Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I understand that TSEG only performs SEO on an exclusive basis – but how does TSEG define exclusivity?
A: Exclusivity is based on geographic territory (city, state or national) and the keyword family. We try to keep it simple, for example, if a bankruptcy law firm based in Chicago were to hire us to optimize for “Chicago bankruptcy” phrases, their campaign would include exclusivity for all bankruptcy phrases in Chicago (including all primary, secondary and long-tail phrases):
Primary phrases (including variations, plurals, etc):
- Chicago bankruptcy
- Chicago bankruptcy lawyer
- Chicago bankruptcy attorney
- bankruptcy lawyers Chicago
- bankruptcy attorneys Chicago
Secondary or long-tail phrases:
- Chicago chapter 11 bankruptcy lawyers
- Chicago chapter 13 bankruptcy attorneys
- chapter 7 bankruptcy law firm in Chicago
In this case, exclusivity would not, include general or national bankruptcy phrases, such as simply “Bankruptcy lawyer” or Illinois phrases such as “Illinois bankruptcy lawyer” or suburban markets, in greater Chicago such as “Oak Park bankruptcy Attorney” which could be considered part of greater-Chicagoland.
Q: How are your initial contracts structured in terms of length?
A: Typically our initial SEO contracts range from 8-24 months, with 95% either 10 or 12 months. Contract length depends on the degree of difficulty of the phrases we are optimizing for (a function of how strong the competition is and the strength of the URL we will be using) and corresponds with our best estimate of when we think we can achieve first page placements.
Q: If I want my site to get to the 1st page on Google, what is the time frame and cost? Is it a one time set-up or ongoing contract?
A: First of all there are no guarantees that we can get your website on to the first page, the process is strewn with limitations and unknowns that both parties would need to discuss and be okay with before beginning an SEO campaign. Time frames and costs depend on a number of variables including: strength of the competition (the websites already on the first page), and the strength or weakness of the URL we will be using. We prefer to provide worst case scenarios to our clients, often it can take 12 months or longer for consistent first page placements to be achieved. In highly competitive local or national markets, 12-18 months is often a more realistic expectation. We need to discuss the scope of the campaign both in terms of marketplace and target phrases before we can determine costs.
Q: What happens after the initial contract period?
A: Most of our contracts (excluding very large contracts) go month-to-month, with terms that allow either party do cancel with 15 days written notice.
Q:How does Google determine relevance?
SEO (also known as “natural” or “organic” SEO) is the process of optimizing a website to achieve first page placements on search engines like Google, Yahoo, BING etc. An important distinction is that this process refers to the unpaid section. Some vendors use SEO generally and include Pay per click (aka sponsored results or Google AdWords), which technically is not optimization.
Search Engines do not publish or disclose the variables / algorithms they use to determine relevance. However, Google does provide basic guidelines Google Webmaster Central and provides insight into basic SEO principals, and landmines to avoid. That said, the SEO community knows generally what Google values when determining which websites show on page 1 versus page 101. Three main categories (oversimplified of course) would be: content, coding, and link building. Content needs to be deeply relevant, unique and updated regularly. The coding of a site includes the tags, title and meta-descriptions, information that tips off Google so that Google can accurately identify and index/ categorize the page. Link building (the most time intensive, hated, and controversial aspect of SEO) involves linking website A to relevant websites B-Z, kind of a like website “A” receiving a vote of confidence from other websites. Google’s algorithm is like the receipt for coke – aside from the folks within Google, no-one knows exactly how Google determines relevance. Our job at TSEG is to keep trying abreast of the changes as the algorithms evolve.
Q: How does the traffic to natural results compare to local/maps and Pay Per Click traffic?
A: Search engines do not make a single cent from the listings they return in the natural placements however it is critical to search engines that they continue to deliver relevant, meaningful results within the natural listings so people will continue to use their service. Few published studies exist, but based on data we collect from our clients and data within the SEO community, estimates range from 50-70% usage in the natural results, versus 30-50% divided between local/map listings and sponsored results also know as pay-per-click ads – of course this depends on the type of search conducted, how obscure or general the keywords and a host of variables including whether local results are displayed for the search query.
At TSEG our primary focus is optimizing for the natural results, though all of our SEO campaigns include optimization for the Google Local/Maps and we recommend allotting a budget to Google AdWords for each campaign we manage.
Q:What is your optimization strategy?
A: Our optimization strategy at TSEG involves targeting both primary and secondary keywords (also known as “long-tail phrases”); since we operate on exclusive basis we are free from conflicts that would limit optimization just for primary keywords. While we target both – our goal is to achieve first page placements for primary keywords. When determining the scope of a campaign for a new client we consult Google’s Keyword Tool data collected from AdWords campaigns, and our experience with similar campaigns for clients in other markets.
