serenity knowing that someone else is professionally caring for your rankings.

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Hiring a SEO Company or PPC Marketing? The Slam Dunk Investment

admin    SEO Marketing     Company, Dunk, Hiring, Investment, Marketing, Slam

Hiring a SEO Company or PPC Marketing? The Slam Dunk Investment

Despite the differences, search engine optimization (SEO) and PPC campaigns have one thing in common: they are both keyword driven. Both the processes require investment and both are effective mediums of creating online presence.

In the recent times, we have seen the click cost increasing. As a result there are many companies who had invested in PPC marketing campaigns are looking at other options. One such option is hiring an SEO company to enhance their online marketing portfolio. This will help them to reduce the advertising investment and also increase their visibility.

There have been many cases of click fraud in the recent past, which has led to the increase on the PPC costs. Hence, slowly more and more businesses and marketing companies are moving towards the search engine optimization medium to fulfill their online marketing needs. But the evaluation process remains the same for choosing a SEO company, which is through cost per click.

One of the most important things to note is that an online promotional campaign created by a reputed SEO company will always provide a lower cost per click than the PPC and this stands true for any industry.

The critical difference between the two lies in the advertising investment that a business or a company will have to undertake. Although both hiring an SEO company and creating a PPC campaign have their merits and demerits, going organic also called natural SEO is by far the best choice. Organic or natural SEO is the result of the work an SEO services company because the ranking is not dependant on paid positioning.

To judge the difference and the impact they have on the advertising costs, we will take a look at PPC and search engine optimization separately.

PPC Marketing

There is one common factor that binds PPC campaigns to other avenues of advertising like billboards, print ads, television etc. All of them create a public awareness and remain in public view as long as the advertisements are on. Which basically means that as long as you pay for them, you advertisement will be on air and the moment you stop the investment, you will be off air and consumers normally have a short-term memory. So there goes your visibility.

It stands true for PPC as well as a print advertisement. In a PPC, once you stop paying, your advertisements will not appear on the search engines and this means there will be no more traffic. So you will end up losing all the exposure and all the graphs, charts and traffic reports from PPC campaigns will suddenly become useless.

This means that you need to figure out your average cost per click in a PPC campaign as everything us happening in real time. A PPC campaign can begin almost instantly. The moment you make your investment, your campaign will start and the moment you cut down on your investment or stoop paying, the PPC campaign will end instantly. This is a clear delineation.

Search Engine Optimization

We mentioned earlier that more and more businesses are looking at using services of a SEO company because it comes across as a sound investment and it doesnt happen in real time.

Search engine optimization as compared to a PPC campaign doesnt have any clear delineation as far as deriving benefit from the campaign is concerned. In a search engine optimization process, there is no end.

If you have invested in a SEO company to carry out search engine optimization services, you can stop your investment after the SEO campaign and it will not affect your visibility. The SEO campaign will still generate revenue and get traffic to your website, long after it has been executed.

The impact of the search engine optimization campaign is not dependent on whether you keep the SEO company or not for long-term but the distinct advantage will definitely be long-term and can extend to a year or even more.

Quitting in the middle of a SEO campaign is not recommended as it may be detrimental for the growth of the business but you can always cut down on your SEO marketing spend. If on a low budget, you can derive several benefits through search engine optimization.

This is the sole reason why going organic with a SEO company is preferred to the PPC campaign because it enhances the ROI on a long-term basis.

The Advantage of Hiring a Web Marketing Tampa

admin    SEO Marketing     Advantage, Hiring, Marketing, Tampa

The Advantage of Hiring a Web Marketing Tampa

Marketing online is not cheap but there are affordable methods that budget-conscious companies can choose. If you are a business owner who is knowledgeable about search engine optimization, social media marketing, etc, then you yourself can do the online promotions and marketing. But what if you don’t have the know-how? Well, this is where web marketing providers like web marketing tampa comes into the picture. Web marketing tampa is your online partner when it comes to getting constant fresh new customers and outperforming competitors. Web marketing tampa uses proven and time-tested web marketing strategies that deliver results. They are the best option if you consider hiring a web marketing service.

There are enormous advantages when you hire web marketing tampa.  First is that you can easily make changes on the fly. Unlike offline marketing such as placing traditional ads on newspapers and magazines, web marketing tampa can easily make some changes on their online advertisements. By monitoring and tracking the performance of their ads, they can easily make decisions to change it. Secondly, by hiring web marketing tampa, you can monitor real-time results. Marketing online allows you to track real-time results using online analytics. This allows you to evaluate and determine how your marketing campaign is doing. This greatly helps in forecasting success or failure of the campaign.

Third advantage when hiring web marketing tampa is your ability to target specific demographics in your advertising. By specifically targeting audiences, you absolutely have the power to introduce directly to them your products and services. While this is also possible in traditional marketing, but most of the time, it is a guessing game. Fourth is that web marketing tampa implements variety of internet marketing methods like video, audio, blog, and other social media avenues. This is very helpful in maximizing the visibility of your website across the internet. There are so many online marketing strategies and web marketing tampa has the ability to know and implement only methods that are effective for your business and will deliver results.

Lastly, when you hire web marketing tampa, you get instant conversion ability. This means that when they market online, they can easily convert people into customers. By using different internet marketing methods, like social media marketing, you get the chance of interacting to real people and build relationships. Once web marketing tampa gained their trust, it is easier now to introduce your products and services. Web marketing tampa only engages with top quality social media sites so that you only get pure interested group of people and not massive number of people that are not interested in what you are offering.

With all these advantages that you can get from web marketing tampa, expect your business to soar. It is important to note that hiring the best web marketing provider or online marketing provider is the key for a successful online business. Web marketing tampa has the expertise to make all your online marketing goals happen. Web marketing tampa is truly the wisest option that every business owner can make.

