Don't Dis SEO

Amex's online magazine "OPEN for Business" offers information on many aspects of running a business. However, the latest issues advice on setting up an online business leaves me wondering how much their information can be trusted?

The article contains some useful information on setting up a business website. However, after detailing how important search engine ranking has become it offers this sage advice "Finally, don’t waste money on so-called Search Engine Optimization (S.E.O.) specialists." It then goes on to say some SEO practices can get your site penalized in the search engines.

This is, in fact true. Aptly named 'Black Hat' SEO practices can cause you problems. However, following Amex's logic we should also say:

• Don't waste your money on a mechanic to fix your car.


• Don't waste your money on a carpenter to build your house.


• Don't waste your money on a doctor to treat you when you are sick.

Every profession has a few members who are either dishonest, incompetent, or lazy. To characterize an industry by these few individual's is WRONG.

As with hiring any professional - you need to do your home work. There are a number of articles online about hiring a SEO service. They will help you avoid the few 'Black Hat' services that plague our industry.

Getting SEO right can help you get the top search engines positions. Getting it wrong can cost you your business. Do you want to bet your business that you can do SEO better than a professional?

Google Analytics - Benchmarking

Google Analytics is beta testing a new tools. It will benchmark your site against industry averages. This is a Win-Win situation for both the business owner and the web developer.

I like Google Analytics for small businesses. (see Google Analytics - Are They Right for You?) They are easy to use 'right out of the box' and with a little tweaking are a very powerful online tool.

How will this new tool benefit small business owner?

It will, possibly for the first time, give the business owner an in-site into how well their site is preforming. By being able to compare their site to equal size sites, in the same industry, across the country, business owner's can force web developers and marketers to deliver the results they are paying for.

For business, such ours, that do web development and online marketing, there is now an unbiased tool that lets us go to potential clients and show them how our sites compare with the industry average. It will move web development and online marketing out of the dark - into the light of verifiable results.

For web developers and online marketers - this is the marketing tool they have been waiting for. It may not have been designed with us in mind, but it certainly fulfills an industry need.