Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) - No Secrets. No Mystery.

12th April 2007

Here at 9xb we like to be open about what we do when working with clients on search engine optimisation (SEO). And why not? We’ve got nothing to hide and ultimately, it’s your business that will face the consequences; good or bad.

What’s the Big Secret?

We’ve recently heard some feedback, anecdotally, about a major UK search engine optimisation company, who shall remain nameless.

I’ll paraphrase this information for you:

"They won’t tell us anything about what they are actually doing to optimise the website. Our questions about their techniques are met with a response of ’I can’t tell you that’."

Eh? Are you serious?

We really can’t understand it and frankly, it made us very suspicious about the actual techniques that are being employed. We would never deal with a client in this way.

Protecting your intellectual property is one thing I suppose, but anyone with a modicum of intelligence can quite easily find out how to optimise a website for themselves; there are many excellent websites out there and people happily blogging away, giving away the supposed big secret. Here’s a list of some of the best:

Money Where my Mouth is

Anyway I’m not going to lose any sleep over this; to prove my point, I now present to you a list of the top ten, most important factors in search engine optimisation, as agreed by the industry’s leading SEO experts*. You’ll find it on (the rather fantastic) website of e-consultancy.

Of course, knowing the facts and knowing how to apply them intelligently to your website and business model are completely different things. Hire a professional company, but please, if they’re in any way cagey about their techniques, I suggest you run a mile. Screaming.

Today’s Moral

Good, ethical search engine optimisation should hold no secrets. By no means is it ’easy’ (always hire a good company who’s prepared to be open with you - HINT), but why on earth would you trust your business to a company who won’t answer basic, legitimate questions?

*Rumours that Paul Carpenter sleeps with a picture of Danny Sullivan under his pillow are yet to be disproved.

search engine optimization