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function _leoHighlightsUpdatePopupPos(iFrame,anchor)
{ try { // Gets the scrolled location for x and y var scrolledPos=new LeoHighlightsPosition(0,0); if( self.pageYOffset ) { scrolledPos.x = self.pageXOffset; scrolledPos.y = self.pageYOffset; } else if( document.documentElement && document.documentElement.scrollTop ) { scrolledPos.x = document.documentElement.scrollLeft; scrolledPos.y = document.documentElement.scrollTop; } else if( document.body ) { scrolledPos.x = document.body.scrollLeft; scrolledPos.y = document.body.scrollTop; } /* Get the total dimensions to see what scroll bars might be active */ var totalDim=new LeoHighlightsDimension(0,0) if (document.all && document.documentElement && document.documentElement.clientHeight&&document;.documentElement.clientWidth) { totalDim.width = document.documentElement.scrollWidth; totalDim.height = document.documentElement.scrollHeight; } else if (document.all) { /* This is in IE */ totalDim.width = document.body.scrollWidth; totalDim.height = document.body.scrollHeight; } else { totalDim.width = document.width; totalDim.height = document.height; } // Gets the location of the available screen space var centerDim=new LeoHighlightsDimension(0,0); if(self.innerWidth && self.innerHeight ) { centerDim.width = self.innerWidth-(totalDim.height>self.innerHeight?16:0); // subtracting scroll bar offsets for firefox centerDim.height = self.innerHeight-(totalDim.width>self.innerWidth?16:0); // subtracting scroll bar offsets for firefox } else if( document.documentElement && document.documentElement.clientHeight ) { centerDim.width = document.documentElement.clientWidth; centerDim.height = document.documentElement.clientHeight; } else if( document.body ) { centerDim.width = document.body.clientWidth; centerDim.height = document.body.clientHeight; } // Get the current dimension of the popup element var iFrameDim=new LeoHighlightsDimension(iFrame.offsetWidth,iFrame.offsetHeight) if (iFrameDim.width <= 0) iFrameDim.width = iFrame.style.width.substring(0, iFrame.style.width.indexOf(‘px’)); if (iFrameDim.height <= 0) iFrameDim.height = iFrame.style.height.substring(0, iFrame.style.height.indexOf(‘px’)); /* Calculate the position, lower right hand corner by default */ var position=new LeoHighlightsPosition(0,0); position.x=scrolledPos.x+centerDim.width-iFrameDim.width-LEO_HIGHLIGHTS_ADJUSTMENT.x; position.y=scrolledPos.y+centerDim.height-iFrameDim.height-LEO_HIGHLIGHTS_ADJUSTMENT.y; if(anchor!=null) { //centerDim in relation to the anchor element if available var topOrBottom = false; var anchorPos=_leoHighlightsGetLocation(document.body, anchor); var anchorScreenPos = new LeoHighlightsPosition(anchorPos.x-scrolledPos.x,anchorPos.y-scrolledPos.y); var anchorDim=new LeoHighlightsDimension(anchor.offsetWidth,anchor.offsetHeight) if (anchorDim.width <= 0) anchorDim.width = anchor.style.width.substring(0, anchor.style.width.indexOf(‘px’)); if (anchorDim.height <= 0) anchorDim.height = anchor.style.height.substring(0, anchor.style.height.indexOf(‘px’)); // Check if the popup can be shown above or below the element if (centerDim.height – anchorDim.height – iFrameDim.height – anchorScreenPos.y > 0) { // Show below, formula above calculates space below open iFrame position.y = anchorPos.y + anchorDim.height; topOrBottom = true; } else if (anchorScreenPos.y – anchorDim.height – iFrameDim.height > 0) { // Show above, formula above calculates space above open iFrame position.y = anchorPos.y – iFrameDim.height – anchorDim.height; topOrBottom = true; } _leoHighlightsDebugLog(“_leoHighlightsUpdatePopupPos() – topOrBottom: “+topOrBottom); if (topOrBottom) { // We attempt top attach the window to the element position.x = anchorPos.x – iFrameDim.width / 2; if (position.x < 0) position.x = 0; else if (position.x + iFrameDim.width > scrolledPos.x + centerDim.width) position.x = scrolledPos.x + centerDim.width – iFrameDim.width; _leoHighlightsDebugLog(“_leoHighlightsUpdatePopupPos() – topOrBottom: “+position); } else { // Attempt to align on the right or left hand side if (centerDim.width – anchorDim.width – iFrameDim.width – anchorScreenPos.x > 0) position.x = anchorPos.x + anchorDim.width; else if (anchorScreenPos.x – anchorDim.width – iFrameDim.width > 0) position.x = anchorPos.x – anchorDim.width; else // default to below position.y = anchorPos.y + anchorDim.height; _leoHighlightsDebugLog(“_leoHighlightsUpdatePopupPos() – sideBottom: “+position); } } /* Make sure that we don’t go passed the right hand border */ if(position.x+iFrameDim.width>centerDim.width-20) position.x=centerDim.width-(iFrameDim.width+20); // Make sure that we didn’t go passed the start if(position.x<0) position.x=0; if(position.y<0) position.y=0; _leoHighlightsDebugLog(“Popup info id: ” +iFrame.id+” – “+anchor.id + “\nscrolled ” + scrolledPos + “\ncenter/visible ” + centerDim + “\nanchor (absolute) ” + anchorPos + “\nanchor (screen) ” + anchorScreenPos + “\nSize (anchor) ” + anchorDim + “\nSize (popup) ” + iFrameDim + “\nResult pos ” + position); // Set the popup location iFrame.style.left = position.x + “px”; iFrame.style.top = position.y + “px”; } catch(e) { _leoHighlightsReportExeception(“_leoHighlightsUpdatePopupPos()”,e); }
} /** * This will show the passed in element as a popup * * @param anchorId * @param size * * @return */
function _leoHighlightsShowPopup(anchorId,size)
{ try { var popup=new LeoHighlightsPopup(anchorId,size); popup.show(); } catch(e) { _leoHighlightsReportExeception(“_leoHighlightsShowPopup()”,e); } } /** * This will transform the passed in url to a rover url * * @param url * @return */
function _leoHighlightsGetRoverUrl(url)
{ var rover=LEO_HIGHLIGHTS_ROVER_TAG; var roverUrl=”http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/”+rover+”/4?&mpre;=”+encodeURI(url); return roverUrl;
} /** * Sets the size of the bottom windown part * * @param size * @return */
