Pre-Packaged Seo Programs

Search Engine Optimization Packages

I recently completed a competitive business analysis for my Search Engine Optimization Consultancy. One item I looked at specifically was Search Engine Optimization Packages claiming to offer a” Complete Search Engine Optimization Solution”.

I found that many of these so call complete services were in fact not complete and in many cases somewhat vague in what services were offered. The old adage of you get what you pay for was not relevant when looking at a broad selection of these SEO Packages.

I would imagine the average web site owner trying to navigate the minefield of SEO would have some difficulty determining value from the varied SEO packages on offer. Not just due to the huge range of pricing but also from the services actually supplied. It would definitely be a case of it being very difficult to compare apples to apples due to the variety of services and prices available.

Are pre- packaged SEO Programs effective?

An effective SEO program of any type must include a number of important and necessary tasks. Without these primary SEO tasks being completed it is unlikely an effective SEO Program will be the result, regardless of the SEO Program being pre-packaged or completed as a customized solution.

Providing the required SEO tasks are completed in a professional manner I see no reason whatsoever why pre-packaged SEO Programs are not as successful as a custom solution.

The main drawback I see with pre-packaged SEO is they are unlikely to offer customers an end to end SEO Solution. However it must be noted, often an end to end custom optimization of the web site is not always necessary nor is it always affordable.

The most notable benefit of a pre-packaged SEO Program is the set cost and the ability to select a SEO Package that is within your business’s budget. In this competitive business environment even an entry level amount of SEO is better than none.

The required SEO Tasks

To help web site owners navigate the minefield of Pre-Packages SEO Programs the following tasks are in my opinion critical to all Search Engine Optimization Programs.

Web Site Audit and Report

Even a comprehensive optimization of the web site will not provide the desired results if there are web site issues which affect visitor experience and their ability to achieve their objectives. If your visitors are unable to achieve their goals it can be pretty much guaranteed your business will not be achieving their online business objectives.

The only effective method to ensure your Search Optimization Program works for your business is to complete an analysis of your website to discover the issues which may be detrimental to user experience and usability.

• Links not working
• Unprofessional design
• Incomplete or inappropriate content
• Non-intuitive navigation system
• Excessive use of JavaScript or Flash

Competitive Analysis

All businesses require competitive analysis to determine what needs to be done to achieve better results and increase market share.

SEO is no different, if you do not have a clear understanding of the SEO initiatives your competitors are undertaking, it will be impossible to determine what your business web site requires to better the competition.

Competitive Analysis should evaluate:

• Keyword use
• Inbound links
• Assess overall web site quality issues

Baseline Report

The current performance of the web site needs to be determined. If this task is not completed then it is not possible to determine how effective the Search Engine Optimization has been.

The main criteria to evaluate:

• Search Engine Page results for specified keywords
• Traffic volumes and where the traffic is arriving from
• Conversion from visitors to customers

Keyword Research and Integration

Personally I feel this is the most critical and often most overlooked SEO task.

In the process of my own competitive analysis I came across numerous SEO Packages that would optimize a web site for a specific number of keywords. But my main question would have to be “Which keywords and how these keywords are selected?”

Optimizing for very competitive generic keywords is a waste of time. The likelihood of obtaining reasonable results in Search Engine Results Page is virtually zero.

For example:

There are numerous Real Estate companies completing SEO Programs, most of these companies do not have a realistic chance of ranking when choosing such terms as “Real Estate” “Condo”. To have any realistic chance of ranking well in Search Engine results less generic terms would need to be utilised such as “Ocean side resort Condo” or “Calgary luxury Real Estate”

Keyword Research is not about providing a list of relevant keywords, it is about discovering the keywords which are likely to rank well and provide web site traffic. This is often overlooked by many SEO programs of any type.

Link Building

A SEO Program regardless of it being Pre-Packaged or custom is not complete without some form of Link Building Program being initiated.

The importance of inbound links to a web site cannot be overlooked. Search Engines consider an Inbound Link as a vote of confidence to the receiving web site. This is one of the primary factors used to determine how well a web page ranks in Search Engine Result Pages. The other is relevancy which is where the importance of keywords and keyword integration is the primary consideration.

SEO Program Monitoring

Ongoing monitoring of all SEO Programs is imperative to determine what is effective and what is not.

At the very least the following should be monitored on minimum monthly basis:

• Performance of keywords in Search Engine Results
• Volume of traffic and from where it originates
• The ratios of conversions / visitors

The monitoring of these items will assist to identify where additional work needs to be carried out to improve Search Optimization results. SEO is not a one time task, but an ongoing program that requires monitoring and tweaking.

Seo Packages - Conclusion

Pre-packaged SEO programs do offer web site owners viable Search Engine Optimization solutions providing they offer the basics of a productive and successful SEO Program.

The items I have discussed in this post are imperative to the success of all SEO programs custom or pre-packaged. If your SEO Program includes all of these tasks, you are on the right track, and given time will begin to see the benefits of SEO on your business and web site.