The search engine optimization process involves:

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1 The purpose of this document is to provide an overview of how Smart Marketer approaches search engine optimization. In addition, it is an estimation of cost for services that we provide. Search engine optimization has long been something of a black art. Business owners would pay thousands of dollars per month for mysterious activities that would result in fleeting results at best. Often these were attempts to exploit holes in Google s algorithms that were quickly closed by Google. Business owners were left with big bills and poor rankings. At Databerry, we think search engine optimization services can be explained in great detail and purchased with confidence. We believe in sharing exactly what we re doing, why we re doing it, and being held accountable for the results. The search engine optimization process involves: Picking the right keywords/phrases to optimize Active link-building to generate backlinks On-going page modification for search engine visibility (855) Fax: (866) e mail: sales@databerry.com 1

2 The most important decision for the search engine optimization process is the selection of the right keywords and phrases to optimize for. There is a cost associated with each target, so you want to pick the ones that will give you the best return on that investment. Things to consider include the overall search volume for that term (it does no good to rank for something that no one searches for), the level of competition for that term (obviously, the less competing pages there are/the easier it is to get higher rankings. In addition, some sites are better optimized than others and are harder to compete with), and the level of consumer intent from the typical searcher who uses this term (it also does no good to rank for a term that doesn t result in sales). Factors used when selecting optimal keywords: Pay per click results This data can be very meaningful. It can quickly provide you with search volumes, level of competition, and (if conversion tracking is done properly) the money makers that show which keywords and phrases are actually generating sales. Active link-building to generate backlinks Log/statistics analysis This data shows how current customers are finding your site. It s useful in finding good candidates for keyword targets. However, other sources need to be used to analyze search volume, competition, and consumer intent. Competitor research Analyzing your competitors sites can generate many potential keyword targets. If you find which terms your competitors have invested their SEO efforts in, it s logical to assume that these may have great search volume and commercial intent. (855) Fax: (866) e mail: sales@databerry.com 2

3 On-page Optimization The actual site contents don t count nearly as much any longer for search engine rankings. There are a few things to be concerned about and they are quickly identified and corrected (if needed). Link Building The single largest impact you can have on search engine rankings is through one way backlinks with the appropriate anchor text. After choosing the keyword targets, our process focuses on massive link building campaigns from many different sources. We focus each campaign on 3 keywords (1 high level of competition, and 2 lower levels). Multiple campaigns can be run in parallel. Each campaign results in approximately links per month, sometimes quite a bit more. These links are developed from the following sources: Forum postings done by hand Forum posts are made by humans on related web forums where links can be placed in the body of the message or the signature. Monthly goal : 10 links Blog comments done by hand Blog comments posted on other people s blogs where links can be placed in the comments directly, or the signature. Monthly goal: 10 links Directory submissions done by hand We have our own select list of 100 s of directories that are free to post to, and have resulted in influencing search engine rankings. Monthly goal: 10 links Yahoo Answers Questions and answers are posted here, by hand. These allow links to the site through a resource section. For (855) Fax: (866) e mail: sales@databerry.com 3

4 each answer we post, we also obtain a vote for it to be the best answer. Monthly goal: 2 links Social Bookmarking Social bookmarking using sites like Stumble and Delicious. We get other people to bookmark your site resulting in links. Monthly Goal: 15 links Article Marketing Articles written and submitted using our proprietary tool and process resulting in many backlinks with no duplicate content penalty. Monthly Goal: links High PR link Direct text link from a page that is page rank 4 or higher. Monthly Goal: 1 link In addition, we perform a detailed analysis of the top 10 competitors for each keyword target. This results in other link targets that are pursued one by one. For example, we may discover that 6 of the top 10 sites are members of the Yahoo Directory (which is often the case), so we will pursue a directory listing (this is a paid directory and that fee is not included in our service). We may also uncover a niche site (real estate agents directory for a real estate company for example) that seems to have links in common with many of the top 10 sites. We will put a plan together to obtain those kinds of links as well. 1. Build a list of potential targets for keywords/phrases 2. Analyze logs/stats 3. Look for top 10 keyphrases 4. Analyze PPC results 5. Look for the highest number of impressions and click through rates (855) Fax: (866) e mail: sales@databerry.com 4

5 6. Look for the highest number of conversions (if available) 7. Analyze competition 8. Run the complete list of potential targets from all sources through our proprietary research tool set 9. Document relative monthly search volume levels, level of competition, and consumer intent score 10. Using the tool results, document the campaign targets in sets of 3 and prioritize them. 11. Use our proprietary tools to document every keyword that the competition ranks for in Google. 12. Begin running as many campaigns as the budget allows. 13. Take each keyword/phrase target and perform a competitive analysis on the top 10 sites for each one. Build a supplementary linking plan based on the results. 14. Begin the supplementary linking campaign in parallel with all others. Each campaign (3 keyword/phrase targets) costs $750 per month. It s a good assumption that another $ per year must be allocated for other paid directories (independent of the number of campaigns pursued). This need is determined by competitive analysis of the top 10 sites for the targets. This amount ($750/Year) is usually sufficient no matter how many campaigns you are running in parallel. Monthly Service Fee for every 3 Keyword/phrase targets: $ Yearly Directory Listing Fees (payable to Directories): $ While no one can ever guarantee search engine ranking results, it s quite reasonable, (and our track record shows with 95% frequency) to predict that significant improvements in medium competition keyword target s rakings would show within 3 months of link building, and 6 months of link building for more competitive terms. (855) Fax: (866) e mail: sales@databerry.com 5