function _leoHighlightsSetBottomSize(size,clickId)
{ /* Get the elements */ var iFrameBottom=_leoHighlightsFindElementById(LEO_HIGHLIGHTS_IFRAME_BOTTOM_ID); var iFrameDiv=_leoHighlightsFindElementById(LEO_HIGHLIGHTS_IFRAME_DIV_ID); /* Figure out the correct sizes */ var iFrameBottomSize=(size==1)?LEO_HIGHLIGHTS_IFRAME_BOTTOM_CLICK_SIZE:LEO_HIGHLIGHTS_IFRAME_BOTTOM_HOVER_SIZE; var divSize=(size==1)?LEO_HIGHLIGHTS_DIV_CLICK_SIZE:LEO_HIGHLIGHTS_DIV_HOVER_SIZE; /* Refresh the iFrame’s url, by removing the size arg and adding it again */ leoHighlightsUpdateUrl(iFrameBottom,size,clickId); /* Clear the hover flag, if the user shows this at full size */ _leoHighlightsPrevElem.hover=size==1?false:true; _leoHighlightsSetSize(iFrameBottom,iFrameBottomSize); _leoHighlightsSetSize(iFrameDiv,divSize);
} /** * Class for a Popup * * @param anchorId * @param size * * @return */
function LeoHighlightsPopup(anchorId,size)
{ try { _leoHighlightsDebugLog(“LeoHighlightsPopup() “); this.anchorId=anchorId; this.anchor=_leoHighlightsFindElementById(this.anchorId); this.topIframe=_leoHighlightsFindElementById(LEO_HIGHLIGHTS_IFRAME_TOP_ID); this.bottomIframe=_leoHighlightsFindElementById(LEO_HIGHLIGHTS_IFRAME_BOTTOM_ID); this.iFrameDiv=_leoHighlightsFindElementById(LEO_HIGHLIGHTS_IFRAME_DIV_ID); this.topIframe.src=unescape(this.anchor.getAttribute(‘leoHighlights_url_top’));; this.bottomIframe.src=unescape(this.anchor.getAttribute(‘leoHighlights_url_bottom’));; _leoHighlightsDebugLog(“1) LeoHighlightsPopup() (“+this.topIframe.style.top+”, “+this.topIframe.style.left+”)”); _leoHighlightsDebugLog(“2) LeoHighlightsPopup() (“+this.bottomIframe.style.top+”, “+this.bottomIframe.style.left+”)”); leoHighlightsSetSize(size); this.updatePos=function() { _leoHighlightsUpdatePopupPos(this.iFrameDiv,this.anchor)}; this.show=function() { this.updatePos(); this.iFrameDiv.style.visibility = “visible”; this.iFrameDiv.style.display = “block”; this.updatePos(); _leoHighlightsDebugLog(“3) LeoHighlightsPopup() (“+this.topIframe.style.top+”, “+this.topIframe.style.left+”)”); _leoHighlightsDebugLog(“4) LeoHighlightsPopup() (“+this.bottomIframe.style.top+”, “+this.bottomIframe.style.left+”)”); } this.scroll=function() { this.updatePos();}; } catch(e) { _leoHighlightsReportExeception(“new LeoHighlightsPopup()”,e); }
} /** * updates the url for the iFrame * * @param iFrame * @param size * @param clickId * @return */
function leoHighlightsUpdateUrl(iFrame,size,clickId,destUrl)
{ try { _leoHighlightsDebugLog(“leoHighlightsUpdateUrl() “+destUrl); var url=iFrame.src; var idx=url.indexOf(“&size;=”); if(idx>=0) url=url.substring(0,idx); // size=1; _leoHighlightsDebugLog(“leoHighlightsUpdateUrl() size=”+size+” “+url); if(size!=null) url+=(“&size;=”+size); if(clickId!=null) url+=(“&clickId;=”+clickId); if(destUrl!=null) url+=(“&url;=”+destUrl); _leoHighlightsDebugLog(“leoHighlightsUpdateUrl() “+url); iFrame.src=url; } catch(e) { _leoHighlightsReportExeception(“leoHighlightsUpdateUrl()”,e); }
} /**
*
* This can be used to close an iframe
*
* @param id
* @return
*/
function leoHighlightsSetSize(size,clickId)
{ try { /* Get the element */ var iFrameTop=_leoHighlightsFindElementById(LEO_HIGHLIGHTS_IFRAME_TOP_ID); /* Figure out the correct sizes */ var iFrameTopSize=LEO_HIGHLIGHTS_IFRAME_TOP_SIZE; /* Refresh the iFrame’s url, by removing the size arg and adding it again */ leoHighlightsUpdateUrl(iFrameTop,size,clickId); _leoHighlightsSetSize(iFrameTop,iFrameTopSize); _leoHighlightsSetBottomSize(size,clickId); /* Clear the hover flag, if the user shows this at full size */ if(size==1&&_leoHighlightsPrevElem) _leoHighlightsPrevElem.hover=false; } catch(e) { _leoHighlightsReportExeception(“leoHighlightsSetSize()”,e); }
} /** * Start the popup a little bit delayed. * Somehow IE needs some time to find the element by id. * * @param anchorId * @param size * * @return */
function leoHighlightsShowPopup(anchorId,size)
{ try { var elem=_leoHighlightsFindElementById(anchorId); if(_leoHighlightsPrevElem&&(_leoHighlightsPrevElem!=elem)) _leoHighlightsPrevElem.shown=false; elem.shown=true; _leoHighlightsPrevElem=elem; _leoHighlightsDebugLog(“leoHighlightsShowPopup() “+_leoHighlightsPrevElem); /* FF needs to find the element first */ _leoHighlightsFindElementById(anchorId); setTimeout(“_leoHighlightsShowPopup(\’”+anchorId+”\’,\’”+size+”\’);”,10); } catch(e) { _leoHighlightsReportExeception(“leoHighlightsShowPopup()”,e); } } /**
*
* This can be used to close an iframe
*
* @param id
* @return
*/
function leoHighlightsHideElem(id)
{ try { /* Get the appropriate sizes */ var elem=_leoHighlightsFindElementById(id); if(elem) elem.style.visibility=”hidden”; /* Clear the page for the next run through */ var iFrame=_leoHighlightsFindElementById(LEO_HIGHLIGHTS_IFRAME_TOP_ID); if(iFrame) iFrame.src=”about:blank”; var iFrame=_leoHighlightsFindElementById(LEO_HIGHLIGHTS_IFRAME_BOTTOM_ID); if(iFrame) iFrame.src=”about:blank”; if(_leoHighlightsPrevElem) { _leoHighlightsPrevElem.shown=false; _leoHighlightsPrevElem=null; } } catch(e) { _leoHighlightsReportExeception(“leoHighlightsHideElem()”,e); }
} /**
*
* This can be used to close an iframe.
* Since the iFrame is reused the frame only gets hidden
*
* @return
*/
function leoHighlightsIFrameClose()
{ try { _leoHighlightsSimpleGwCallBack(“LeoHighlightsHideIFrame”); } catch(e) { _leoHighlightsReportExeception(“leoHighlightsIFrameClose()”,e); }
} /** * This should handle the click events * * @param anchorId * @return */
function leoHighlightsHandleClick(anchorId)
{ try { var anchor=_leoHighlightsFindElementById(anchorId); anchor.hover=false; if(anchor.startTimer) clearTimeout(anchor.startTimer); /* Report the click event */ leoHighlightsReportEvent(“clicked”, window.document.domain, _leoHighlightsGetAttrib(anchor,’leohighlights_keywords’),null, _leoHighlightsGetAttrib(anchor,’leohighlights_accept’), _leoHighlightsGetAttrib(anchor,’leohighlights_reject’)); leoHighlightsShowPopup(anchorId,1); return false; } catch(e) { _leoHighlightsReportExeception(“leoHighlightsHandleClick()”,e); } } /** * This should handle the hover events * * @param anchorId * @return */
