Is Your SEO Outsourcing Partner Using Black Hat Techniques?

Posted on April 30, 2011 by mike

Choosing the right SEO outsourcing partner can be a tedious and time-consuming process. Although SEO outsourcing is the most affordable way to promote your website, it may do the opposite if banned techniques are used. Several SEO firms promise high Google ranking in a short span of time by using black hat techniques. What they cannot tell their clients is that the unscrupulous techniques behind the high search engine ranking could be the very reason why websites might get banned. Most SEO firms claim that they are using legitimate techniques, but if their expertise is more on black hat methods, it’s better to look for someone else to do your SEO.

SEO outsourcing companies that use unethical techniques may make your website look like spam in the eyes of search engine robots. Here are some of the black hat techniques to be aware of.

1. Hidden keywords. This technique no longer works today as it used to, but there are still some SEO companies that use this method. This involves the use of keywords that are invisible to web surfers but not to the search engine. This is done by using font colors that match the background of the HTML page.

2. Spun, keyword-rich article. There is nothing wrong with spinning articles as long as the content has a high quality. However, several SEO outsourcing companies use spinning software to reproduce content in large quantity. This results into incomprehensible articles that can annoy web users.

3. Redirecting. There are some SEO outsourcing firms that use their large network of websites to redirect users to your website. These SEO firms scan the web to buy old domains with inbound links to quality web sites. They will then split the backlinks and create a code that will redirect users to the client’s website. This is easily accomplished by tweaking the .htaccess configuration. SEO firms that use this technique can buy hundreds of sites with quality inbound links relevant to their client’s business.

4. Cloaking. This is an IP delivery technique that fools search engine spiders by presenting content that is found in a different domain. However, some web developers claim that this is acceptable under certain circumstances. If overused, cloaking can result into complete ban on website.

5. Spam-like description in meta tags. Keyword stuffing in meta tags may help web surfers get a better overview of your website once they spot it in the SERP, but this practice may harm your website if the keywords are similar to those used by banned websites.

6. Link farms. Link farm is a form of link exchange system which is designed to increase inbound links. Link farm is a network of websites that are linked to each of the other site in the network. Google explicitly forbid linking of websites with irrelevant content.

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SEO Outsourcing Firms vs. Freelance Contractors

Posted on April 28, 2011 by mike

Are freelance SEO consultants overshadowing SEO outsourcing companies? There are big companies that outsource their SEO tasks to individual freelancers despite the risks and uncertainties associated with telecommuting. Outsourcing companies remain the standard choice of well established online businesses, but the growing number of freelance competitors raises questions on the future of SEO outsourcing companies.

Here are some of the benefits of working with independent SEO consultants.

  • Freelancers can be more knowledgeable than office-based SEO specialists. Working with different clients gives freelance consultants more opportunities to widen their field of expertise while further specializing in their fields of interests. Having  a hands-on experience on the business side of their profession also makes freelance consultants more keen on the marketing needs of online businesses.
  • Since many SEO consultants have full-time regular jobs, they are more eager to increase their productivity and optimize their time.
  • The asking price of qualified freelance consultants are competitive, sometimes on par with inexperienced ones.
  • Freelance SEO experts are more motivated. They can go beyond what SEO agencies can offer due to their personal approach to their profession.
  • They can be flexible in terms of compensation. Many freelance consultants are willing to get paid on project basis, which lowers the risk of doing business with them.
  • Professional freelance consultants are usually associated with other SEO experts who can lend a helping hand.

Nevertheless, there are several reasons why SEO outsourcing companies are unlikely to lag behind independent contractors in terms of performance and cost competitiveness.

Well established SEO service providers have proprietary technology that gives them an edge over freelancers. Some companies have the technological capability to streamline workflow and track progress.

