9/22/2008
Business Advice Column By Karen E. Klein Dear Karen: Our small manufacturing firm is desperate to improve our search engine optimization and online advertising strategy. Where do we get help? Answer: Get personal referrals to consultants who specialize in search engine optimization. John McCarthy, search engine optimization director of WebMetro Inc. in San Dimas, suggested asking three questions: "Why is my site not ranking?" "How do we work together to achieve higher rankings?" and "Will this campaign produce an immediate return on investment?" Home in on experts who can explain clearly where your site is lacking, he said. Good ones will tell you that increasing your online rankings will involve effort on your part, perhaps creating more online content or starting a blog. Honest experts will tell you that search engine optimization campaigns take the better part of a year to produce a return on investment, he said. If you can't wait nine months, develop an online ad strategy with an eye toward using the profit generated to fund search engine optimization.