SEO Tools

( Before you spend money on a search engine optimization consultant, make sure you understand what it is they are going to do. )

SEO Consulting seems to be a hot topic these days. Before you shell out the big bucks, it is important to understand exactly what it is you are paying for. Here is a quick overview of some of the more common steps many SEOs will take when optimizing your website (in no particular order):

1. Submit your site map to Google Webmaster Central - allows you to view how Google indexes your web page. Also includes the very useful Webmaster Tools, which allows you to submit an official site map to Google. A site map is a "chapter list" of the pages on your website - it helps search engines to determine how information is organized on your website.

2. Submit your site map to Yahoo Site Explorer - Similar in function to Google site maps, allows you to submit a site map to Yahoo's search engine, as well as view how Yahoo indexes your web page. Site map submission to MSN's search engine was under construction as the writing of this article.

3. Keyword analysis - Using keyword research tools like Overture Keyword Selection Tool and Google Keyword Tool, develops a list of the most popular search terms used to find the subject matter of your website.

3. META Tag and Title / Filename keyword injection - Using the results from the Keyword research, rewrite your page titles, directory and file names, and meta tags to have a higher keyword density.

4. URL rewriting - similar to title/filename keyword injection, on the simplest level URL rewriting is the process of automatically converting computer-readable code to human-readable code. For example, if you run a web forum on the topic of SEO, URL rewriting would change the url for your forum from http://www.myforum.com/read.php?articleid=2832 to http://www.myforum.com/read.php?articleid=How_to_seo_optimize_your_site .

4. Directory submission - Submit your website to a number of free and paid website directories in order to generate incoming links. The largest private directory on the Internet is Yahoo! - submission to Yahoo can cost over $200 USD / Yr. The largest public directory is called DMOZ. Although submission to DMOZ is free, because it is edited by volunteers it can take a number of months to be included in the directory.

5. Keyword intensive press release - Using a website like PRNewswire, they launch a press release which contains your websites name and URL, in the hopes that the press release will be automatically syndicated resulting in natural incoming links.

There are also "black hat" SEO techniques, which you definitely do not want to use on your website as they can result in your getting de listed from search engines altogether. The most common black hat SEO technique is known as "cloaking".

As when hiring any specialist, having a general understanding of the skill in question is essential to choosing the right person.