I recently had an opportunity to sit down and ask Aaron Wall some questions. Aaron is a search engine marketer, best know for his ebook on search engine optimization, appropriately titled SEObook. His book was first publish in 2003, and has been revised about 50 times. He can be seen and heard at search industry conferences around globe, and is considered one of the leading experts on understanding how to rank websites to the top of Google, Yahoo & MSN.
I spend a lot of time educating people about SEO, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to ask Aaron simple, more broad questions about how SEO can benefit Mom & Pop shops, small to medium size businesses.
Thanks for your time Aaron.
How has SEO changed in the last 3 years? And how does this affect the impact on businesses who choose to implement it as a part of their overall marketing efforts?
I think the web has got a lot more people engaging in conversation. And I think many of the easy and cheap link sources have died off and/or been filtered out by Google. If you want to compete in the most competitive markets you need to be engaged in the conversation of the marketplace.
How do you recommend a small business, which has had a website up for 3 years, but has never updated it, or monitored it, approach search engine optimization?
Do keyword research and consider setting up some test PPC campaigns to find out what keywords are valuable to your business. Install analytics and do a link audit using Yahoo! Site Explorer. From there read up on link building and start building links if they are behind the curve in that department (there is a good chance they are if they never update their site). And also look at what people in your marketplace are talking about…then review your site to ask what you could add to it to make people want to talk about your site or brand. For on site optimization evaluate your internal use of anchor text and page titles to make sure they are descriptive. Verify your pages have some unique content on them as well (especially true if you are a retailer that does not have editorial reviews on your site).
How do you motivate new business to want to get involved with an SEO professional?
I think you can’t just pick one and make them motivated…or I think it is painful and typically presents a low ROI opportunity. A better solution is to try to appeal to a vertical (be it location or industry). Give value away to some of them and hope that some of the better ones actually worth working with decide to work with you.
What do you feel is the best services SEOs can offer businesses? Link building, social media, site audit, competitive analysis etc.
I honestly think it depends on the business and what they are lacking. Everything should start with a site audit and competitive analysis though. From there you can add whatever is needed to the mix. I think link building is also something that should be trained. External consultants can influence it to some degree, but it is beneficial if company insiders work on it as well.
What are 5 key benefits businesses experience right away after hiring a knowledgeable and experienced SEO to overhaul their site? & How can businesses take advantage of these benefits to give them a competitive advantage in their marketplace?
They learn how to
- track success (analytics, rankings, etc.)
- trim the fat (duplicate content, poorly targeted PPC ads, etc.)
- get the most out of their page titles
- improve their site structures
- lower their risk profile while maximizing potential gains for the risk level they find comfortable
- build links more aggressively (and typically with lower risk)
What are some pros and cons to SEO for small business?
Pros: great targeting and ROI, sustainable competitive advantage if well thought through, limited waste
Cons: some business owners are lazy and/or cheap and do virtually no research and thus they get ripped off, some products and services require more than rankings to sell well sustainably…SEO is only one piece of an effective marketing strategy
How can businesses make an educated decision about what to spend on SEO? What is an average hourly price to pay?
I did SEO for a one time $100 fee a few years back, and the guy made thousands back the next month. Honestly it would be much harder to do that in the current marketplace though. I also charge $500/hr or more for current projects. The wages can be anywhere from like $20 an hour (content writing) to $1,000 an hour (web strategy consulting).
The best way to make an educated decision is to spend a bit of money on learning before hiring a consultant. There are a number of reputable search engine marketing conferences they may want to attend. And a good number of companies, like mine, sell online training ( http://training.seobook.com/ ) as well.
What is your favorite SEO salad? Most understand that fresh content is great (get a blog) and inbound linking from pertinent sites with specific anchor text, PPC, social media, press releases on-page elements etc. Where do you recommend people start? Spinach, Arugala, Iceberg? Do you like croutons?
Of the options I only eat croutons. No salads. 
This question is a bit similar to one of the above ones…I would start with keyword research, analytics, and PPC. From there you work on site structure, content creation, and link building.
My favorite link building tools tend to be ones that are widget based / viral based OR conversational in nature. A read of The Cluetrain Manifesto and The Purple Cow are good starting points. From there subscribe to RSS feeds from top blogs in your industry, participate in communities, and really learn the discussion.
What are some of the best link building techniques today? Does reviewing cached, indexed, modified dates rise among the top?
I think the best link building techniques today are to study the market long and hard and create content that fulfills demand. A lot of the best marketing ideas I think come from combining push marketing, viral marketing, and understanding the psychology of the marketplace.
What are the most overlooked aspects of SEO that businesses should be taking advantage of?
Honestly many people still mess up concepts as simple as page titles and doing a good job with their site structure. Meanwhile another group of people work on their on site SEO hard and never build any links. I would say the most overlooked thing is really thinking of balance…what does your site offer for users and search engines. Why should both of them trust you? What does your site offer that is remarkable?
For more information about about Aaron Wall read his blog at www.SeoBook.com
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