Just getting beat out by younger sites ?

Really, I dont understand why or how my site is getting beat out by MUCH younger and less linked sites as far as positioining is concerned. We have hired an SEO and gradually the site climbing the longtail terms but when a site is several years younger than ours moves to the top of the most competitive terms in our area, it makes me wonder... Is there some sort of issue with the site ? We just cant seem to get past this hurdle in spots #9- #13 and was wondering if someone had an idea what we could do to improve even a little bit.

See site in profile!

Thanks,
Inertia1

If the SEO isn't handling link development and you're not paying a premium here... that's the why!

I rarely look but in this case:

Your SEO should reevaluated the following:

This is the title element for your mainpage [I assume most title are a mirrir in style]

<title>Phoenix Limo Service, Phoenix Airport transportation, Arizona Limousines by ProSedan</title>

Dump all repeats - they don't help and arrange the remainer to appeal to searchers

This is but one way

<title>Limo Service & Airport Transportation | Limousines Phoenix, Arizona AZ @ ProSedan</title>

The title isn't as important to ranking as SEO let on [yes it helps but when you're being beat by others - it was the title that cause that.

These are the likely link anchors you want to support that mainpage... 10 - 20 or so of each from directories, blogs, and other info sites and you'll be top 5

Phoenix Limo Service
Phoenix Airport Transportation
Arizona Limousines
Phoenix Limousines
Arizona Airport Transportation
Arizona Limo Service

However... you may be suffering because of a different reason.

Your website success is being drained to help other web sites:

Phoenix Arizona limo service
New York Limousine
Orlando Limo
Dallas Limousine

I assume these are also yours.

You got precisely what you wanted... instead of having a full glass - you got 5 glasses with a fifth of the value...

If you removed these links... you will probably see a major improvement on this domain.

I guess the lesson here is... If you can barely support yourself - feeding 4 homeless people, clothing them, bedding them, providing water, heat, electricity, etc., etc. for them - makes your life less manageable.

You can do it... BUT they all got to get "JOBS"!

Forgetting the Metaphor... these other sites sucking the life out of this one... if they can't find there own links and have some other company dedicating to their success... they need to be euthanized.

That's from a 2 minute review! ...there may be other things to consider.

I was actually just about to write after reviewing your site and saw that fathom had already done so. I would definitely do something about the outbound links on the bottom and maybe clean up your footers a little bit.

I didnt really read your paragraph of content but I would focus on some on-page seo and test it to see if your rankings fluctuate. Maybe giving yourself a <h1>Main keyphrase you want to rank for</h1> and give your site a little Information Architecture.

Personally I would change up the content just a little with "Phoenix Limo Services" in there a few times (or whatever it is that you are optimizing for) and you can even get creative so you don't appear to be stuffing.

Example. "Give us a call if you are planning on staying in Phoenix. Limo Services can be found throughout the area but quality personable service is something we pride ourselves on. To speak to one of our Phoenix Limo Service (company name) professionals, please contact us at ----------.

That way you are playing off of other sentences and it is a creative way to fit a keyphrase or two in.

I do believe that the <Title></Title> could use some work.

I would make my first goal to get in the Top 3 (above the fold) and have an enticing <title> and meta description with a call to action. Just because you are number one doesn't mean you are the most visited necessarily.

This sort of bothers me since my SEO put those links there (aside from one of them for future development.) I have asked him before what the problem was because I knew there was an issue with the site and nothing really changed aside from him getting me a few extra links and wait, wait, wait. Those links in the footer are not mine and I have removed them already so lets see how this goes. And thanks for your suggestions !

What I have observed is how sites like mine with 109 backlinks and 1-2 years old are soaring above ours in a lot of the money keywords, which is disturbing.

Would it hurt to change title on PR2 subpages and a PR3 domain ? i really have no idea if this will hurt SERP or not but I was told not to change the titles around. May also need some help with title suggestions and the code to do so.


Interesting comments,
Frustrated!

Somehow i think my SEO should have been on top of some of this.

Don't be so caught up on QUANTITY of links. Instead look at the QUALITY of the links that they are receiving. Your answer may be there.

It might be worth your while to point your SEO here...

The title helps ranks but it won't be the defining difference... you won't lose like 10 or 100 positions at worse 1 or 2 positions abnd at best none and make gains in other phrases.

You told we can find the web site what you are talking about in your profile. If it's true your site must be prosedan DOT com. How could you say that, "less linked sites"? I checked the back links of your site with WWW prefix and also without this for the sake of exactitude. You have about 248 back links according to the result of Alta Vista. The AV show your all back links, so within this list maybe there are some pages without Google cache status.

I browsed between your back links through AV and just for a sample here a back link of you on a web site which is not cached by the Google search engine:
httx://www.limoindex.com/Arizona-limousine-service/Phoenix-Limousines/

Google of the link page above:
httx://64.233.183.104/search?sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&q=cache%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.limoindex.com%2FArizona -limousine-service%2FPhoenix-Limousines%2F

I take it that you have more back links which are not cached . . . You can but try get more cached back links. I know it's not easy but that's the reason why the web-marketing is a big challenge for everybody.

I think the FREE classified advertisement is good, comfortable way to the getting of cached back links. According to my experience the keyword linking is allowed within the FREE classified advertisements in most cases.

I think the matter of FREE classified advertisements would be fit in a new topic, don't you think? I think about a collector place where everybody can find and offer a great FREE classified advertisement site with English content of course. I'm really newcomer here so I don't want open a new topic without your opinion(s).

Search engines prefer sites with fresh content.

This could be the reason why your new competitor is scoring higher rankings than your existing site.

Try to revamp your internal as well as external SEO activities and your site will jump to the top positions.

Fathom- Thank you, no use getting my SEO on here. I will see what i can do for the title issues. Have taken down the sitewide links and see what happens, so far nothing to speak of. Any other ideas are welcome.

Vbcannon- That sure gives me a few ideas and I guess its time to write !

michelonline- What is considered fresh content ? How long does it last before more fresh content is needed etc ...

Overall that problem is that a couple newer sites with very few backlinks, none with PR have passed and solidified at the top of the first pages in some important keywords. I have been stuck in spots 9-13 for months now, even with an SEO. He brings me business, I just want to get up in SERP before the season starts back.