Search Engine Optimisation
and Placement Services

Search engine optimisation services are one of the most desirable services I offer as an Internet Marketing Consultant. This represents a considerable change in attitude since I first began offering my services in search engine optimisation back in 1996.

Of course, search engine optimisation services vary a great deal from one provider to another. There are still companies out there that charge clients for monthly resubmissions, believe it or not.

I prefer to offer search engine optimisation on a consultancy basis, where I am a consultant hired to implement search engine optimisation strategies as a single campaign in the overall marketing strategy.

Search engine optimisation breaks down into the following general sub-services:

Optimising key search term selections.

The first step of optimisation for text of any kind to rank highly in search engines, is to accurately assess the terminology that searchers will use when trying to locate the information, products or services offered.

Related Articles:
Key words and search terms tutorial.

Creating HTML Document Titles.

The titles that a web developer may give the pages they create are often too brief, or too generic to provide much information to outsiders. Creating titles that are more descriptive, and which contain relevant key words that will be used as search terms is a vital step in the optimisation process.

Creating Document Descriptions.

When sites are listed in the results of searches and in the categories of web directories they appear with a brief description. The source of these varies, but ensuring that the descriptions are appealing and informative is essential to optimisation.

Optimising for search engine position.

To optimise a site, I find solutions for any innate limitations the site may have, such as with dynamic, database driven sites, or as with framed sites. I also optimise the pages, (or the templates in the case of dynamic content), to ensure that search engine spiders will be able to access the content, and accurately assess it for relevance to pertinent search queries.

Relevant Articles:
How to optimise for search engine placement.

Search Engine Submission.

Search engine submission is generally a one-time process. Unless there are problems with the server or site that cause the site to be dropped from a search engine index, resubmissions are rarely advisable to repeat on any regular cycle.

Search engines are unlikely to drop an entire site all at once no matter what, and so will rapidly rediscover any pages lost from the index from links on the remaining indexed pages.

Because of this, it is my view that resubmissions on a monthly basis are either a con to fool clients into paying for a monthly service they are unlikely to ever need, or just as worryingly, a sign that the company doesn't truly understand search engines at all.

I handle search engine submissions for a site in just 1 hour of my time to submit the site to all major search engines. Where the client wishes me to additionally target smaller topical and small-regional engines, I may charge an additional hour for the extra time spent in hunting down specialist search engines.

I am so certain of the quality of my submissions that I will handle resubmissions free for the folowing 12 months, except where the need for these is due to the client's own actions (such as taking their server offline for a week) or inactions (such as not rebooting a crashed server for a week).

Web Directory submissions are a little more involved, since submissions must be made to specific, carefully selected categories, and must be accompanied by a cunningly worded description that will suit the directory editors, the client, and the directory users all at the same time as helping attain high ranking in searches.

Web Directory submissions to all major web directories generally take about 2 hours, and usually require payment of a charge to the directory to ensure quick consideration. As I mention in my article about pricing SEO services, I charge on an hourly basis because I believe this offers the best value for my clients.

Ammon Johns