Minerva

Absolutely nothing. Nada, Zip, Zero, Zilch.

Did you know that NONE of the major search engines use meta keywords? Oh my, how can that be? Did your SEO/Integrated digital marketing company tell you search engines used keywords? I am sure they did, along with other misinformation in order to get you to write a check. (Heres a widely accepted article on this - http://www.pandia.com/optimization/SEO-metatags.html )

Keywords are used in meta data to describe what your site is about. Some search engines then see if those words are in your content, usually page by page. If there is a match then and ONLY then will the search engine possibly rank you. Search engines are more concerned about what words are used in your CONTENT than what is in your meta data keywords.

Google ignores the keyword meta data! Did your SEO company tell you this? I wonder else they may have or NOT may have told you.

Did you know that by using a 'format' of keywords for one search engine rankings may actually be lowering your rankings in other search engines? There is no standard format for using keywords, but every SEO firm will tell what THEIR format is. Just take it all with a grain of salt.

Of late I am seeing NEW web sites still being designed with replicant text menus at the footer of some sites. Marketing and hybrid agencies will say these are for search engines. I have to laugh, because THOSE links were originally designed for browsers that didn't use images OR for designation as section 508 compliant alternative to a graphical menu.

See, back in the day when the first browser wars were just starting (circa 1998-2000) web sites were just coming into the equivalent of their 'teenage' years. No real standards existed but some general ideas were in place. The use of a text based altenate menu below the main site was used quite often for Mosaic style browsers or for visually impaired users. People also deisgned some fancy javascript menus, but since javascript wasn't fully supported and alternate text only menu was also sometimes used to overcome this issue.

Today marketing and hybrid agencies will tell you the footer menus are for search engines. Not so. They are just another set of links and are treated as such by search engines. Continuing to utilize such design attributes is basically 'old school' now. Search engines really do not know what those links are, and could care less if the are in the content or elsewhere of your website. Internal linking is more or less neutral, and generally doesn't improve your overall rankings - but it doesn't hurt either.

Not to mention, a well designed main menu system will use text instead of images anyway - so the duplication for screen readers (re: visually impaired) are also now a moot point. Modern screen readers coupled with good best practice design overcome many of the frustrations visually impaired users experienced at the turn of the century. The redundant text menu is only needed if the site is in Flash or uses images for its menu system.

Another common design myth is the design shouldn't exceed 800 pixels in width. This was true back in the 1990s when monitors were set up for the average user at 800x600 pixel resolution. Today, the most common resolution is 1024x768 as more and more wide screen monitors pervade the market this will probably expand to 1200 pixels wide in the very near future. Web sites designed for 800px are no longer the norm and can be a hinderence to the user in terms of content text site and textual real estate.

SEO or Search Engine Optimization is a complex theory, but it has some common elements that are easy to understand. These include elements such as meta data - keywords, titles, description and content. (Content is the textual part of your web site). All these elements form the basis for ORGANIC searches.

So lets look at some interesting topics:

High rankings in Google.
Don't focus totally on Google. Google is averaging around only 40-65% of the search engine market share, depending on where you look or who you ask. Any firm that pushes Google rankings (or any other single engine like Yahoo) is not performing SEO to its fullest potential. Other engines like Yahoo, MSN, AOL, Ask, Alta Vista are still leading engines widely used on the net. Experienced internet users will use more than one engine when doing research.

High Rankings on 1 Engine can damage rankings on other engines.
Thats why some firms will push just one engine like only Google or only Yahoo. For example, Google and Yahoo have different recommendations for the use of keywords. The ordering of, number of, and relevency relationships - all are utilized differently by EACH search engine. This WILL introduce conflict on the 'proper' way to do keywords - and there is no proper way. It is still a guessing game in the end.

The basic organic search optimization CAN be done in-house by the web site owner if they have the tools or capabilities to update their site. Its not rocket science and how-to information abounds (www.searchenginewatch.com is a good starting point).

What IS it worth?
Well that depends. The organic techniques YOU can do for free. There isn't a large learning curve to it. Common sense will go a long way here. So do you want to pay a web design or SEO shop a $1000 a month (and at an average of $75/hr that comes to about 13 hours of work) OR do you want pay some one on staff for a LOT less hourly cost?

Oh so you signed a year contract? Opps. Do you get a refund if your ranking drops? (remember you're paying for HIGHER rankings not LOWER ones).

Another 'gotcha' is the good ole "in bound link campaign" or referring links from other sites. Be careful here. Link farms are a BIG no-no. If your SEO 'expert' wants to add your link to other sites make dang sure that the site holding your link is industry related otherwise it may bring down your overall ranking.

One of perhaps the GREATEST myths in having a web site is that it is for MARKETING purposes only. Well that is what marketing companies want you to believe - thats what they do.

A business web site is for BUSINESS - part of that business is marketing. Once you understand that a well developed business site can support ALL marketing efforts PLUS conduct business online then you will also understand that a site made for 'marketing' purposes is not going to enable you to conduct business in a cost effective manner.

What GOOGLE Says: Design for people NOT for search engines.
Apparently most marketing firms miss this very important piece of information. They will tell you that you MUST design for search engines. (I'm sorry, the last time a search engine bought something from you was?)

A well designed and developed web site by default should have ALL the basic SEO information. Metadata (keywords and description and then some), proper content text, and essential business information in a textual format.

A web site designed by marketing firms may not allow you to actually do business online such as customer service, customer intake, e-commerce, inventory management, or Human Resource functions. THIS is where companies can save money - streamlined and uniform processes.