Posted by Julian
Posted on 05-19-2008 under SEO

Lots of companies will pretend that they offer SEO services. Many of these companies do it because clients are asking about it.  SEO has become a business buzz word. Since many SEO practices are seemingly behind the scenes, it’s easy for a web developer to claim to offer SEO services, but lack knowledge of true SEO practices.

Here are some basic things to look for on your website. If these are non-existent, there’s a good chance that your SEO provider is blowing smoke.

1. Page Titles

Look at the titles of various pages of your site. Do they differ from page to page? If not, they probably got lazy and left it the same as with the other templates the company has used. A title page should be exactly what it sounds like, a title for that page. Your ‘about’ page should have a title pertinent to the content on that page, same with any other sections of the site.

2. Do you have an XML sitemap?

Google accepts what are called XML-Sitemaps. You should ask your developer if you have one. If they say yes, ask what the URL is (to make sure that you actually do). If you don’t have one, this is a  red flag for sure. Sitemaps are fairly quick to make but since they are a behind the scenes thing, it an easy shortcut to get away with.

3. Excessive use of Flash for text.

Flash looks great, but its HORRIBLE for SEO. Almost all of our clients know that by now, but plenty of developers use it simply because they are not willing to tell a client the consequences of that spinning logo with flames behind it. Flash has its place as flavor, and sometimes it’s acceptable for sites to be constructed entirely in flash (think Nike or MTV). But for your SEO website, Flash is a huge no no.

4. Ask if your website is accessible to the blind.

Accessibility is an easy way to tell if your web developer knows what they are doing. OCAWA has an accessibility test. The fewer the remarks the better.

The best way to tell if your company is doing SEO correctly is to have another SEO company look at your site. A good rule of thumb is, if you feel you are being ripped off, your probably are. Run it by another SEO firm to get their take on the situation. Especially if any of the above mentioned red flags come up.