1. -
Frequently Asked Questions: SEO Basics
Answers to the most common questions asked by
business owners in regard to SEO and Search Marketing.
If you have any further questions feel free to email us at
info@thescienceofsearch.com
What is the Difference Between SEO and SEM
Generally, SEM (Search Engine Marketing) is used to describe any marketing activity
involving a company’s web presence. This includes SEO, Paid Search, Email Marketing,
Social Networking, etc. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a specific tactic that involves
the manipulation of site programming, content, keywords and links to make your site more
visible on Google, Yahoo and Bing.
Why Do I Need Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
Search engine optimization is simply the practice of making your company and website
more visible on Google, Bing and Yahoo via organic search. Statistically speaking, organic
search alone nets 70% of the search traffic on the web. Fact is, if you want your customers
to have unparalleled access to your products and promotions, SEO is a no-brainer.
Do I Need To Optimize My Site?
Yes, promoting an un-optimized site is the equivalent of racing cross-country with bald
tires… Can you make it? Maybe, but chances are your competition will get there first. If you
go through the trouble of building a web site, then your intention is probably for that web
site to be found. If you are unsure about your site, Evolve will run a 7-point diagnostic check
and supply you with a written recommendation for site optimization.
How Do I Know If My Site Is Optimized?
The first indication of a well-optimized site is a prominent search engine presence. If you
are a lawnmower dealer and you come up in the top 3 results for lawnmower dealers in
your area, chances are your site works well with the search engines. A preliminary site
analysis is the first step in any SEO engagement. This analysis will readily identify internal and
competitive opportunities for optimization.
Can You Guarantee Me The #1 Position For My Industry?
Absolutely no one can make this promise, as there are too many factors that fall beyond
the control of any SEO practitioner’s reach. Managing SEO is much like managing stocks.
The SEO professional uses market intelligence and historic trends to ensure your portfolio
(site) performs well in relation to the other players in the market
Evolve is a premier search marketing firm delivering simplified systems
for evaluating and evolving a holistic online presence for your brand.
Ultimately, we aim to create opportunities for your customers and brands
to become more engaged.
www.thescienceofsearch.com

2. Frequently Asked Questions: SEO Basics
Answers to the most common questions asked by
business owners in regard to SEO and Search Marketing.
If you have any further questions feel free to email us at
info@thescienceofsearch.com
I Am Not Tech-Savvy. Can I Operate on the Web?
Fortunately, search marketing is much more intuitive than most think. For the business
owner, interpreting SEO should be as simple as evaluating ROI. A good SEO practitioner will
build an SEO campaign around your revenue model and can relate SEO in terms familiar to
your current business. Best practices in SEO dictate reporting that will help you understand
your metrics and success on the web.
How Much Should I Invest In SEO?
Investment in SEO depends on a number of factors including your current search ranking,
industry competition and targeted keywords. Once engaged, SEO is an ongoing process
where the constant threat of new competition requires real-time analysis and adjustment.
Because good SEO practices almost always translate into revenue, we suggest that clients
redefine ROI metrics after the first six months of engagement.
Should I Invest In Paid Search?
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Ads are recommended as a complement to SEO for the majority of
clients because they are trackable and have strategic targeting capabilities that no other
medium can match. As with other forms of marketing, PPC is a tool specifically applied
to reach a measurable objective. Many clients prefer the measurable results that PPC
can provide. Base-level PPC packages are included with several of Evolve’s premium
packages. Further, extensive paid search investment may be recommended to clients
operating in certain competitve industries.
How Does Billing Work?
Monthly billing takes place on the first of each month and is paid through credit card or
electronic funds transfer (EFT).
How Long Will It Take To Rank?
There are absolutely no short-term fixes in search marketing. SEO requires a long-term
commitment to build trust around your presence on the web. Many factors influence
rank including market size and competition. Since rankings change in real-time, constant
evaluation and adjustment is necessary to establish an effective campaign. As a result,
many clients realize tangible results within a 3 to 6 month window. The system is built so that
most sites see a subsequent decline in rankings before site trust is completely evaluated
and true rankings are actually achieved.
Evolve is a premier search marketing firm delivering simplified systems
for evaluating and evolving a holistic online presence for your brand.
Ultimately, we aim to create opportunities for your customers and brands
to become more engaged.
www.thescienceofsearch.com

3. The Three Pillars of SEO...
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a specific web marketing tactic that involves the
manipulation of website site programming, content, keywords and links to make your
site more visible on search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing. In the simplest terms,
SEO can be boiled down to these basic concepts:
Content: The Substance Of Your Site - Built Around Your Product Or Service.
· The more unique your product (content), the better off you are in
business and on the web.
· The more often you maintain your site, the more often Google reviews
your site.
· Building links to your content to establishes trusted relationships and
authority around your site.
Keywords- Establishing A Core Set Of Keywords Will Help You Target Your Market.
· Start very general and pick one or two-word industry terms that describe
your business.
· Add adjectives to make three or four word phrases that distinguish your
product or service.
· Utilize targeted keywords in writing content and building links.
Site Programming- Intuitive Navigation Is Key For Customers And Search Engines.
· Buy a URL with your keywords in it.
· Make sure your page titles uniquely describe what is on them using
keywords to target your market.
· Avoid excessive or broken links.
· Provide your customers with simple, intuitive navigation.
Evolve is a premier search marketing firm delivering simplified systems
for evaluating and evolving a holistic online presence for your brand.
Ultimately, we aim to create opportunities for your customers and brands
to become more engaged.
www.thescienceofsearch.com

