Jerri: Is there anything I haven’t touched on that might be important for small to mid-sized
organizations to know about SEO?Combs:Most “SEO experts” are no more SEO experts than the organization they work for. Much
can be self-achieved with proper research. This industry is enough of a snake pit of vipers, that it
really does pay to do a bunch of research yourself (and even potentially some of the work yourself)
before you buy from a vendor. Bad SEO can really really hurt you, and cause you to lose multiple
years of marketplace momentum.Lastly, make sure you focus on the real results. Rankings alone don’t pay the bills. In most cases,
neither does web traffic. Track and analyze the results of your SEO efforts, making sure that you
are increasing leads and/or sales.297
Industry Interviews75002bapp02_6.qxd 11/7/07 9:22 AM Page 297