Let me start with the bottom line (making it the top line!): Your IT guy is not an SEO guy or a web guy. He’s an IT guy. So get him away from your website projects.

Having consulted with a number of companies that rely on their IT guy to lead the way with their Internet presence, I’ve come to realize that in the vast majority of cases, they should be kept far away from a small businesses’ website and Internet marketing.

The Problem

The problem is that the vast majority of IT guys are not web guys or SEO guys. So this is my warning to all of the businesses out there that rely on their IT person to make their web marketing decisions for them (having a website IS web marketing by default) – are you sure you should be putting your company’s reputation on the line for someone who sets up servers, fixes your computer, helps you with your email, and handles related matters?

My Doctor Analogy

An IT guy is not an SEO or a web guy, he’s an IT guy. These are completely different specialties the same way that asking an eye doctor to check your teeth doesn’t really make sense. They are similar professions in that they both work on the human body but they have different focal areas. Your eye doctor can recommend a good dentist and vice versa but that’s about it. You’re IT could recommend and help you choose an SEO company or a web guy but it ends there. IT people are not trained to be web designers or Internet marketers. The ones that try to do it all typically lack the integrity to tell you that they are not qualified to do the job, or they recognize that you’re small company and don’t have the website investment funds to hire someone else (a huge mistake in my opinion).

What is IT?

In the broadest sense of the term, IT refers to information technology which encompasses anything related to computers and websites. In a practical sense, IT guys are the people that companies rely on for server installation, network administration, computer software and hardware issues, backup and storage solutions, and related matters. When companies are looking to hire IT guys they may expect them to be well versed in web promotion but that’s a mistake.

What is a Web Guy?

Generally speaking, a web design company designs, builds, and programs a website.

What is an SEO Guy?

Someone who promotes your website, especially through the search engines, and looks at the short and long-term options to generate target market leads through the site and overall Internet presence.

How to Mix IT, SEO and Web Design

The best case scenario is to have a great web designer who is also an experienced SEO with a track record of success. This is a rare combination. If your company already has an IT guy, you may want to let him find an SEO company for you. Chances are your website needs a re-design so don’t hire an SEO company that doesn’t produce persuasive web design work.

Do not hire a web design company and then try to sprinkle on SEO when you are about to launch the site. SEO does not work that way.  The best case scenario is to hire an SEO web designer and let them help you strategize your way to online profit.

Here are 10 signs that the SEO you hired is doing amateur work on your business’s website:

1. There’s a ”Google PageRank Checker” banner with a number next to it on any and all pages of the site.
2. There’s a link on the homepage that says “as listed in ABCXYZ directory”
3. The main keyword terms on every page are repeated to the nth degree and are in bolded font.
4. Your SEO guy doesn’t know the nitty gritty basics of a website, like how to build one! I’m sorry but if your SEO person doesn’t know  HTML, CSS, and some other important aspects of web page construction, you should probably stay away from them.
5. Your SEO claims he’ll submit to your website to the search engines.
6. Your SEO has found a “creative” way to hide keywords throughout the site. Methods generally thought to be unacceptable by search engines yet popular among amateurs include hiding keywords in white text on a white background, text hidden in <div> tags, among others. Similar amateur mistakes include hiding text far below the main area of the page (so when you scroll down far below the main content, you find a bunch of keywords and links, and so on.
7. You have a splash page with a Flash intro. Even though the search engines are getting better at reading some basic Flash, it’s wrong for oh-so-many reasons! (Ask an expert to explain why to you…)
8. Your ugly, dated, tired-looking website is not a problem to your SEO person. He hasn’t pointed out that a bad design is bad for business (in most cases). So, he tries to optimize your current site without a re-design, and worse, doesn’t add a call to action!
9. Your SEO only discusses being on the first page of Google and how high rankings are the be all and end all. This is one of the most common mistakes among SEOs in general. A high ranking on its own means increased visibility. What about the pursasive nature of the website? Has your SEO discussed web analytics, conversions, or long-term goals? Website visitors do not automatically become conversions (sales, newsletter sign-ups, etc). If your SEO hasn’t discussed this with you, you’ve hired an amateur.
10. Your SEO claims you need major updates every month but can’t tell you what they are.

I honestly don’t know why but there are a handful of items that continue to be mentioned in my discussions with small business owners. The most popular include:

• “It’s the keywords, right, it’s all about sticking words all over,  just repeat them over and over, right?” (Wrong.)
• “Let’s put white text on a white background so we can hide the important words there” (No.)
• “The trick is how often the link in the search engine results page is clicked, right?”  (They are always surprised to learn that clicking your own link many times won’t count many times over.)
• “Pay per click is tied to SEO, right? If I spend more money they give me a boost right?” (Wrong.)

These are SEO myths and misunderstandings. Who is telling people this!??!! The truth is that there are over a hundred factors involved in search engine optimization.

Attention Business Owners!

Perhaps it’s my competitors, who don’t really understand SEO who are telling people this. I really don’t know. If you’re a business owner, please add your comments as to how you first heard about SEO and the few techniques you actually know about. I’m willing to bet that there are more than a few people out there who would be interested.

As a business owner looking to get more leads and generate more sales through your website, you may have a difficult time with optimization if you

(1) Believe that SEO will bring instant results.

