Readers Challenge - Evaluation of SEM companies
This section provides you with some helpful resources that you can use when deciding whether to optimize your web pages yourself or pay someone else to do it for you. Although the first two assignments do explain where to submit your websites and the basics of how to prepare them for search engine submission, they do not describe the specifics of optimizing all web content, including media content. The first two assignments serve as a primer for Search Engine Optimization, and if your ok with creating your websites with the minimal requirements and then leaving it up to someone else to market and optimize them later, then this section if for you!
This section challenges you, the reader, to do a bit of research for SEM companies. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) firms are responsible for understanding every aspect of web design and development, when dealing with search engine optimization. SEM companies are the ones who claim to get your websites the high rankings they deserve. An evaluation of at least five companies will help you to understand exactly what those companies are doing to remain on top. SEM firms make good money, mainly because of the lack of SEO knowledge of web based businesses and even many successful web designers! Many SEM companies do help save time, but for a high price. My father was recently contacted by a SEM company who gave a rough estimate of 7,000 dollars. Paying that much money, to me, is crazy, but for my Dad, who knows nothing about SEO, it might be worth paying. As a web designer/developer, I would rather just take the time now to learn proper SEO techniques, and save money in the long run. Which ever path you choose to take, it is important that you are able to make an educated descision. This challenge will help you do so.
Search Engine Marketing Companies - Things to Consider
It may be difficult when attempting to communicate with a SEM company. Like all businesses, they are not going to give away the secrets to their success. I mean, if they told us what they did, then we would see just how much little extra effort is required when optimizing our own sites for search engines. When contacting companies, standard inquiry e-mails will not be enough. You must e-mail the companies, armed with a knowledge of weapons. Ask specific questions about their services and be extra picky about pricing. Use the knowledge you gained from the first two assignments. If they care enough about you, the potential customer, they will provide you will details of their services. If not, then you probably wouldn't want to do business with then anyway. Keep in mind though that they are a business and have to be careful with what information they provide. If you ask the right questions, they may not even realize that your probing them for information. When communicating, don't sound so educated that the SEM companies think your evaluating them.
When searching for SEM companies, I used the top four search engines. If you do not know what the top four are, you probably didn't read assignment one yet. I would suggest reading it. I performed four seperate sets of searches because I did not want my searches to be too search engine specific. I also did not evaluate SEM companies who simply paid the search engine companies to rank them first. That's cheating! A good SEM company should know how to get ranked high without paid advertising.
Choosing the top five, non pay per click, SEM companies within each search engine company is probably good enough. You can then decide which companies best suit your needs. Some companies probably have a better understanding of specific web content, such as video or audio.
Search Engine Marketing Company - Resource List
The following are SEM company websites that may help you with your challenge. They were ranked the highest within Google and Yahoo, so I felt they were doing something right. There are literally thousands of companies, so do not limit yourself to these.
http://www.highrankings.com/
http://www.submitexpress.com/
http://www.ebrandz.com/
http://www.seoinc.com/
http://www.bruceclay.com/web_rank.htm
http://www.seoimage.com/
Good luck with your challenge. If you find this challenge boring and you know you will be doing the optimization yourself, then you will like assignment 3. It discusses each media type for your web pages and how search engines handle them. I would however, still perform this challenge. It should encourage you to want to learn more about SEO and SEM, so you will save money in the end. Who doesn't want to save money?