  • SEO agencies are more stable and reliable. They have business permits, physical business address and official business protocols to ensure customer satisfaction. Unlike freelance workers who can abandon their work anytime they want to, agencies are more likely to stick to the terms of service contract.
  • SEO agencies may charge higher price than freelancers, but large SEO companies can turn out to be more affordable when the range of service is factored in. Agencies’ economy of scale gives them price advantage when providing multiple services to a single client. For instance, outsourcing link building, article marketing and keyword optimization to three different freelancers could cost more than outsourcing them all to a single company.
  • SEO agencies invest on human resource training. Employees of reputable SEO agencies are kept abreast of the latest developments in SEO techniques and best practices.

Cost is the common reason why some clients prefer individual freelancers over SEO outsourcing companies. However, as evidenced in almost all industries, cheap price does not guarantee cost-effectiveness. Regardless of the future trends in SEO freelancing, agencies will remain the dominant players in internet marketing.

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SEO Outsourcing Shortens Time Frame for Building Traffic

Posted on April 26, 2011 by mike

Search Engine Optimization outsourcing can significantly shorten the time frame for attracting a good number of visitors. The time frame depends on the age of the domain, backlinks and other factors. Because SEO outsourcing companies are run by a team of writers, bloggers, link builders and designers, various SEO tasks can be done at the same time. SEO agencies provides both on-page and off-page optimization services, giving websites all they need to reach their target readership.

How long does it take to boost web traffic?

Getting at least 100 visitors a day or 3000 visitors a month can take several months depending on the amount of web pages and backlinks created. For an average website with 150 indexed pages and a hundred back links to popular websites, it may take a year to reach the target number of readers. On average, 12-13 new pages and 6 back links should be made for a month. We can imagine how SEO outsourcing can expedite content creation and maximize off-page techniques to meet traffic goals in a much shorter period of time. Link building is a very time-consuming task, unless you deal with experienced SEO companies.

Web content development and link building should be carefully planned so that the right keywords are targeted. Each niche requires different sets of keywords and backlink hosts. SEO outsourcing companies speed up the planning process by drawing from their experience with previous clients. This minimizes the amount of work needed to boost web traffic.

What is the cost of not outsourcing SEO and traffic management?

Inexperienced website owners have unrealistic expectations on SEO time frame. Improving SERP ranking and online visibility requires a full-time SEO work every day. With millions of websites vying for advertising revenues, dominating the SERP is quite a challenge. It may take 3 years for a new website to get hundreds of visits a day if SEO is not given full attention.

Websites which lack a full-time SEO staff average 30 or 50 visitors a day after a year of operation. However, these figures are insufficient to bring good advertising revenues. Attracting 200 unique visitors a day seems profitable enough for small website owners, but this is impossible to achieve without investments in link building and content writing.

SEO outsourcing also expedites the process of traffic rebuilding when a well established website gets a new domain name.  A popular web site will lose a large percentage of its website traffic from search engine results unless linkbuilding and content development are continued.

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SEO Outsourcing Companies to Spearhead SM-Marketing

Posted on April 24, 2011 by mike

SEO outsourcing companies are seeing stronger demand following the recent changes in the search algorithms of Google and Bing. The two search engine giants are now putting more value on social media content, making it as one of the major factors that influence SERP (search engine results page) ranking. Google and Bing are now looking at social media responses to assess the relevance of website content to keyword searches. The search engines start showing the details of website recommendations, as well as the personal profile and reviews of social media users.

How Social Media Affects Search Engine Results

Bing shows links to Facebook contacts who like certain products or services being searched. Those sites with the highest approval rating from one’s network of contacts have  a greater chance to top the SERPs. Likewise, Google is now integrated with Twitter so that its SERPs show tweets from users’ social circle who share a certain link.

The integration of SM content with search engine algorithm opens up a new area of competition among search engine marketers. As search results become more personalized, the need to gain approval from social media users has intensified, possibly making SM marketing as important as link building.