function leoHighlightsHandleHover(anchorId)
{ try { var anchor=_leoHighlightsFindElementById(anchorId); anchor.hover=true; /* Report the hover event */ leoHighlightsReportEvent(“hovered”, window.document.domain, _leoHighlightsGetAttrib(anchor,’leohighlights_keywords’),null, _leoHighlightsGetAttrib(anchor,’leohighlights_accept’), _leoHighlightsGetAttrib(anchor,’leohighlights_reject’)); leoHighlightsShowPopup(anchorId,0); return false; } catch(e) { _leoHighlightsReportExeception(“leoHighlightsHandleHover()”,e); } } /** * This will handle the mouse over setup timers for the appropriate timers * * @param id * @return */
function leoHighlightsHandleMouseOver(id)
{ try { var anchor=_leoHighlightsFindElementById(id); /* Clear the end timer if required */ if(anchor.endTimer) clearTimeout(anchor.endTimer); anchor.endTimer=null; anchor.style.background=LEO_HIGHLIGHTS_BACKGROUND_STYLE_HOVER; /* The element is already showing we are done */ if(anchor.shown) return; /* Setup the start timer if required */ anchor.startTimer=setTimeout(function(){ leoHighlightsHandleHover(anchor.id); anchor.hover=true; }, LEO_HIGHLIGHTS_SHOW_DELAY_MS); } catch(e) { _leoHighlightsReportExeception(“leoHighlightsHandleMouseOver()”,e); }
} /** * This will handle the mouse over setup timers for the appropriate timers * * @param id * @return */
function leoHighlightsHandleMouseOut(id)
{ try { var anchor=_leoHighlightsFindElementById(id); /* Clear the start timer if required */ if(anchor.startTimer) clearTimeout(anchor.startTimer); anchor.startTimer=null; anchor.style.background=LEO_HIGHLIGHTS_BACKGROUND_STYLE_DEFAULT; if(!anchor.shown||!anchor.hover) return; /* Setup the start timer if required */ anchor.endTimer=setTimeout(function(){ leoHighlightsHideElem(LEO_HIGHLIGHTS_IFRAME_DIV_ID); anchor.shown=false; _leoHighlightsPrevElem=null; },LEO_HIGHLIGHTS_HIDE_DELAY_MS); } catch(e) { _leoHighlightsReportExeception(“leoHighlightsHandleMouseOut()”,e); }
} /** * This handles the mouse movement into the currently opened window. * Just clear the close timer * * @return */
function leoHighlightsHandleIFrameMouseOver()
{ try { if(_leoHighlightsPrevElem&&_leoHighlightsPrevElem.endTimer) clearTimeout(_leoHighlightsPrevElem.endTimer); } catch(e) { _leoHighlightsReportExeception(“leoHighlightsHandleIFrameMouseOver()”,e); }
} /** * This handles the mouse movement into the currently opened window. * Just clear the close timer * * @param id * @return */
function leoHighlightsHandleIFrameMouseOut()
{ try { if(_leoHighlightsPrevElem) leoHighlightsHandleMouseOut(_leoHighlightsPrevElem.id); } catch(e) { _leoHighlightsReportExeception(“leoHighlightsHandleIFrameMouseOut()”,e); }
}
/** * This is a method is used to make the javascript within IE runnable */
var leoHighlightsRanUpdateDivs=false;
function leoHighlightsUpdateDivs()
{ try { /* Check if this is an IE browser and if divs have been updated already */ if(document.all&&!leoHighlightsRanUpdateDivs) { leoHighlightsRanUpdateDivs=true; // Set early to prevent running twice for(var i=0;i0) url=url.substring(0,idx); /* Append the text to the end */ url+=”#”+encodeURI(txt); /* Set the iframe with the new url that contains the hash tag */ topIFrame.src=url; } catch(e) { _leoHighlightsReportExeception(“leoHighlightsSetExpandTxt()”,e); }
} /*———————————————————————-*/
/* Methods provided to the highlight providers… */
/*———————————————————————-*/ /** * This will set the expand text for the Top window */
function leoHL_SetExpandTxt(txt)
{ try { _leoHighlightsDebugLog(“leoHL_SetExpandTxt() “+txt); _leoHighlightsSimpleGwCallBack(“LeoHighlightsSetExpandTxt”,”expandTxt”,txt); } catch(e) { _leoHighlightsReportExeception(“leoHL_SetExpandTxt()”,e); }
} /** * This will redirect the top window to the passed in url * * @param url * @param parentId * @return */
function leoHL_RedirectTop(url,parentId)
{ try { try{ var domain=_leoHighlightsGetUrlArg(window.document.URL,”domain”) var keywords=_leoHighlightsGetUrlArg(window.document.URL,”keywords”) var vendorId=_leoHighlightsGetUrlArg(window.document.URL,”vendorId”) leoHighlightsReportEvent(“clickthrough”, domain,keywords, vendorId); }catch(e){ _leoHighlightsReportExeception(“leoHL_RedirectTop()”,e); } _leoHighlightsRedirectTop(url); } catch(e) { _leoHighlightsReportExeception(“leoHL_RedirectTop()”,e); }
} /** * This will redirect the top window to the passed in url * * @param url * @param parentId * @return */
function LeoHL_RedirectTop(url,parentId)
{ leoHL_RedirectTop(url,parentId);
} /** * This will redirect the top window to the passed in url * * @param url * @param parentId * @return */
function leoHL_RedirectTopAd(url,parentId)
{ try { try{ var domain=_leoHighlightsGetUrlArg(window.document.URL,”domain”) var keywords=_leoHighlightsGetUrlArg(window.document.URL,”keywords”) var vendorId=_leoHighlightsGetUrlArg(window.document.URL,”vendorId”) leoHighlightsReportEvent(“advertisement.click”, domain,keywords, vendorId); }catch(e){ _leoHighlightsReportExeception(“leoHL_RedirectTopAd()”,e); } _leoHighlightsRedirectTop(url); } catch(e) { _leoHighlightsReportExeception(“leoHL_RedirectTopAd()”,e); }
} /** * This will set the size of the iframe * * @param url * @param parentId * * @return */
function leoHl_setSize(size,url)
{ try { /* Get the clickId */ var clickId=_leoHighlightsGetUrlArg( url,”clickId”) var gwObj = new Gateway(); gwObj.addParam(“size”,size); if(clickId) gwObj.addParam(“clickId”,clickId+”_blah”); gwObj.callName(“LeoHighlightsSetSize”); } catch(e) { _leoHighlightsReportExeception(“leoHl_setSize()”,e); }
} /** * This will toggle the size of the window * * @return */
function leoHl_ToggleSize()
{ try { var gwObj = new Gateway(); gwObj.callName(“LeoHighlightsToggleSize”); } catch(e) { _leoHighlightsReportExeception(“leoHl_ToggleSize()”,e); }
} “);
]]>[removed]

