Search engine optimisation (SEO) for existing sites

If you already have a web site that needs a leg up the natural search engine results, I can help. It's important to remember, especially in challenging economic times, how very cost effective a web site is (compared to other forms of advertising) at getting your exact message across to potential customers and making sure they see it. There are many self-styled "SEO specialists" out there, touting for business by sending out scare-mongering emails that say "your site is not indexed by Google!" and "nobody can see your web site!". Sometimes these statements are true but it's worth checking to see how easy your site is to find, using your own keywords, before panicking.

If your site is indeed not easy to find (i.e. outside the top 10), there are some things I can help with. Usually it will be a case of reworking your site to optimise the use of your keywords, and adding in various other bits of code that will help both in terms of search engine ranking and also accessibility (making the site visible to people who use different browsers, screen readers and so on).

I would also research the subject material of your site to make some suggestions for other keywords that people might be searching for but you don't currently use. Once the site has been refreshed, there are also some search engine optimisation tasks to be considered such as making good use of reciprocal link building (not just joining link farms), directory listings (e.g. Yell.com and others), regular site updating (e.g. via content-managed news or blog pages) using alternative domain names, Ebay and other auction sites, and "Safe Subscribe" opt-in email marketing campaigns.

For practical purposes this does mean that you would really have to transfer the site maintenance at least, if not the hosting as well, to myself, as from experience, as soon as you start splitting the responsibility for the search engine optimisation, general site maintenance, domain and web hosting between different parties it does become a case of "too many cooks" and you the customer no longer have a single point of contact for your web site needs.

Pricing for SEO work is carried out on the standard hourly rate so it varies depending on the size of the site. As a rough guide, carrying out the activities above for an average 5 page site may come to an initial fee of £200. If you transfer the hosting to me I can then also add in a stats service for you to help you see when things improve. Any later adjustments that prove necessary would be carried out as regular site maintenance.

Important point to remember: There are NO GUARANTEES of a top 10 position with this type of work. If you are way down the listings, it will get you further up than you already are. You may have to wait several weeks to see any change. Top 10 would be great but it depends on the market you are in - the search engine algorithms are very much a "black box" and no SEO service provider can do any more than use best industry practice and educated guesswork to find out what works for you. If you want a GUARANTEED front page listing for your keywords, try Adwords.