Even before these algorithmic changes, SEO outsourcing companies are actively involved in forum posting, tweeting and Facebook commenting. Now that social media marketing is being approached from a different perspective, SEO outsourcing companies are poised to occupy a more significant role in crafting the social media presence of online businesses.

SEO agencies act as virtual assistants which select the appropriate SM platforms, maintain social media profiles and participate in forums. Why do online businesses should outsource these tasks to SEO companies rather than keep them in-house? Social media marketing is a complex field that requires special skills.  SEO outsourcing companies are more tech-savvy. Through outsourcing, individual website owners can save hours in widget installation and networking tasks. Another benefit of SEO outsourcing is cost saving. Contracting SEO agencies eliminates the need to hire employees,  as well as the expenses associated with it like office rental and employee fringe benefits.

Choosing an SEO Outsourcing Partner for SM marketing

  • The goals of SM marketing should be defined first in order to identify skill requirements and the right platform.
  • Check the work portfolio of prospective contractors. Ask for proofs demonstrating their ability to create meaningful posts and forums.
  • Know how they managed to achieve business objectives set by past clients.
  • Assess whether the offshore staff is utilizing available tools without losing sight of technological limitations.

 

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Is SEO Outsourcing More Cost-Efficient than Pay-Per-Click Ads?

Posted on April 20, 2011 by eli

If Search Engine Optimization outsourcing companies cannot guarantee high search engine ranking, why not turn to paid means of search engine marketing (SEM)? Google Adwords and other forms of paid inclusion and contextual advertising bring immediate results depending on the popularity of the keywords used.  However, PPC advertising is not a cost-efficient solution for most websites, whereas SEO offers equal opportunities for every website to improve its ranking.

There’s a growing awareness on the commercialization of search engine ranking which somehow lessens the effectiveness of PPC advertising as an SEM tool. A study revealed that 38% of Internet surfers could distinguish paid from organic search results. A larger percentage (54%) were aware of the difference between Google’s Adwords and non-paid search results.

The cost is the major drawback of PPC advertising. A survey showed that 57% of online firms found PPC advertising too costly , while 51% felt that the service was overpriced.
On the other hand, outsourcing SEO to agencies abroad can slash SEM costs. Another disadvantage of PPC advertising as an SEM tool is the negative impression it incites from most Internet users. Studies showed that Google Adwords on SERPS were less likely to get clicked as compared with organic search results. The negative image of PPC ads may be partly attributed to the large number of deceptive advertisers who use PPC ads, not to mention the lack of research value of advertisements.

Unlike paid means of SEM, SEO provides long-term benefits. SEO outsourcing companies can help websites maintain a high SERP ranking without recurring payments. A one-time SEO project can boost online visibility of websites for years depending on the changes in the competitive landscape. Although keyword trends vary from time to time, inbound links and other off-page optimization factors are unlikely to change overnight. Unlike PPC ads, SEO can be considered as an investment rather than overhead cost given the potential financial returns it could generate in the long run.

PPC advertising seems to be easier to manage than SEO. All you need is to come up with advertisement and let the search engines do the rest. PPC advertisements are separated from organic search results by a vertical column on the side of the SERP. As long as the PPC keywords are entered in the search box, the ads should show up.

Search engine optimization is more time-consuming and requires larger budget than PPC. SEO outsourcing companies address these issues by reducing the labor costs and expediting the workflow. Although PPC ads are more predictable than SEO, there is still a risk of failure.  A study published in the International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising challenged the supposed 35 click-through rate of PPC ads in SERPs. Having analyzed millions of search engine queries, professors Bernard J. Jansen and Amanda Spink estimated the CTR of PPC ads at 15%, which means that 85% of the results that got clicked were organic search results. The study justifies the use of SEO over PPC  ads on the ground of cost-effectiveness.

