There are So many Definitions of SEO!
If you have spent the last few years really putting off your search engine optimization efforts because you either didn’t want to admit to yourself that it works and you needed it or you just didn’t understand it that well then your head might start to spin if you call to many search engine optimization firms to start conducting your research.
When you are ready to finally pull the trigger on SEO you will quickly see there is a tremendous amount of information out there floating around which can make things get very overwhelming really quickly. As a business owner that might not understand this concept it is important to not get frustrated with the fluctuation in pricing and approaches you might encounter. You have to realize that there are many different approaches to get from point A to point B when it comes to search engine optimization and you will most likely hear them all. SEO is not all technical. Actually most of the approach is non technical and much more on the marketing side of things. When a search engine marketing campaign talks to you about their approach and it sounds like a nuclear equation than chances are you should move on and find another firm. Search engine marketing is just that, marketing so there should be a heavy emphasis on actually building a business online through a variety of media outlets rather than locating loopholes to boost rankings.

Search engines are quickly figuring out how to remove the SEO people that expose loopholes to manipulate search results. Since it is still a very young industry it is growing, changing and evolving all the time. Often time’s industry people try different things that all end up working with great SEO benefits. This is why there are so many different definitions and approaches when a person goes shopping to buy this service for their own company. Benchmarks and industry standards have not yet been set so pricing is all over the board. The process of shopping around for the right vendor is not easy. Since search engine optimization is such a long term goal and effort you want to find a vendor that you feel comfortable and mesh well with so that you don’t find yourself needing to switch to another partner six months down the road. SEO can be a very challenging process if you chose the wrong vendor so make search you do your research. Call current or past clients and search the firm or experts name to see what comes up in the search results before making a decision.
Anyway, if you are looking for a good definition of what search engine optimization exactly is feel free to read the SEO definition that I wrote here or the Wikipedia listing here.




As an SEO proffessional currently in South Africa I feel that we are even further behind in terms of development and even in Europe a huge chunk of the sme market is still behind in their SEO efforts. Its a little bit scary comparing those who do with those who havent a clue
Hi Lindsay,
Thanks for reading and your comment! Yes, it sure is scary to see the vast differences in knowledge…
Hey Nick.
I second the motion about checking out previous clients and talking to them directly, not just relying on a website testimonial. The company I had HUGE issues with and felt totally ripped off by have testimonials on their website that are not real clients, they are former employees. There were red flags with that company I did not really see then but do now.
Because SEO is a long term thing, I was with that firm for a long time before I realized they were being grossly ineffective. I kept giving them the benefit of the doubt and thought I just needed to be more patient. What would of helped was me knowing how to really check on what they were really doing instead of just believing what they were TELLING me they were doing. These shady firms take advantage of the customer’s ignorance of SEO.
Oh well, live and learn. That BS will never happen to me again. Thanks Nick for your sage advice.
Hey Lorraine,
Unfortunately, many folks out there have bad experiences with their SEO firms, which sometimes makes it tough for other hardworking, honest folks (like myself and my company) to grow.
Thanks for your comment and continued support, I really do appreciate it!
No doubt it gives the entire industry a bad name, however, it is also true that you are so obviously different from these other schmucks I dealt with and that is easy to see. It’s just that they got all dang my money!