4. SEO Terminology pg.1
As you begin to delve deeper into the technical aspects of search marketing, knowing
industry jargon will help you communicate more efficiently with the client.
AdSense – Google’s context-based ad program allowing website owners to host Google ads on
their own pages.
AdWords – Google’s content targeted advertising PPC program. Advertisers bid for ad space
related to search terms relevant to their products. (Bill’s Plumbing ads display when users search for
“plumber”)
Algorithm – Set of rules by which search engines determine sites returned for specific searches.
Analytics – A program which assists in gathering and analyzing data about website usage. Google
analytics is a feature-rich, popular, free analytics program.
Anchor Text – The words that appear clickable in a text link.
Back link – (IBL, inbound link, inlink, incoming link) An incoming link to a page from any other page
or site.
Blog - A website which presents content in a chronological series. Content may or may not be time
sensitive.
Bot – (see Spider)
Bounce Rate – The percentage of visitors who leave a site without viewing any page other than the
landing page.
CPC – Cost Per Click; the rate that a Pay Per Click Advertiser pays per click.
CTR – Click Through Rate; Measure of the percentage of users who clicked on a PPC ad. Used in
conjunction with Conversion Rate to determine the effectiveness of an ad.
Directory – A human-edited index of web sites. Like the yellow pages, a directory is usually industry
or purpose specific.
Index – A search engine’s collection of information that users can search.
Meta Description – Meta tag that allows page authors to define how the page will be described in
the SERP. Not all engines use this tag; Google uses the first 150 characters [including spaces].
Meta Keyword – Meta tag that identifies the keyword phrase[s] which the page is optimized in an
attempt to improve ranking.
Meta Tags – HTML placed in web page code that communicates most basic information about a
site to the search engines. The most commonly used meta tags for SEO purposes are the Keyword,
Description, and Robots tags.
Evolve is a premier search marketing firm delivering simplified systems
for evaluating and evolving a holistic online presence for your brand.
Ultimately, we aim to create opportunities for your customers and brands
to become more engaged.
www.thescienceofsearch.com

5. SEO Terminology pg.2
Organic Links – Search results that are unpaid, occuring naturally based on the search engine’s
measure of the listed page’s relevance to the search query.
PPC – Pay Per Click; online advertising model in which the advertiser is charged only when a visitor
clicks on their ad and thus pays for actual visitors rather than ad impressions.
Page Rank – A web site’s popularity as measured by Google’s link analysis algorithm.
RSS – Really Simple Syndication; web feed format used to publish frequently updated content such
as news stories or blog posts.
Rank – The position of a web page on the search engine results page for a particular query.
SEM – Search Engine Marketing; an umbrella term covering a variety of methods intended to
increase a web site’s visibility in search engine results pages including SEO, PPC, and SMM.
SEO – Any activity that is aimed at increasing the trust and rank of a webpage affecting volume of
traffic.
SERP – Search Engine Results Page; the list of websites returned by a search engine in response to a
user query.
Social Media – Web sites that are driven by interactive, user generated content. Examples include:
Facebook Wikipedia, YouTube and MySpace.
Spam – The abuse of electronic messaging systems (e.g. email) to send unsolicited bulk messages
indiscriminately.
Spider – (Bot, Robot) An automated program that maps the web by reading HTML meta tags and
following links page-to-page. Determines what pages return for search.
Sponsored Links – SERP listings that are purchased by the advertiser on a pay-per-click rate. These
links are typically listed in a separate column from organic search results.
Title – The most important area on a web page for keyword placement to affect search engine
rankings.
Traffic – An umbrella term for website visits, views, impressions and conversions.
Trust – Link analysis technique for search engines to distinguish legitimate web pages from spam.
Evolve is a premier search marketing firm delivering simplified systems
for evaluating and evolving a holistic online presence for your brand.
Ultimately, we aim to create opportunities for your customers and brands
to become more engaged.
www.thescienceofsearch.com

6. Derek Mabie, President
Derek Mabie is President & Co-Founder of Evolve: Search Science, an industry leader in SEO development
and consultation. Author of the widely-read StlSearchMarketing blog, Derek has collaborated with many
of the top minds in the Search Marketing industry.
Consulting initially to support his rock star lifestyle as the lead singer of The Cause (feature band on
Van’s Warped Tour ’08), Derek has successfully carved a niche for himself in the agency and corporate
consulting business. A digital rock star in his own right, Derek has extensive Project Management and
Consultation experience in the Hospitality, Spirits and CPG industries.
With a reputation for excellence in Web Site Development, Search Engine Optimization, Pay-Per-Click
Management, Social Media Management and Social Network Development, Derek’s recent portfolio
includes campaigns for Car-X, Pinnacle Entertainment, Hilton/Embassy Suites, Omni Hotels, Cordish
Company, Colorado Tourism, Noble House Hotels, Dean Foods, Grey Goose and Glenfiddich.
Evolve is a premier search marketing firm delivering simplified systems
for evaluating and evolving a holistic online presence for your brand.
Ultimately, we aim to create opportunities for your customers and brands
to become more engaged.
www.thescienceofsearch.com