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Outsourcing SEO Content Writing – The New Challenge

Posted on April 18, 2011 by mike

Outsourcing SEO writing will never be the same once the Google’s new algorithm hits the world. The new algorithm got its first run in the US early this year, and the results got mixed reactions from the Internet community.  Google  wants more original and informative articles to dominate SERPs. The new algorithm caused major decline in the traffic of many websites deemed as low quality. The Google Panda update reminds the SEO outsourcing industry that quality writing is more than passing Copyscape and spell check tools. The new algorithm is now looking for indicators of originality and informative articles. Outsourcing SEO writing should now focus more on achieving quality than mechanics. Google is likely to roll out new updates from time to time, so playing by the rule rather than against it will ensure long-term improvements in SERP ranking. Search engineer Amit Singhal said that Google asked third parties to assess the effectiveness of the new algorithm. It even consulted high ranking, authoritative sites to assess the SERPs returned by the new algorithm.

SEO outsourcing companies are now realizing why manipulating SERP ranking without paying attention to quality of articles will not suffice in the long run. The key to getting high ranking is good content, but many websites pay too much attention to inbound links and keywords without bothering how to improve the usefulness of their write-ups. The Panda update apparently prompted content farm eHow.com to redesign its website, although its publisher,  Demand Media, refused to acknowledge the role of the new algorithm in the overhaul. Demand Media is making its write-ups more authoritative than ever. It has partnered with beauty expert Tyra Banks and food guru Rachel Ray to make its articles more credible.

The new algorithm is redefining the SEO outsourcing goals. SEO articles are now expected to be aimed at article directories with high PageRank and strict editorial policy. The size of article directories is not an indicator of SEO value as shown in the case of Associated Content and Suite101. Links to sites that approve submissions easily are likely to be ignored by Google.

Another way by which Google qualifies content as high-quality is bounce rate.  Bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who left the site instead of going to other pages. A high bounce rate suggests that visitors did not feel that the site has the information they were looking for.   Although the role of bounce rate in SEO is debatable, this metric can be used to assess the quality and effectiveness of web content for SEO purposes. Informative content and right combination of keywords will lower bounce rate.

The Panda update teaches a very important lesson to the SEO article writing industry. Google’s top priority is making valuable information as accessible as possible, and this means downgrading millions of sites with duplicate or shallow content to reward authoritative sites. The SEO content outsourcing industry has no choice but to aim for more organic links through quality articles.

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Outsourcing Link Building Tasks to Offshore SEO Companies

Posted on April 16, 2011 by mike

Link building is not as easy as it sounds, otherwise there wouldn’t be so many search engine optimization outsourcing companies that offer this service. The task is time-consuming and expensive when delegated to in-house staff. However, working with SEO outsourcing companies will dramatically reduce link building expenses and working hours. By outsourcing link building to offshore companies, there would be no need to study the link strategies of competitors or submit spam to website owners to seek link approval. Moreover, SEO experts in India and the Philippines only charge a fraction of the salary of their U.S. counterparts, giving small websites affordable alternatives to boost their search engine ranking.

Despite these benefits, some commercial websites have hesitations in outsourcing link building. Scrupulous SEO companies are using black hat techniques to get results instantly at the expense of their clients long-term Internet visibility. Some SEO companies spam blogs and forums with irrelevant posts. These techniques are condemned by major search engines and could lead to websites being banned.

Reciprocal link exchanges, link farms and other risky techniques remain prevalent due to the short-term benefits they provide. A link building company that proposes such temporary solutions definitely lacks the expertise in SEO.  What separates trustworthy SEO outsourcing companies from deceptive ones is their ability to link to popular websites like online news, authoritative blogs and web portals without paying. An effective link building company can identify and link to third-party sites with high PR value and themes relevant to their clients’ niche.

The customized link building services offered by premier SEO outsourcing agencies ensure quality  links from reputable websites and directories. It’s worthwhile to note that hundreds of article directories aren’t recognized by Google as an authoritative source of information, so linking to these websites will hardly improve SERP ranking. By contracting an SEO outsourcing company, clients are assured of getting inbound links with significant SEO value.

