SEO Basics (It's Worth Reading)

We know...you've got a website and you want it to rank #1 in Google, what else do you need to know? Well, a lot actually. Before rushing out and getting SEO services from the first guy you meet, we strongly recommend you read over this introduction on SEO basics. It will be worth your time.

So...What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimization is the process of optimizing a website to be ranked competitively in the organic (aka: natural) search results on major search engines. Search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo will reward useful and relevant websites by ranking them on the first page of results for the search queries the pages are most relevant for.

What Happens When Search Engines Rank my Site?
When your website is ranked on the first page of a major search engine, everyone who searches for that particular keyword (search query) will see your website. Imagine the benefits of being a dentist and having your website displayed to everyone in your city who searches for "cavity filling".

Are There Any Disadvantages to SEO?
The only disadvantage of being ranked in the search engines would be if you received too many customers for your business to handle (which really isn't a bad problem to have).

But, are there any disadvantages to SEO...YES, absolutely! As you can imagine, ranking a website on the first page of search results is very difficult as its usually highly competitive. So its not uncommon for businesses, websites, and even SEO companies to use shady SEO techniques (aka: black hat seo) in an attempt to rank their website faster. Black hat SEO is frowned upon by the search engines and is considered search engine SPAM. If a website is caught using black hat techniques, the search engines will penalize the site by removing the entire website from the search engine for anywhere between a few months to the life of the site.

Prime Jump only uses what hat SEO; which involves optimizing a website only using techniques and tactics which are approved and recommended by search engines. White hat SEO removes the risk of your website being penalized by search engines and is considered the only method to be used by reputable search engine optimization companies, however some SEO companies can occasionally cross the line between black hat and white hat seo (known as grey hat SEO) to achieve faster results. Learn more about how Prime Jump is 100% White Hat SEO

Can You Guarantee My Website Will Rank #1?
No, it is against Google's Webmaster Guidelines for any search engine optimization company to guarantee a ranking in Google's organic search results. It is recommended by Google to avoid dealing with any SEO representative that offers a guaranteed ranking. This is because Google and Google alone is responsible for the ranking order of the website. No individual can legitimately guarantee a ranking because they do not have control over how Google decides to place their website in the search results.

If You Can't Guarantee My Ranking, Why Should I Invest in SEO?
The exact ranking of your website is dependant on how relevant and useful a search engine determines your website is for a particular search query. Since we do not own the search engine we cannot offer a ranking guarantee. However, this doesn't mean we cannot rank your site. We have experience with ranking websites on hundreds of search queries (with quite a few of them at the #1 position).

How Long Does SEO Take?
The amount of time it takes to rank a site is dependant upon many factors including the age of the site, the site's SEO history, the search queries you want to rank for, and your industry. Until these things are known, we cannot give you an estimate on how long it will take your site to rank. However, most SEO campaigns will take anywhere from 3-6 months to see results.

SEO is a delicate process and should be considered a long-term investment for your company. When searching for an SEO company, you should be wary of organizations that have the "Fast & Furious" mind-set which promise their clients large SEO campaigns that yield fast results. Instead you should focus on companies that follow the 'slow and steady wins the race' mentality. SEO is much like getting physically fit. If your website is out of shape or brand new to the search engine gym, doing too much too soon will injure your site's success.