FAQs about SEO & PPC

FAQs about SEO/SEM & Server Side Design, Inc.

1. What are ServerSideDesign’s core competencies?
1. SEO (Natural Search Engine Optimization)
2. SEM (Search Engine Marketing – aka - Paid Placement)
3. SMM (Social Media Marketing)
4. Video Marketing
5. Local Marketing
6. Mobile Marketing
2. What is SEO?
1. Search Engine Optimization is the process of optimizing a website through programming standards which are best suitable and agreeable to the major search engines. By programming a website to be “optimized” for the engines it will stand a better chance of ranking well on the SERPS (search engine results pages). Once a site is optimized/programmed to adhere to SEO standards it must be promoted through online marketing initiatives. These initiatives may include writing blogs, articles, press releases and creating link-backs. This “offsite” effort  plays a key role in the optimization process as it helps push rankings higher on the SERPS.
3. What is SEM?
1. SEM stands for Search Engine Marketing and is commonly used when referring to “paid placements” or online advertising. This is different than SEO because people must pay to display ads, banners, links etc. to gain exposure. Paid placements commonly cost a customer per “ad click” or ad impression. Example: Google Adwords, Yahoo Search Marketing.
4. Which one is right for me?
1. This depends on your goals. If your goal is to be on page one of Google, Yahoo or MSN within 24 hours then SEM is your best choice. We can setup Pay Per Click ad campaigns on these engines to get exposure right away.
1. Pros of SEM: Immediate, quick exposure of text, banner and video ads on the major search engines with guaranteed page one placement. Can yield quick traffic and quick sales if setup and managed properly.
2. Cons of SEM: Pay Per Click advertising can be costly. Customers pay per “click” and these clicks are often $1-$8 each. Money goes quick! If the customer does not see a good ROI then the money is wasted. PPC is not an investment- you are renting space on the top of the engines. When you run out of money for clicks the ads disappear!
2. SEO; if you have patience and do not need to be on page one of the engines right away, then SEO is the smartest choice. SEO will eventually yield natural (or organic) listings on page one of the major engines.
1. Pros of SEO: Natural listings on the engines are FREE. You do not pay the engines to place your site there and you are not charged per click! 70% of all users click on natural listings vs. the 30% that are clicking the PPC (paid) ads. SEO takes time but yields better results and at a more affordable cost.
2. Cons of SEO: SEO takes time. Depending on the keyword phrase, page one rankings can take 1 month or several years to achieve. There is NO guarantee with SEO because we are not paying the engines to list the site (as with PPC). SEO is costly when hiring an SEO company in the beginning of the campaign but once the site achieves top rankings the payoff is big.
5. How does SEO work? How do you get our site to the top of the engines?
1. This is a two part process; Onsite Marketing and Offsite Marketing.
1. Onsite marketing is also known as the “SEO Tune-up” phase. This is where we optimize and reprogram a website to be “tuned” for the search engines to read. The entire SEO campaign is based on keyword phrases so these phrases are the backbone of the entire campaign. We put much effort into researching keywords so that our customers may choose phrases based on statistical data such as search volume and competitive websites. This stage is called “on site” because the work we do is on the actual website. This tune-up phase takes aprox. 4 weeks for most websites and consists of things such as title and meta updates, header updates, keyword density insertions, keyword based navigation systems, sitemap creations, keyword landing page creations, code clean up and more.
2. Offsite marketing means all of the marketing efforts that take place outside the physical website.  Once a site is tuned up to Engine standards it is then vital to begin all offsite marketing initiatives. These initiatives are what promote the individual keyword phrases so that when a user types them into the engines, the client’s site shows up. All offsite marketing efforts revolve around the clients chosen keyword phrases where we embed them into offsite blogs, articles, social networks, press releases and link-backs. Every link-back that points to the client’s site, counts as a vote to the engines. The more votes the site gets, the higher the site will rank on the SERPS.
3. NOTE: SEO is a blend of art and science. There is no “perfect” or “secret” formula to get a site to the top. We follow the general guidelines that the search engines set forth but most of our strategies come from experimentation, experience and staying informed and educated on what’s happening in the world of Search.
6. How does PPC work?
1. Pay Per Click advertising begins with keyword research. We obtain a base list of words from the client and then expand on this list by using research strategies. Once the words are selected we divide the words into categories, known as “Ad Groups” Each Ad Group has a couple text ads custom written for them. We set the geo-graphic target market for each ad group as well as a daily budget so as not to exceed the client’s allocated monthly budget. Once everything is setup we assign each keyword phrase with a bid amount. This bid amount is where “pay per click” gets its name. For example; we must assign a bid of $2.50 per click to the phrase “website hosting” in order for that ad to appear on page one of Google. Each time a user types in “website hosting” into Google, sees our ad, and then clicks that ad- we are charged $2.50. The higher the bid, the higher the ad will show on the search engines therefore we are constantly monitoring and adjusting bid levels. The goal is to get the most exposure, clicks and traffic as possible at the lowest CPC (cost per click) as possible! The further we can stretch our client’s dollar, the more traffic we can bring to their website.