Some SEO outsourcing companies can run a massive link prospecting campaigns. Depending on your budget, this service can range from random search of industry contacts to a massive collection of executives’ email addresses through third-party service.

Press releases and link baits are commonly used to complement article marketing campaigns. SEO agencies can conceptualize newsworthy press releases to get the attention of the mainstream media. Another way by which large SEO agencies can provide media exposure is by helping clients obtain online interviews with popular sites and gain Internet audience through viral content, which add significant SEO value to inbound links.

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SEO Outsourcing Standards Redefined After Google Panda Update

Posted on April 14, 2011 by mike

Manual link building is the standard practice among SEO outsourcing companies, but this backlinking strategy could take a new direction after the recent update on Google’s algorithm. The so-called Panda update downgrades content farms, low-quality article directories and websites with little or no research value, thus rewarding well-written web content without the need to increase its current inbound links.

SEO outsourcing is mainly fuelled by fierce competition in website promotion. SEO outsourcing companies have been preoccupied in manipulating links through article marketing and spammy forum posting. These tactics are now being questioned by websites that lost top spots in SERP after the Panda update.

What’s the rational behind this? One plausible explanation is that the new algorithm is now giving more importance to natural links in contrast to forced links or the ones propagated by website marketers through forum posting and article submissions. Unlike forced links, natural links are voluntarily picked by the Internet community because of their informative or helpful content. Google has emphasized this practice even before the update, but it seems that this rule is now more liberal in giving positive points to sites with natural links. When articles are written from a very insightful perspective, there is a greater chance that it will be referenced by popular bloggers. This process of link building is apparently gaining more momentum now. The SEO outsourcing industry is appalled to see the ranking of their clients declining after months of article submission and forum posting. SEO experts are likely to pay attention now to originality and substance of web content to adapt to the Panda update.

The inclusion of Facebook votes into the new algorithm further confirms the growing importance of natural links. Facebook contacts who give positive rating to a certain link can influence the SERPs seen by the people within their network. Relevant sites with the highest approval score from Facebook contacts will have a better chance of ranking high in SERPs.  This is unlikely to be exploited by web marketers. First, there is no means to force links to get accepted by the Facebook community. Second, it is impractical to create dummy Facebook accounts to effectively boost the popularity of a site. SEO experts believe that the Facebook-Google integration is a big step in promoting the practice of natural link building.

Critics of natural link building tend to compare the time frames to get higher SERP ranking using this method and manual backlinking. Natural linkbuilding takes time to bring results, but it will definitely pay off in the long run. As Google vows to continue improving its algorithm to make search engine queries more productive, the SEO outsourcing industry will rethink its manual backlinking strategies to imitate natural backlinks.

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SEO Outsourcing versus In-House SEO

Posted on April 10, 2011 by mike

Search Engine Optimization outsourcing has become an integral part of web development that almost all large web design agencies offer this service. Search Engine Optimization outsourcing is the most cost-efficient way to attract web traffic and enhance online visibility. E-commerce continues to grow, so does the demand for affordable SEO services.

Search engine marketing is such a competitive industry. It entails technical know-how and specialized knowledge on Internet trends to succeed in this area. Since not all website companies have SEO expertise, many are resorting to outsourcing. By doing so, they can focus more on product planning and market development. Thanks to SEO outsourcing, Search Engine Optimization services are within the reach of even small website owners.

There are several reasons why outsourcing is better than maintaining your own staff. Aside from cost benefits, SEO outsourcing’s advantages include a more effective SEM campaign, inputs from established consultants and fast turnaround time. Although running an in-house department will give you more control, it doesn’t necessarily produce the best results. By not taking advantage of the service of experienced SEO firms, you’ll be lagging behind your competitors. The cost of adopting inappropriate techniques can be huge. Moreover, the initial investment required to run successful campaigns on your own can be very prohibitive.