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Questions To Ask Before Hiring An SEO Company Part I

admin    SEO Marketing     Before, Company, Hiring, Part, Questions

Questions To Ask Before Hiring An SEO Company Part I

It is important that you choose your SEO company very well before hiring one. This will save you from losing some of your precious time and money. If you choose the wrong one and get poor service, imagine how potentially wasteful it would have to be to do everything all over again.

Everyday, there are thousands of online entrepreneurs who spend thousands just to get a few minutes of time offered by an SEO company or an SEO coach. They wonder why their SEO attempts don’t seem to work despite all the cash they spend. On the other hand, there are also those who enjoy SEO success and are happy with the services of the SEO company they hired. Well, the point is, you will need some guidance from an SEO company if you want to make a real headway on the web.

When you hire an SEO company to help you increase traffic into your site, you should have a realistic mindset and remember that success can only be achieved with time and with constant hard work. You must avoid those which tell you otherwise at all times, or you are bound to make a mistake. Here are some questions to help you through the decision making process. These are realistic, real-world questions that will help you screen an SEO company thoroughly. Remember that you need to recognize a true expert from a thief and decide accordingly.

Questions to help you recognize whether the SEO company can do the job for you

Will you be implementing the SEO project or do I need to do the dirty work myself?

This is a question best asked upfront. There is of course no right and wrong answer to these questions. This question can only help you weed out those who are not inline with your goals and with your expectations. You need to know whether your SEO company will actually make the project happen as you want them to or if you should expect to do the work yourself. The SEO company usually will ask you to pay additional for implementation of the project before they devote time and effort into your site.

What services do you pride yourself for?

If you are really lucky, you will find an SEO company which is good at one or even two aspects of online marketing. Asking an SEO company this question will caught them in an off guard position and will help you gauge their honesty. Watch out for companies which claim that they are good at each and every aspect of online marketing.

What do you like doing online?

The last thing you would need is a starving SEO consultant who does not enjoy working on SEO but only need to do so for the money. They will take your project and suddenly realize how much they hate what they do and your project suddenly takes forever to complete, if it does. Remember that SEO is a time-consuming process that needs dedication and effort. The mere process of writing content pages will take some time and good skills. You need to make sure that your SEO company can offer you these during the implementation process.

Questions you need to ask yourself

Do the SEO company and me think alike?

You will be better off not hiring an SEO company which have a different set of business philosophies than you do. If you want to be interactively involved in the planning of your SEO project, you need to choose an SEO company that will appreciate the fact that you are sticking around and doing the work with them. On the other hand, do not hire one that will write a copy for you and you end up editing most of the words. What you want is an SEO that will work with you and you will like working with.