7. Can you guarantee rankings?
1. We can only guarantee rankings for SEM not SEO. So we can guarantee that a client’s ad will show up on page one of Google if we are running Pay Per Click Ads for them. We do NOT pay the engines for natural listings and NO search engines accept payments for this therefore we can never guarantee natural rankings. What we can do is guarantee that all deadlines and deliverables will be met. Google actually states that “No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google” This quote can be found here http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=35291
8. How long will it take to get to the top of the engines?
1. This ALL depends on the keyword phrase. A generic phrase such as “web hosting” can take YEARS whereas a more niche phrase such as “Houston website hosting” could take a few months. We can get page one rankings in less than 1 year for many phrases that are on the regional level and granular in nature. We never give solid guarantees of when we will achieve page one rankings. When choosing an SEO company you must research their prior results, credentials and speak with their current clients.
9. Once I get to the top, why do I need you? Will my site stay at the top?
1. Site listings on page one will not disappear overnight (usually) but we do many things on a monthly basis which will secure these top rankings. One of the main things we do is post new content to our client’s site each week. This keeps the content fresh and keeps the engines coming back often. The more they come back, the higher you will rank and secure your position. We are constantly acquiring massive amounts of link-backs on a monthly basis. If we stop doing this then eventually old link-backs will begin dropping off and this can affect rankings. Also, keep in mind that if you are not writing fresh content and building link backs on a daily basis, your competitors may be- and they can bump you out of that top spot. Top rankings are volatile and can change often.
10. How much does SEO cost?
1. We only create custom proposals and project bids based on our client's goals. If you choose keywords which are extremely competitive, your fee with us is higher because we increase the amount of marketing deliverables it will take to achieve top rankings. We have a minimum fee requirement of $1,000/month to engage with our company.
11. How much does SEM (PPC) cost?
1. a. We charge a one-time fee of $1,000 per engine to setup an ad campaign. Our fee to manage these campaigns is 15% of the clients monthly spend. Example; if a client spends $5,000 per month in click-traffic, our fee is $750/month.
12. What makes Server Side Design different or better than its competitors?
1. Our SEO/SEM campaigns are TRULY custom and tailored to achieve your goals. We assign a level of difficulty to every keyword phrase you would like to rank for and based on this level of difficulty we assign a set amount of deliverables necessary to achieve page-one rankings. In addition we are one of the few SEO/SEM firms that are focused on tracking ALL metrics and showing true ROI to our clients. We do this through our proprietary FAIRmetrix™ system where are clients can login and view all of their rankings, traffic, ppc ads, link-backs, social media, and ALL leads such as phone calls, emails, form submissions, etc. This makes us 100% accountable for results and transparent to our clients.
2. SSD is a member of the Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization (SEMPO), an accredited member of the BBB and we have been ranked consecutively as the #1 SEO company in the world by Promotion World.
3. SSD is a thriving company that is honored to be a recpient of the Houston Fast 100 Award ranking us as the #9 fastest growing company in Houston!
4. SSD has recently been ranked as the #2 best company to work for in Houston according to Houston Business Journal
5. All of our employees reside in the U.S. Most of our competitors outsource their labor overseas.
13. Where is SSD located and how many employees do you have?
1. We are located in Houston, TX and have 30 employees and are constantly growing. We are physically located in Houston but have clients all over the nation and globe in places such as Nigeria, Columbia, Prague and China!
14. How long has SSD been in business?
1. We have professionals that have been in the IT industry for 20+ years. SSD was founded in 2005 and consists of mostly college educated professionals with diverse backgrounds. http://www.serversidedesign.com/history.php
15. What kind of clients or industries do you service?
1. We have clients all across the board ranging from the corporate housing industry to defensive driving to video game tips.  We do not have to specialize in any one industry because the beauty of SEO/SEM is that we have strong systems in place or a “formula” which can apply to any company in ANY industry.
16. What keywords does Server Side Design rank well for?
1. Go to Google and type in any of the following and you’ll find us on page one!
1. Houston seo company
2. Houston seo services
3. Houston search engine optimization
4. Houston search engine optimization company
5. Houston seo firm
6. Best Houston seo company
7. Best Houston seo firm