search engine 'what'

we all are well tuned into the term 'search engine optimization'. but what does the basic 'client to be' type into the google search box to find this service. i just question whether they are as familiar with the term 'optimization'. i am talking about the first-timers here. so what is everyones opinion about what is getting searched for to acquire these services? i know 'search engine optimization' has the top rank on the overture tool or wherever...but like i said....i dont think thats a 'first timer' term. what do you think?

Some good terms to start with searched on Overture some of the lesser ones will have a lot less competition.

28178 search engine marketing
25413 search engine positioning
24490 search engine ranking
20110 search engine placement
8558 search engine promotion
7579 search engine listing
5439 search engine marketing services
5239 search engine position
4789 top search engine ranking
4519 high search engine ranking
3893 search engine optimization service
3735 search engine advertising
3710 search engine placement services
3584 search engine optimization firm
3037 search engine positioning services
2719 top search engine placement
2587 improve search engine ranking
2433 search engine ranking optimization
2376 search engine positioning tool
2226 search engine position tool
2165 search engine marketing company
1952 search engine training
1947 guaranteed search engine ranking
1866 search engine positioning service
1801 search engine optimizations
1697 search engine visibility
1695 design engine friendly search
1548 guaranteed search engine placement
1530 search engine ranking company
1524 high search engine placement

worm...
much appreciated.

however...i was looking for more than a regurgitation of overture results. i looked there first. i was after some dialogue about what terms were considered to be hot for non-web professionals....or perhaps a confirmation that overtures results are applicable to my query. for example....i dont think your average business owner is going to type in 'search engine advertising' or 'search engine positioning tool' which are on your list. i just think that overture results are biased based on all the web-professionals flooding it with requests.....or maybe i am wrong....i dont know...thats why i ask.

True, but I think that you have to use your experience to pick out the ones they do use
ie. improve search engine ranking,
search engine positioning service, etc

By thinking like a business owner that doesn't know the 'clicky' words
you will be able to extricate the sorts of phrases used from these results and do searches based on these.

I don't know of anywhere that you can search for a list that "excludes all terms used by the search engine professional community"

But if you do find a way to make it easier I, and I'm sure many others, will be very interested.

Cheers

relaxzoolander

This is a good question and something I have asked myself often. I know for a fact that it would be any phrase that includes "search engine" and not the search term "seo".

thanks chat.

this thread didnt amount to much.

either nobody cares...
nobody gets the relevance of my question....
or....
its considered 'sensitive info' and it is being 'protected' by all the seos here.

after a person finishes building his/her website he would look for how to submit to search engine
only after it gets indexed by SE will he/she think of improving his rank in SE results..

relaxzoolander

Have to agree with you, I thought this post would have been flooded by posts but apperently, no-one has the sense of sharing there info, although some would have been cautioned for misinformation. I think i need to state the following. According to stats on my seo site my primary kw is "search engine specialist" 57% of all SE refferals! I have done another thing now and that is to opotimize for spelling errors as well as I understand many people do not know how spel specialist. Anyway no results yet but I'll leave it up there for a while.
O yes my traffic is aimed country specific and non US thereforthe chances are that your KW might be different!

chatmaster...
thanks for sharing!

Here is an example but from my specific searches,

A very common search term would be golf ball case,

yet I find that someone looking for golf display may in his mind be exactly that, but I find very few search for this.

As this relates to the SEO community, someone searching for help from all of you might search for search engine advertising or for top search engine listing
or the guy who just thinks "hmmm.... search for a company who puts you on the search engine?" - put me on the search engine

You would have to think of all the ways - which could be infinite. Try asking someone internet oblivian (one who doesn't really know much but how to check their hotmail) to go to a search engine and then say to them "what would you search for to get shown here on this search engine?"

disclaimer: some of these suggestions may seem lame, but remember many people are oblivians, even if they are a genious in some other field.

hi!,

Thanx zoo for this thread and for such a sensitive subject. Even I was wondering that what my client think about SEO or do they even know that SEO exists (the fact is they dont ).

As I meet many people daily, I tell you no one knows about words like optimization, listing, internet marketing, seo etc.

The only word they (in India) can think is "google registration", "yahoo registration", "put me on first page" etc. but not more then that.

I also get this kind of request from very professional persons from IT.

Hope you got what you want. Any other with more such experience from client are welcome?

Thank You,

HEY RELAXZOOLANDER..

In my experience.....clients often type terms like SEO, Website Promotion, Internet Search Engine Marketing.

TO be honest though, I actually decided to have a look through my stats last week, to see where my leads are coming from and what search terms are being entered to find my website. As well, I began asking clients how they found me.

TO be honest, most have found me using terms associated with website design, web design, graphic design. My site is targeted towards Toronto, so terms like Toronto Website Design, Toronto Web Design, Toronto Web Promotion. I have found any client who comes to my site and reads about web design and our services, also reads about search engine optimization. I have tried to include text concerning this on my pages which discuss website design so when a client is looking through my site, they are introduced to SEO as a complimentary service which is NECESSARY to market ones website.

Personally...I think including seo text/info on your pags which discuss your web services is the best place.

CBR

thanks critter.
[i think some of your business resources need to go.]

Which ones relax?

CBR

Critter that is interesting, as it is much the same with me. "Website design" "Webdesigner" "Webdesign" are at the top of my list too. Again it was country specific but then again I do not rank at all for the general terms like webdesign etc. if I did I think it would have been the same situation. It seems like majority of people are not that familiar with the SEO terms. It doesn't matter in anyway as my site are out ranking my competition on my kw's e.g. website design etc. anyway.

Talked to one of my customers the other day. He is fairly informed on IT terms and webdesign but he found me with the kw "Webdesigner" on a local SE. He felt that the designer ranking at #1 was good with SE's and off course that was me. He was right too, His site is currently ranking between #1 - 5 for more than 20 kw's. He feels that is the best way of getting the right guy to do the job. I wonder how many others feel the same!