FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: How are initial contracts built according to their length?

Answer: A typical MindBOX SEO contract will go on for a range of 6-24 months, with more than 90% either for a period of 10-12 months. The length of the contract depends on how difficult it is to optimize the phrases. It depends on the competition available and the strength of the URL being used. When proper estimation is done and first page placements can be thought of achieving, the contract is ready to mature.

Q: How is relevance determined by Google?

Answer: SEO is basically a process where a website is optimized in order to achieve first page placements on search engines. Search Engines keep the algorithms and methods they use for determining relevance a secret. Google though provides basic guidelines such as Google Webmaster Central and gives a glimpse into the inside of basic SEO principles. People regularly working for SEO generally have an idea of what Google gives importance to when it decides which websites to show on the first and the last page. Content, coding and link building are said to be the three main categories though this might seem simplification of a very difficult process. Content must be relevant to the search and must be regularly updated along with being unique. Coding of a site means the tags, titles, inner descriptions. These are information which helps Google to identify and arrange the page by categorizing it properly. Link building, often considered to be the most controversial part of SEO, involves linking a certain website to other relevant ones. It is difficult to tell how exactly Google determines relevance because the exact process remains unknown. Most SEO companies try to crack that unknowable process.

Q: What should be the time frame and cost if someone wants to get his site to the 1st page of Google? Can it be achieved at once or is it an ongoing process?

Answer: There is no guarantee that anyone can get a site on to the first page of Google because the process is decorated with limitations and several unknown factors which should be well discussed by both the parties and conditions agreed to before the SEO campaign starts. Time frame and the necessary costs depend on a number of facts such as how strong the competition is because several websites will already be on the first page and the strength or weakness of the URL being used. It is preferable that clients remain prepared for the worst because it can take up to a period of 6 to 12 months or even longer for achieving consistency in first page placements. In local or national markets which are highly competitive, a time period of 10-24 months should be a practical expectation. Clients must discuss the scope of the SEO campaign in terms of the availability of the market as well as the target which needs to be achieved before costs can be determined.

Q: How is traffic compared between natural results and local maps or Pay Per Click traffic?

Answer: Search engines do not earn anything from the listings which they return to the natural placements. But it is important for search engines that they continue to deliver results which are relevant and meaningful within the natural listings so that people continue to use their service. There are a very few published studies, but based on the data collected from clients and within various SEO companies, it is estimated that around 50 to 70 percent use natural results versus an average of 30 to 50 percent divided between local listings and sponsored results, better known as pay per click ads. It is largely dependent on the type of search conducted, how accurate or obscure the keywords of the search are, and also whether local results are shown for the search conducted or not. Optimizing for the natural results should be the default strategy of any SEO company. It is recommended that a part of the budget be allocated towards Google Ad words for every SEO campaign. If this is done properly then SEO campaigns become slightly less difficult as it becomes easier to manage the optimization tools of Google and a proper estimation can be done regarding the success of the campaign.

Q: What does a good optimization strategy consist of?

Answer: A good optimization strategy must consist of targeting both primary and secondary keywords. Operating from an exclusive basis keeps most SEO companies free from conflicts and clashes which will limit the optimization for only primary keywords. It is recommended that both should be targeted because most SEO companies want to achieve first page placements for primary keywords. When determining the scope of a new campaign’s success, SEO companies must consult Google’s Keyword Tool data collected from Ad words campaign and must also use their experience with campaigns which they have handled using similar strategies and have been successful in. And lastly, patience is necessary for good optimization as one must go through several different strategies and their implementation before figuring out which one will be successful for the campaign presently being conducted.

Q: Though MindBOX SEO only performs Search Engine Optimization on an exclusive basis, how is it possible to understand exclusivity?

Answer:Geographic territories such as city or state and the keywords are what exclusivity is based on. For example if an insurance law firm based in Seattle hired writers to highlight for phrases containing “Seattle Insurance”, then their campaign will include all primary, secondary as well as long tail phases in Seattle. Primary phases such as Seattle Insurance, Seattle insurance lawyer, Seattle insurance attorney, insurance lawyers Seattle, insurance attorneys Seattle will be included. Secondary phrases such as MindSeattle chapter 14 insurance lawyers, Seattle chapter 17 insurance attorneys, chapter 6 insurance law firm in Seattle will be a part.

To make it exclusive general or nation insurance terms such as simply “Insurance lawyer” will be omitted as that will lead to problems regarding the exclusivity of the content.