By Melissa Fach
I often wonder why I am so mentally tired and why my brain is running a hundred different directions. Well, SEO is just not SEO anymore. To me it is just one part of a much larger job. I feel responsible to my clients and this means I must go above and beyond the “typical” SEO work.
The Foundation
I feel that SEO is the foundation and when you add effective SEM and SMO you see the payoff. A solid foundation supports everything we hope to achieve and the SEM and SMO is tailored to support the SEO. They are all related and they are all necessary to achieve optimum success.
I have seen the amazing success the mix of the three creates and I see it all as one job now. When I create proposals I am not just including SEO, but also SEM, SMO and Web analytics. The industry is changing and it will change again…it will keep growing and become more.
It Is Amazing to Comprehend That Our Business Entire World Would Crash Without the Net!
Think about it! How we would function? Not very well I assume. We have an entire generation that has never known what it was like to function without it. This means those of us offering search engine services need to take our job very seriously. We have a massive responsibility to do what is right for our clients because our failures, lack of hard work or unethical behavior could result in terminal damage to a business.
So What Are Some of Our Responsibilities?
· We need to effectively combine SEO, SEM and SMO for optimum success
· To have a sense of responsibility towards our clients, their business and those they employ
· We need to be able to properly analyze a web site to ensure our clients have what they need to do well on the net
· We need to educate the client about W3C, Webmaster Guidelines and the almighty search engines
· We must do the very best and the most possible for each and every client
· We need to remain ethical
Ethics are #1
I have been discussing ethics quite a bit lately and I know many are not interested, but I feel they are so important because without ethics you begin to stop seeing the client as a person and they become a way to make money. I feel the good SEOs understand this. We all need money, but as responsible human beings we need to do what is right. I don’t think there is anyone that hasn’t been ripped off at some point. We all know how it feels. There is no excuse for taking advantage.
Web Design and Coding
I am very picky when recommending a web designer/web solution company to clients because I have seen what some “web designers” are producing. I do not feel like web designers have to take the time to learn everything about SEO; they do not have time for it in my opinion. However, I do feel like it is their responsibility to keep up with the basic search engine guidelines. How can you take money from someone unless you are sure you have met the basic guidelines?
When I walk into my first meeting with clients, that have sent me their URL ahead of time, I have a list ready that explains the problems with the site and what needs to change. Sometimes we can update a site and sometimes we cannot and must start over. This is not always easy to say to client and it may mean they need to spend their money on a new web site at the moment instead of my services, but they need to be told. Someone has to be honest with them. Ethics are #1.
SEO Will Only Become Bigger
The Web is bigger, the competition is bigger and SEO will become a much larger industry. If we integrate all of our available marketing options, work hard for our clients and remain ethical we can accomplish everything we set out to do.
This is an entry to Marketing Pilgrim’s 3rd Annual SEM Scholarship contest.
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