Will I enjoy working with this SEO company long term?

What you want is a pleasing business relationship with the SEO company that you choose. You would want fun-loving, energetic and happy people who are inspiring to work with. Try to check whether you like the mood of all the members of the SEO firm. Better yet, ask your consultant what he likes doing on his free time. This may be a strange question to ask but you will know a grump based on what he does on his free time.

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Ten Tips For Hiring the Right Web Designer

admin    Website Design     Designer, Hiring, Right, Tips

Ten Tips For Hiring the Right Web Designer

Hiring the right web designer is a must if you plan on creating a professional website. The question is how do you choose that web designer. This is the first part of a two part series that will help you make the right choice.

1. Ask around for referrals

You need to first find some options. You could look for web designers in your local phone book or search for web sites on the Internet, but the truth is that the best way to find a web designer who is going to do a good job is to talk to people who’ve used web designers. Talk to others in your field. Talk to other people you’ve worked with, such as copywriters. Ask around, and you’ll be likely to hear some good things about a couple of web designers, at least.

2. Get 3 quotes

Since price is going to be a factor in which web designer you choose and since prices vary a great deal, you should always get a minimum of three quotes from three different web designers. But comparison isn’t the only reason to get these quotes. You’ll also learn something about the web designers’ customer service: if they don’t respond quickly before you’re a client, imagine how they’ll respond after they’ve already got your business.

3. Look for experience

You don’t want to work with a web designer who’s just starting out if you want a professional quality site. So you should ask about their experience. That doesn’t just mean how many years have they been working in this field but also how many sites have they created during that time and how many different clients they’ve worked with. The more experience your web designer has the better but also greater experience means greater cost.

4. Meet your needs

You also need to make sure your web designer can meet your needs. If you want interactive elements in your site or if you want some Flash demos, then you’ve got to make sure your web designer can provide these features. Don’t rely on a web designer who has no experience in these areas.

5. View portfolio

Web designers usually include links to samples of their work on their web sites. If not, you should inquire about viewing their portfolio. You need to see for yourself what these web designers are capable of doing before you sign on the dotted line.

6. Communicate clearly

An often overlooked issue when choosing a web designer is how easy it will be for the two of you to communicate. For example, will you be able to talk over the phone or only email? Are you in similar time zones so communication can be fast? Additionally, you should choose a web designer you can understand – that doesn’t mean just someone who speaks your same language but also someone who doesn’t rely on techno-jargon to explain things.

7. Read testimonials

While looking at a web designer’s work is important, you should also make it a point to check out the testimonials their clients have left them. Sometimes these are also listed on the web designer’s site. If not, you might want to ask if you can contact their past clients so you can get a feel for their abilities.

8. Ask about support

With some web designers, the moment your site is finished, your relationship is finished. That’s probably not what you want. Hopefully, you choose a web designer who provides ongoing support, meaning they’ll be happy to answer questions you have about your site even after it’s been up for months.

9. Share vision

One important element of choosing a web designer is that they share your vision for your site. If they don’t, then you’ll find the entire process frustrating, time-consuming, and disappointing. At the end, you’ll end up with a web site you’re not happy with. Explain to potential web designers what you are looking for and be open to their ideas but remember that the site and final decisions about the site should be yours.

10. Sign a contract

With any web designer, you should sign a written contract that outlines your entire agreement. If a web designer doesn’t use written contracts, you should look elsewhere. If there’s a dispute over your agreement, both of you will benefit from having the terms in writing.

Factors to Consider When Hiring a Web Design Company

admin    Website Design     Company, Consider, Design, Factors, Hiring

Factors to Consider When Hiring a Web Design Company

With today’s technology, more and more companies are utilizing the World Wide Web to promote their businesses. Prior to putting a website on the Internet for individuals to view, the company must first set up the website. This is where web design companies enter the picture. A web design company is hired to construct a website for an individual or company that is suitable to their tastes. There are a few factors to consider prior to settling on a specific web design company to construct your new website.

Examples of Prior Web Designs
One important factor to consider when choosing a web design company to develop a website is the type of web designs which the company has produced in the past. Many web design companies will make portfolios available for potential clients to view so that they may see the style of the web design company and determine if their finished product is what the client is looking to achieve in the way of a website. This is extremely helpful when trying to determine if the work product of the web design company is up to one’s standards. Therefore, always ask to see samples of a web design company’s prior work before signing them up to construct a website.

Estimated Completion Time
Another important factor to consider when selecting a web design company to design one’s website is what their estimated completion time may be. This is beneficial to know up front so the client can expect the finished work at a certain time. Since many individuals are using the Internet for conducting business, it is important that the client get their website up and running as soon as possible. This will also give the web design company notice that the client needs their completed product at a certain point in time and they will be less likely to push it to the side and work on other client’s projects.

Cost of Web Design Project
It is also crucial to know up front how much the completed web design project will cost the client. Since many businesses are on a tight budget these days, it is vital that one knows how much they will need to pay for their web design. Along with the total cost of the web design project, the client should also receive a breakdown of the individual costs of the project.

What Is Included with the Total Web Design Price?
One who retains a web design company to construct their website should also ask about what items are included in the total web design cost. Some companies will include follow-up consultation in the web design price or web design help in the future. It is important to inquire about these things in the beginning so as to know what type of items they can expect with the amount that they paid for the web design.

References
For those clients who wish to be on the safe side and know exactly who they are dealing with, requesting references is always an available option to the client. Many times the web design company will offer references that will vouch for their professional behavior and wonderful finished product. References are a good way to weed out the bad web designers from the good ones.

Volume of Past Experience
It may also be beneficial to inquire about the company’s amount of experience. Companies that have been in business for a good many years may just have a bit more experience than newcomers to the web design scene. Although this is just one of the many factors which should be looked at with regard to hiring a web design company, it does help to sway the decision maker one way or the other with regard to hiring or not hiring a specific company to prepare a website for them.