Search engine optimization takes time. Making a significant jump in search engine rankings frequently takes anywhere from three to six months. If you are launching a website for the first time, it could take a year, especially in highly competitive markets. Unfortunately, many business owners expect results to come in much quicker than that and often blame the optimization company for failing to achieve the goals they expected in a short period of time.

(2) Hire a company that guarantees top 10 results.

I teach business owners this hard to swallow reality of SEO every single day. No one can guarantee top 10 results. Honest SEO consultants will tell you this up front. Even the search engine companies say that it is impossible for anyone to guarantee top 10 placements. Yet still many insist on a guarantee which is not feasibly possible. You should be weary of companies who offer these types of guarantees. If you need to be on top within the next five minutes, use pay per click (PPC) services.

(3) Use SEO as the only means of generating leads.

Search engine optimization is a very powerful sales and lead-generating tool. Investing in SEO should be one of multiple channels for many businesses. Many brick and mortar businesses that rely only on an optimized website may be setting themselves up for problems when their rankings drop or their competitors get ahead. An experienced Internet strategist will be able to offer several means of potential target market traffic and Internet marketing advice.

(4) Expect top results based on your web design quote with a vague “SEO included” as a minor point in a proposal.

There are web design companies who offer a “bit of SEO” and there are SEO companies that offer web design. I would typically place more trust in the latter if my goal was to generate leads. Every single day business owners just like you hire web design companies that “add some SEO” to the proposal as an add-on rather than an important feature of the project. If your web design company failed to consult with you regarding the optimization process and sent you a proposal that doesn’t have a significant section about SEO, don’t have high expectations for your website’s lead generating ability. That’s obviously not to say that it won’t generate qualified leads. It might but you probably aren’t getting the best out of your site.

(5) Hire a company that doesn’t keep up with changes.

During preliminary discussions, many companies continue to ask me to include “submit website to search engines” in the proposal. They are always shocked to learn that the technique went out in the 1990s. These days, SEO involves the basics of on-site work and link building but there are also press releases, social media networking, viral content for link baiting, and so on. Ask your current SEO company to explain those to you!

(6) Rely on SEO software.

SEO software cannot replace a professional SEO specialist. In rare cases software may be helpful but it won’t get most companies very far. There are simply too many factors to consider and each website should be handled with respect to its own history and goals. Each website must be optimized and marketed using a customized process. What works for one website may not work for another.

(7) Have unrealistic expectations.

As stated earlier, there is a common misconception among many business owners that all you have to do is “add some SEO” and you’re all set. It simply doesn’t work that way. Moreover, just because your website is at the top it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will instantly generate countless sales. It is true that being at the top gives you the potential to get significantly more leads than you otherwise would (e.g., as compared to being on the 9th page), but you have to be realistic. Having an optimized website may not bring your business instant riches, but it can help substantially toward increasingly the bottom line when implemented properly. Think of the logical opposite of not being found which is that you won’t make any sales, produce any leads, or be able to service existing customers.

Additionally, don’t insist that one word (e.g., “cars”) should be your top keyword term. Not only will your website not rank in the top 10 for that term, it completely misses the point of optimization. In many cases, you want to target your local niche market who can purchase your products and services and are able and willing to do so. If you are selling cars locally, don’t target people outside of your selling area.

(8) Confuse SEO with PPC (pay per click).

SEO and PPC are two separate means to an end. They are both methods used to generate target market traffic to a website. It is generally believed that SEO can yield a better return on your investment although it is more difficult to measure. On the other hand, PPC is highly measurable but in some highly competitive markets has become so expensive that many businesses have been out-priced and simply cannot afford it any longer (or to even start up).

(9) Believe that SEO is easy.

Anyone can learn the basics of SEO which is probably why so many business owners and some webmasters continue to believe that SEO is easy. The truth is it’s not. There are so many factors to consider that hiring a company with experience is your best bet in achieving great results.

In a rough analogy, think of optimizing your website in terms of bringing your car in to be fixed. You understand that the engine is broken and a few more pertinent details such as having a broken pipe or valve but be honest, do most people understand (or even care to understand) the details of it? You brought the car to a specialist and expect them to know what to do. Few would consider fixing your car as simple enough for anyone to do. The same is true for optimization. You search for a company that you believe to be reputable and let them take care of the details, of which there are many. While it is true that there is no standardized certification program for SEO as there may be with auto mechanics, it is up to you to find the company you believe to be reputable.

(10) Ignore the bigger picture.

SEO and Internet marketing approaches are not just about getting people to your site. If visitors don’t feel that your business is credible, they will quickly move on to your competitors’ sites. When web surfers land on your site, you have seconds to show them what they want or they will be lost. Unfortunately, business owners (and some SEO companies) restrict their thinking to a high ranking for their main keyword term. They don’t care about anything else but getting to the top for “Miami Used Cars,” for example. Ugly and amateur websites will not convert website visitors as well as they could otherwise perform. It is understood that beauty is in the eye of the beholder but let’s get real here. A website that looks like your high school sophomore nephew put it together last Sunday probably lacks the content, usability, calls to action and other factors considered to be of importance for making the sale. In a world where users are looking for easy access to specific content, that poorly developed, time-consuming flash intro just won’t cut it. Stick with the professionals – they can save you a lot of headaches.

*Note: I originally wrote this post as an article that was published in July 2007 for an Internet marketing magazine which has since ceased operations. It’s remarkable how after a year and a half it’s still relevant.