Search Engine Optimization requires staff with different sets of skills. It is also one of the reasons why many websites are preferring outsourcing above in-house staff. One of the common methods is link building, and this technique is often associated with article marketing. High-volume web content publishing requires a dedicated writing staff. Search Engine Optimization also involves programming, particularly for on-page optimization.

Although there are many Search Engine Optimization tools in the market, paying for the licensed ones is sometimes more preferable. Basic Search Engine Optimization tools for professionals may cost $1,000 to $5,000. Tools like WebPosition, SEO Elite and WebTracker offer invaluable help that can’t be found in free SEO tools. Through outsourcing, you do not have to worry about software expenses.

If you have zero experience in Search Engine Optimization, investing on training will prolong timeline and increase your expenses. You have to know how to tweak your web pages and where to post inbound links. You also need to track the most used keyword relevant to your business and know what strategies are being used by your competitors so you can imitate their success. Search Engine Optimization outsourcing saves your from all of these chores.

The Internet is dominated by inaccurate information on Search Engine Optimization. Sorting out valuable information from lies needs professional assistance. Doing SEO on your own may damage your ranking rather than improve it. SEO offshoring can greatly minimize the risk of failure since you can verify the track record of prospective contractors. When choosing among prospective Search Engine Optimization firms, ask for a list of sites they have optimized to make sure that their SEO techniques really work. Or better yet, google certain keywords relevant to SEO offshoring and see how high these SEO firms rank. Search Engine Optimization firms that dominate the SERP are the best candidates.

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Outsourcing SEO for Better Risk Management

Posted on April 10, 2011 by eli

Sudden changes in search algorithms give SEO outsourcing companies a more prominent role in managing web traffic. Many websites suddenly experienced a drop in traffic, and other websites may see their SERP ranking changing slightly as their inbound links face potential downgrade due to these changes. SEO outsourcing companies foresee more demand for quality web content writing and overhaul of link building strategies in response to the new algorithm.

In February 2011,  Amit Singhal and Matt Cutts, search engineers at Google, announced that the company revised its algorithm to give more value to websites which offer quality content. The changes are in line with Google’s goal to make it easier for web surfers to find relevant answers to their questions. Although the preceding algorithmic changes were quite subtle, the recent ones have drastic effects on many websites. The updates are intended to downgrade many websites that copy content and give little value to its visitors. Websites with unique content and well researched reports will now take over the SERP.

For years, SEO outsourcing companies have been reproducing web content as part of article marketing and link building campaigns. Link farms and content farm grew exponentially due to the desire of website owners to amass  Adword revenues and increase SERP ranking instantly. But with the recent changes, old SEO practices like article marketing will undergo drastic overhaul. The shift from rewritten to original content will spur demand for subject matter experts and top-notch journalists.

Google got applause and criticisms for its new algorithm which is being tested in the US . Many are glad to see the Library of Congress, Encyclopaedia Britannica and mainstream newspaper sites gaining higher SERP ranking. But content farms and article directories, which are among the biggest losers, think that the new algorithm is unfair.

Demand Media, the company behind eHow.com, maintained that algorithmic changes have not affected the website’s ranking yet. Hubpages.com experienced one of the biggest decline in SERP ranking, according to analytics firm Sistrix. CEO Paul Edmonson thinks that the new algorithm unfairly downgraded many informative articles in Hubpages. Wisegeek.com also suffered a major blow – a 25% drop in web traffic.

As expected, websites with informative articles and good value got their due. The SERP ranking of marthastewart.com and popeater.com climbed by 14% and 24 %, respectively.

The ever-changing algorithms of search engines increase business risks. Outsourcing SEO tasks to experts will protect you from sudden changes in search engine ranking rules. SEO outsourcing companies have in-depth knowledge of search engine mechanism since they keep themselves abreast of the emerging trends in this industry. They can help rework your SEO strategies either as a proactive response or corrective measure.

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