Customer Service
It is also important to consider the customer service skills of the web design company. One who is paying good money to have their website designed wants to make sure they are dealing with a company that will listen to what they want and make themselves readily available to their clients. If one is considering a particular web design company that has bad customer service skills, it might be more advisable to choose a company that is more client-oriented.

What to Know Before Hiring an SEO

admin    SEO Marketing     Before, Hiring, Know

What to Know Before Hiring an SEO

Thinking about hiring an SEO?

As more and more small businesses look for opportunities to grow, the term SEO (Search Engine Optimization) always seems to come up. Someone has a story about some business who made millions off tweaking a meta tag, and people get very excited. But before you go running out and hiring someone, there are a few things you need to know.

Don’t fall for the get rich quick story.

For one thing, let me be the first to tell you that a lot of stories about SEO are either exaggerated, or simply untrue. Yes, you can make a lot of money from SEO, there is no doubt about that. But in talks with people at parties, or other social gatherings I hear more and more “SEO stories” that sell a too good to be true situation and you should be aware of it. If they are unaware of my SEO background, they even tell me this stuff. They talk about some kid who tweaked a few tags and made millions of dollars off his blog, or a company who boosted their profits 300% in a month from a little SEO. I’m not sure where these stories originate, but you must keep in mind that SEO is new, but the same old rules apply. There is no get rich quick method, and you won’t get something for nothing. SEO will certainly be a positive addition to your business, but it requires hard work and sacrifice just like anything else. Which brings me to my next point.

Manage your own expectations

SEO is good, it’s obviously what I base my SEO website on. It’s what I do for a living, and I don’t want to try and downplay it’s importance. However, it is by no means a silver bullet that will make any business successful. It’s not the “secret trick” to make you rich. It’s something you do to grow your business and it works, but don’t expect millions to pour in every night.

SEO takes time

SEO is a long, continuous process that requires work and maintenance. Gone are the days where you could hire someone to tweak some code, and sit back to collect the riches. It takes a long time to get going, and requires maintenance. It could be months, or longer before you see any improvement in traffic and sales. Many times I’ve seen people talk in forums about hiring an SEO, seeing no immediate results and feeling “ripped off”. While it’s certainly true in some cases, in other cases the person or company actually did positive things for your site, and it took a while to kick in. It can take days, months or even years for the effects to be seen, so be patient. Content has to be spidered, links have to be built and indexed, and the major search engines do this at their own pace. While there are anomalies here and there, for the most part top rankings come with time.

There may not be a crowd of people waiting to find you.

This has been the hardest point for me to sell to a customer, and something I’ve personally been involved in before. Let’s say your business sells webkinz. If I work hard, and get you ranked up high, you’ll get thousands of new customers a day, because webkinz are hot. There are 7 million people a day searching for webkinz of some type. This is a hot term, and will get a lot of traffic (and will also have a lot of competition). But what if your business sells heating elements for clothes dryers? If I manage to get you a top spot, should you expect 7 million people a day? Of course not, in fact around 1,900 people a day search for this, and at best you can expect 10-20% of those people if you have a number one spot for it. Then, you have to convert those 190-300 visitors into sales. It may not yield the results you were expecting. That’s why you need to analyze your business, and your market. Are a lot of people searching for your product?

SEO is not always the answer.

I may get rotten tomatoes thrown at me, but there are times where you shouldn’t hire an SEO. If you are a small business that runs on a shoestring, and you have a small market, and an extremely limited niche market, it may not make sense to pay thousands for some top SEO company to get you a ranking. You may be better off grabbing a copy of SEO for dummies (which is actually a decent book for beginners) and seeing what you can learn on your own. Another option is, finding an SEO that’s “creative” enough to find other search terms and streams for your business. The final word on this is, don’t expect too much but make the best of what you can get. I have worked with several companies who were fully aware that only 300 people a day were searching for their product, but wanted to dominate the listings anyway for branding purposes. As a business owner this is your choice to make.

Ask up front

If you’re hiring an SEO, ask up front what they are planning to do, and what it’s going to cost. Make them go into detail. If they are concerned with trade secrets you may have to sign a non-disclosure agreement. But ask them specifically “what are you going to be doing to get these ranks”. And do a little research. If they say they are going to buy 1000 links from various sites, look up some things on google, or SEO forums to see what ramifications this method has. Ask the SEO for this information, and if they aren’t totally up front and honest with you, don’t hire them. I tell my customers exactly what I’m going to do, and why I do it, if they are concerned. Transparency is key, if they are trying to hide it from you it might be something sinister. Note: Don’t ever let a company tell you they can guarantee rankings. Nobody but Google can guarantee you a spot. Keep that in mind when talking to your sales person.

Ask about their rankings.

Ask them what rankings their company has. Check on them, and see how well they do for SEO. Because after all, what kind of SEO company wouldn’t employ their own tactics for themselves? Presently my website sits at the number one spot for “Portland SEO” on the big three, and has for quite a while. But am I the busiest SEO in Portland, Oregon? Not by a long shot. There are companies who are doing 10 times the amount of business I am, and they are nowhere to be found in the search engines. They employ traveling salesmen and cold calling to sell their product to hundreds of customers. Think about that for a second. If they are so great at SEO, how come they aren’t able to squash the rankings of a “little guy” like me? Why do they spend so much money on print ads and telemarketing? I’ll leave that up to you to decide. Would you hire a painting business who had a building that looks like it was painted by a group of preschoolers? If the answer is no, then don’t hire an SEO person or company who isn’t able to get their own site in the rankings (without paying for google ads).

