1: How did you get started with search engine optimization?
Back in 1994 or so, I had a parenting website that I wanted to be easily found in the search engines for phrases that people might be using that were relevant to it. I studied the top results and realized that it was the words on the page that seemed to make or break whether a page would show up in the results. I rewrote the copy on my page to make use of the phrases I thought people might use to find my site, and it worked!
I was also doing a bit of web design for small businesses at that time, so I incorporated this strategy into that work, and had great success with it.
At that time, I also understood the value of links; not quite the same way many SEOs think of it today, that is, not in terms of helping rankings, but in terms of bringing qualified visitors to their site. One of my services was called a "custom submittal program," which would probably be just called a "link building campaign" these days.
2: What is the ultimate purpose of highrankings.com?
The site has 2 purposes, to educate people about SEO and to sell my services. Originally, HighRankings.com was simply my company website where I showcased my services. Once I started the High Rankings Advisor newsletter and began archiving them on the site, and adding my articles to it, it also became an SEO resource site. The addition of the forum nearly 2 years ago, pretty much solidified its purpose to educate people on search engine marketing, and search engine optimization in particular.
3: When you first approach clients how do you insure they will receive
benefit from signing with you?
I never first approach clients; they approach me.
Before I will ever agree to take on a client, I carefully assess their site and their goals, and make sure that we can accomplish them. Since my potential clients approach me first, most of them already understand the way I operate and my SEO methods, which has really helped things go a lot smoother. Years ago, I would have to spend a lot of time educating the client as to what we'd be doing with their site. This still happens to a certain extent, depending upon where the client finds me from, but for the most part, since there is so much information on my site regarding my methods, my clients are much more savvy.
4: Do most clients have a good understanding of rankings vs. qualified
traffic?
No, not really. But most of my clients notice a huge increase in sales once the SEO kicks in, and they generally don't even bother to ask about rankings because they're too busy with their work at hand!
5: If they don't how do you help them understand?
Well, I would do that before they become a client. When a potential client comes to me and says they are number 5 for a certain phrase, and they want to be number 1, I tell them that's really not how we operate. Since we tell our clients we will get them in the top 10 and top 20 on all the search engines for a multitude of phrases, we really can't help someone who already has that! It's true that we could make their site better and do all the other good stuff that we do, but as long as they're simply focused on one particular phrase and one particular position, they would not be a client we'd be interested in working with.
6: What do you feel clients generally feel is the most important goal for their project?
To make more money than they spend on it.
7: What do you feel is the most important goal for the projects?
For them to make more money than they spend on it.
Jill Whalen of High Rankings is an internationally recognized search engine optimization consultant and host of the free weekly High Rankings Advisor search engine marketing newsletter.
She specializes in search engine optimization, SEO consultations and seminars. Jill's handbook, "The Nitty-gritty of Writing for the Search Engines" teaches business owners how and where to place relevant keyword phrases on their Web sites so that they make sense to users and gain high rankings in the major search engines.
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