We can't help you too much with "offline" promotion (newspapers, TV, radio), but if it concerns web page optimisation for search engines (Google, Yahoo etc.) this is our home turf. If you've ever tried your hand in the area of search engine content optimisation and optimised web pages on your own, you've got a very good idea how confusing and contradictory it is. Why is this so?
Here are a few reasons why the internet contains thousands of different and often contradictory information concerning web page optimisation for search engines. Why you should be cautious, what you should look out for and how to choose correctly the optimal solution:
- Information flows on the internet in a different way than in the real world so that you'll find documents written ten years ago and those written ten days ago. Unfortunately, many articles don't contain the publishing date and many don't foresee to include this data. If the document is old, there is a great probability that the presented techniques are also obsolete. Therefore, many methods and much of the advice you come across (such as optimisation of meta-keywords tags) simply do not function any more.
- The optimisation job for search engines is performed by various people or companies applying their (specific) approaches and technical optimisation techniques. However, various techniques lead to various goals (eg. short-term quicker or long-term slower results), thus implying less or more risk. That is why when choosing an expert for optimisation or choosing a technique (which you'll independently apply) you must be very cautious and be sure they're compatible with the goal you want to achieve on your web site.
- There exist companies optimising contrary to search engine optimisation instructions (seeking and utilising loopholes in algorithms), leading to not only short-term results (until the search engine "repairs" the loophole, but which also leads to permanent exclusion from listings. This is called the "Black Hat" method and is very risky for long-term results. However, if you require short-term and quick results, you can try your luck with this method. In legal terms, it is lawful. Naturally, in these types of situations we cannot be of assistance because we're orientated towards long-term results and quality, hence we do not use such techniques.
- Information on search engine optimisation (SEO) is often contradictory because it is published by people with various professional experience.
- There exist vague predators who want to sell obsolete and inefficient techniques and services, thus intentionally marketing false or (more often) partially correct information in order to get ahead.
Make the Right ChoiceThere is a simple answer to this question. If a technique contributes to your visitor's quality of experience (the true optimisation process must have an effect in this area), navigability, clarity, speed of navigation, quality of information and etc, then by all means use it. If a technique does not contribute to quality, but complies with the search engine directions, then you can use it. However, if something does not contribute to quality, and infringes on regulations concerning quality of published pages by the search engines, definitely avoid it. Always seek further explanations of the methods used during the optimisation of your pages, possible consequences, and a guarantee that everything complies with the search engines instructions! Set yourself goalsFirstly, you need to determine what your web site will be used for: Do you want a business card on the internet, or a web site to generate profit? Consider the following questions: What number of visitors would satisfy you (be realistic in regards to the interest your offer generates)? What is the visitor profile? Do you want permanent or only short-term results? Each of these parameters results in a different approach and consequence. How much are you prepared to invest?Internet marketing is a huge job whose value is measured in billions of dollars. Therefore, it's obvious that it's not easy to take part of the cake because many people want part of the action. Therefore, a certain amount of investment is necessary in order to obtain the set goals. If the web pages are optimised as required, it can contribute to your long-term results. Generally speaking, optimisation for terms, where there does not exist a lot of competition (eg. "carpentry in Bjelovar"), is relatively simply and inexpensive, while optimisation for more intensely competitive and more general terms (such as "Croatia") can be much more demanding and expensive. Therefore, it is necessary to choose the relevant terms with respect to the type of business and financial possibilities. Naturally, we can also help you with the construction of your web site! Our ResultsWhen talking about search engine optimisation, the term or word requiring optimisation should be taken into account because not all terms are equally demanding. The competitiveness of the term (keywords) needs to take into account the number of pages containing the term and the number of pages optimised. Optimisation quality implemented by an individual or company is best measured by its references, in other words, the achieved results. We obtain superior results (first pages) for specifically competitive and commercial terms such as "Istra" (with variances in all languages) or "Croatia" where the competitiveness factor numbers in the millions or hundreds of millions of pages. You can do the test yourself by entering into Google for example "Istra" and look for our site amongst the results (Click on the small picture below to obtain the large picture).
These examples used Google as the most relevant search engine and two popular terms. Of course, we rate highly for other highly competitive terms on all three leading search engines (Yahoo.com, MSN.com and Google.com). By the way, we also rate much better for many other terms. |
![]() Some errors you might come across"The top position for search engines is achieved using meta-tags" - this is one of the oldest techniques and has ceased to be effective after the emergence of Google back in 1997-98.
"You can gain first position in a short period of time" - this was the case 7-8 years ago, when the number of sites wasn't that great, but today this is not the case. If someone happens to promise this, then they're probably trying to sell you a paid advertisement on Google.
"There exist companies referred to by search engines and we can guarantee you first place" - this is an absolute lie because large search engines contain strict criteria protecting the quality of their services and do not allow artificial positioning within their results. A position can only be guaranteed if you pay for an advertisement, while the same applies for the amount of money you're prepared to invest.
"You can get onto the first pages without a quality site" - this requires a lot of caution because even if you succeed in doing this it'll last only for a short time and there exists a real possibility of being completely rejected if you've used techniques contrary to the search engines instructions (so called "black hat" technique). Search engines want only the best sites amongst their results because only then does it guarantee THEM survival because the next search engines (the same goes for your competitor) is just one click away.
"Usage service results for mass notification on te search engines" - services exist on the internet claiming to register your web pages on hundreds or even thousands of search engines. Let's be realistic. Do all these search engines exist (how many do you use?) Of course they don't. Instead, all those many thousands of search engines actually are "link farms" which are trivial and never attract a visitor. This manner of registering is a complete waste of time (and eventually money) because the registration at eg. Google does not guarantee entry into their index: it is guaranteed by other parameters. The only relevant places to register are directories, usually performed manually and ordinarily it is a paid service After the Search Engine: OptimisationThe whole story surrounding search engines and attracting visitors looses ground in so much as the user visiting your web site remains disappointed: namely, the visitor has not found what they were looking for. That is why we optimise your web page design (in order to attract the target group of visitors) as well as content and navigation (links and menus). Careful consideration should be taken in conceiving and organising the contents, so that the important points (the reasons for visitors coming to the site) are easily noticeable and because you have only a few seconds to get the visitors interested: on the contrary, they'll go elsewhere. This segment is very important and it becomes almost impossible to optimise it yourself, without professional help (Naturally, if you're not an expert in the field yourself). If you require more information, please fill in the online questionnaire or contact us by telephone, email, post or personally. |