Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving a site’s visibility in the “organic” or non-paid results of search engines. To oversimplify it, SEO is done by increasing a page’s relevance towards a query through technical, promotional and editorial optimization techniques.

For most webmasters, the definition of successful SEO is getting on the first page of search results for non-branded keywords that it wants to be found for. In that regard, SEO is also a competitive practice where optimization specialists compete to determine whose sites can rank highest and lay claim to the majority of the keyword’s audience.

Run away! It doesn't matter the direction, only that you run away - FAST. Quoting from Google , “No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google”. We do not know Google’s algorithm. What we know is which SEO techniques work. We use our experience and expertise to push your SEO rank up to the top results.

Again, this is a function of your niche’s competitiveness, your site’s complexity, your SEO budget and the skill level of the agency you hire. In some cases, it can take as little as a few days to start seeing traction. In most cases, six months is a safe bet as the point when you need to start checking for results.

You need to make your key performance indicators (KPIs) very clear with an agency before signing a deal with them. SEO is about gaining more search engine visibility, but there’s a lot more to it than rankings. At Inspiworks, we often use the following metrics to determine whether our services are moving the needle for our clients:

• Organic traffic growth
• Rankings
• Goal Conversion Growth
• Revenue Growth

At the end of the day, rankings are just a means to an end. Good SEO should translate into traffic, recognition, leads, revenue and a positive return on investments.

Link popularity is the measurement of the number of links your website rece ives from other popular websites. Links from authority websites add more weight and credibility to your website, which aids in attaining a high search engine rank for your website.

Link popularity is important for three main reasons. First, studies have shown that people surf from one website to another by clicking links seen on every page they visit. Strategically-placed links to your site immediately increases the chances of people visiting your site. Second, your page will rank higher in major search engines as your link popularity increases. Your website becomes more visible, leading to an increase in traffic, which could naturally lead to more sales conversions. Lastly, higher inbound link popularity enables search engine spiders to find your website easily and frequently. This means that your website remains indexed much longer and retains its high position.

We certainly can. Google penalties are becoming increasingly common and increasingly visible within Google Webmaster Tools. While we have never had any clients penalised for work we have carried out, at Inspiworks we have experience in helping a number of sites recover from penalties.

You need to describe your products and services using the language that searchers use when they’re trying to find your products and services in the search engine. If they use inaccurate terminology then, by all means, explain the nuances to them in your content; but if you don’t use the same words and phrases that they use to find you – then you won’t be found.

An estimated 92% of all online activities start with search. Google, which owns around 67% of the search market, processes an average of 3.5 billion queries a day. In most industries, that would translate to thousands of searches per month for keywords that describe products and services. What would it mean for your business to be on top of the search results, getting the best chance to be seen first by that kind of audience?
It’s not so hard to figure out.

Being ranked high on searches for your keywords attracts scores of new leads and customers who will grow your enterprise. Being considered first also gives you a greater chance to deny your competitors valuable targeted visits, negatively impacting their revenue streams and allowing you to outpace them over the years.

Good rankings help extend your site’s reach, giving you a louder voice in your market. This is particularly good to have if you’re establishing a brand and trying to boost your status as a thought leader in your industry.

It depends on a lot of things. The status of your site, the competitiveness of your industry, the scale of the project and where you’re sourcing the work from are all factors in what your SEO spending will look like.

Marquee SEO agencies will ask for $20,000 or more per month. We strictly comply with Google's guidelines and do white hat SEO at usually around $1,000-$3,000 per month.

Some shady companies from the Philippines, India, Costa Rica and Rumania may try and tempt you with rates of $300 or so. When you come across these sites, ask yourself what kind of employees would work for that kind of pay. You should also think about how much these people would care about the welfare of your business given the fact that you’re paying them peanuts.

Like most things in life, there are right and wrong ways of doing things. If your SEO program relies on deceptive, misleading and spammy tactics to fool the search engines into awarding it good rankings, then you can describe SEO as “bad.” If you build a site on a solid technical foundation, serve up great content and promote that content ethically, then your SEO program is good.

True SEO does not seek to game the system. To the contrary, it’s all about playing by the riles and putting user experience above all considerations

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is about organic or natural result searches while SEM (Search Engine Marketing) is paid advertising in search engines. Both complement each other as SEM allows for very precise and targeted placement which SEO cannot do. Again our Account Managers would be happy to explain the two services to you.