• by brian.w , Shimon Sandler , July 6, 2005

What does an SEO company really do? I can't begin to tell you how much spam I get from companies promising to get me on the first page of Google for $49. Another promised me the top Google ranking in four hours. Being fed up with these scams, below are the details of what an SEO company really does.

1. Client Strategy Phone Calls This is where it all starts. Before and after each step in the SEO process, there needs to be discussions with the client. These discussions involve, what the SEO company has done, the measurement and analytics, what the SEO company plans to do, and the anticipated results.

2. Comprehensive Web Site Analysis In order for the SEO company to do an effective job, they really need to understand the client's Web site. This entails a complete analysis. If possible, the SEO company should request a complete outline and listing of every Web page in hierarchical sequence from their client. If the client doesn't have this Web site analysis, then the SEO company should conduct it.

3. Keyword Research and Analysis The SEO company needs to conduct a thorough keyword analysis to reveal which keywords drive the most Internet traffic, and in some cases, which of those keywords is less competitive. Those less competitive keywords can still drive a tremendous amount of traffic and be easier to optimize the specific Web page(s).

4. Baseline Report for Each Web Page(s) Before the SEO company begins, they should run a baseline report on the Web site, for the targeted keywords that came out of the keyword analysis step. This is a ranking report, as to where the client's Web site is currently ranking, for the specific keywords, on specific search engines.

5. Competitive Analysis for Main Keywords in SE Rankings Analyze the Web sites that are presently in the top five positions. Conduct an analysis of their site structure, title, backlinks, page elements, content, meta tags, etc.

6. Content Analysis & SEO Copywriting The SEO company needs to conduct an analysis of the content on the specified Web pages. It is quite possible that the content will need to be rewritten. Some of the criteria analyzed is keyword density, keyword prominence, and word count.

7. Analysis of Site Architecture In this step, the SEO company looks at the source code, programming languages, databases, Flash, content management system, shopping carts, code validation, etc. In some cases, the site architecture will need to be adjusted.

8. Analysis of HTML and Page Layout Structure The SEO company should examine the coding of the site and the page layout through the eyes of a search engine spider. What part of the page is more important? Many times, the spider considers one thing important and the client considers something else more important.

9. HTML Validation HTML Validation is the process of checking the syntax of the HTML code to find violations in the rules of the HTML language. Just like humans need to easily read and understand your Web pages, search engine spiders also need to easily read your pages. If the spiders can't read your code, then it is possible your Web page won't get indexed properly.

10. Link Popularity & Relevancy Analysis More and more search engines are placing emphasis on these criteria. Basically, not only does it help your client's ranking to have a lot of inbound links, it also matters how relevant those links are to your client's line of business.

11. Internal & External Link Structure, Strategy, & Recommendation Not all links are created equal. Before going out to other Web sites to request an inbound link, it is very important to have your own internal Web site linking to all your important pages. Building external links is a process unto itself. Some creative ways to build highly relevant incoming links are blogs and press releases.