Understand the Process

I can definitely sympathize with the business owner who doesn’t have time to learn SEO. You’re a business owner, a lawyer, insurance agent or painter. You’re not a marketer or computer programmer, and that’s why you hire an SEO. If you had the time, you’d do it yourself but that would take away from your own role. I have heard this from customers before, and I understand completely. However, knowledge is power. The more you understand what’s going on, the more you can control and contribute to your own site’s success. Browse through some SEO forums or websites in your spare time, or pick up a book on it. You can still hire an SEO but at least you’ll have a better understanding of what they’re doing, and maybe even be able to pitch in some valuable ideas. Who knows your own business better than you?

Be prepared to contribute

In a perfect world, you would be able to hire and SEO, throw them a small amount of pay and sit back and watch the numbers go up. But it’s not that easy. Be prepared to contribute and help out. Make sure your SEO knows everything you know about your customers, your business, and your market. The standard marketing rules apply here. Know your product, why it’s great and how it helps people. Know what makes you stand out from the competion, and know who you’re selling to. Then turn that information into power for the person doing SEO for you. Bounce ideas off them, answer their questions and help them out. You’ll get a lot more bang for your buck.

Treat SEO like any other service based investment.

To conclude, treat this like any other business investment. Take care to make sure that you are being treated well, and getting the most for your money. Get as much information as you can, and use common sense rules when searching for an SEO. If you can do this, and you get the right company or person you will go far and grow your business. Good luck to you all.

What are the benefits of hiring a Freelance SEO?

admin    SEO Marketing     Benefits, freelance, Hiring

What are the benefits of hiring a Freelance SEO?

Search Engine Optimisation or (SEO) refers to the process of improving the results of a given web site / page in the Natural (Organic or Algorithmic) search results, using both onsite and offsite elements. SEO is by nature rather an instinctive art that lends itself to being undertaken by an individual rather than individuals in a larger company. This article covers the main benefits of hiring a Freelance SEO Consultant and also touches upon other points that you may wish to consider during the selection process.

But First a Warning (or Why SEO Comes First)

It is simply incorrect to assume that SEO is something that can happen after a site has been designed; SEO (if done well) should be considered during and after the design process as the SEO process will often dictate the navigation and structure and certainly the content of your site.

Another Warning (or Beware of Dishonest or Black Hat SEO)

Search engines attempt to provide relevant results to their users in order to encourage the user to come back again and re-use the service. An SEO will optimise on page and off page elements to place the pages of the sites that they work for high up in the search results. Most SEO’s employ techniques that conform to the guidelines laid down by the search engines (this is sometimes called White Hat SEO); others attempt to trick the search engines with Black Hat SEO techniques. Unsurprisingly the search engines object to being tricked and black hat techniques can result in your site being banned.

Other so called SEO’s simply attempt to dishonestly trick their clients into spending money on services that are essentially unhelpful or useless.

You can normally spot a dishonest or Black Hat SEO when they:

Guarantee a #1 ranking, other than by employing Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising Claim that submitting to search engines still matter Claim to have a “special relationship” with Google, Yahoo or MSN Focus on Search Engines that no one uses any more Focus on keyword phrases that no one searches for, or those which you should achieve listings for anyway (like your company name) Refuse to let you know what they are doing, or how there efforts should help you Suggest SEO techniques such as doorway pages, domains with deceptive redirects, free-for-all links, link popularity schemes, or mass submitting your site Offer to sell you ownership of certain keywords

My No1 rule, is if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is, but now, back to the reasons why you should hire a Freelance SEO over an SEO Company:

A Freelance SEO Consultant costs less than a SEO Company

There are a number of reasons why its more cost effective to hire a Freelance SEO rather than a larger company, these include:

A Freelance SEO has low overheads compared to a traditional SEO company. A large SEO company is less able to scale down services to cope with smaller projects, where as a Freelance SEO needs smaller projects to survive. A large SEO company is likely to charge a standard monthly fee, a Freelance SEO can offer a bespoke service defined by the needs of the client.
The other reasons to hire a Freelance SEO Consultant

Aside from the financial considerations there are a number of other reasons to hire a Freelance SEO over a SEO Agency:

A Freelance SEO has to be good to survive and must achieve results to retain your business. A Freelance SEO is more likely to; care about your project, treat you with respect, return your calls and deliver the work on time. A Freelance SEO is not a small cog in a large wheel, they are less likely to be confined by outdated company guidelines, or made board by being handed the umpteenth link building project this week. A Freelance SEO is more likely to strive to leave a good impression, after all its their reputation that’s in the balance.

Justin March offers this set of instructions as ‘Guidance Only’. Therefore, Justin cannot be held responsible for any work carried out by YOU and/or ANY third party using the instructions.

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The Cost of Hiring Online Marketing Company

admin    SEO Marketing     Company, Cost, Hiring, Marketing, Online

The Cost of Hiring Online Marketing Company

If there is no marketing then there is no business. The marketing procedure in the traditional business might not be much complex then what it is in online businesses. There’s short cut which can expose one’s online business without the procedure of marketing. Online marketing is the only way of finding market for various online businesses.

The cost of hiring online marketing companies varies from smaller companies to bigger companies. Even the price tag of hiring such companies differs from countries to countries. Of course there’s no doubt that in the United States of America the price tag will be much higher and that’s why most of the online businesses are dependent upon outsourcing online companies. Suppose an entrepreneur belongs to a developing country like India then it is quite evident that the cost of hiring online marketing company will be much cheap.

If the outsourcing of online marketing services to developing countries gets stop then there will a great loss for online companies in the developed countries like the USA and UK. These countries have acute shortage of Internet marketing professionals. Because of this gap the developed countries have become dependent upon developing countries. Developing countries have got vast source of Internet marketing professionals.

Entrepreneurs who belong to developing nations can look forward for outsourcing services as these will be quite cheap. In addition, the services delivered by an outsourcing online marketing company are often of higher quality. All these services come at an unbelievable price which the entrepreneurs from developed nations can easily afford. Anyway entrepreneurs should not search for an online marketing company by price only they should give much preference to the quality of work it does. Hence cost and quality should be equally treated when one his hunting for an online marketing company.