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The SEO fever goes on. Yvonne publishes a good, comprehensible list of WordPress widgets on her blog, and some of these tools will help you optimize your site for better search engine listings. Then I have to remind you to download my SEO ebook for WordPress blogs (blogs that run on a WordPress.org platform), which will show you how to do a bit of SEO on your own, without needing to pay for other SEO services.

Now, for business blogs, SEO is a tool that will help you promote your products, services and your brand. In an ideal world the SEO company managing your online presence should also be able to provide brand management systems and social media optimization, (because the Web is now run by the social media).

Unfortunately there are not enough companies able to provide complete services. So each time I find one, although they are my competitors, I’m happy to announce it.

First of all: the best way to do deal with a brand and the SEO needs of the client is to have direct contact with the client. You have to listen and understand the needs of a client and analyze the market carefully to provide the best solutions. If you don’t know the market (especially when you deal with local businesses) you are doomed to fail. If you fail, so does your client. The moment a client fails you lose reputation and there are little chances for you to recover your good name in this highly competitive world.

Now, for UK businesses, Brand Attention seems to be a very good service provider. I’ve analyzed the site and I was pleased to see that the owners of the site (although they still keep their faces and names in the shadows) have a healthy approach to SEO, PPC, Web marketing and so on.

But they have a few drawbacks too. Although they offer search engine optimisation and web design, their site does not validate (no W3C compliance) and fails at the Cynthia test. Hopefully they will consider fixing their problems. I wouldn’t hire an SEO company that is not able to correct its own website and I would never hire a web design company to design a site for me if I see that the code is not compliant. That’s like hiring an English teacher who doesn’t speak correct English. You know what I mean?

A web design can be beautiful but if it is not compliant, the job is not well done. Period.

When it comes to press release optimization, Brand Attention completely misses out the point and the purpose of a press release. I’ll just summarize: press releases should be optimized for good search engine placements, but this is not their main role. Their role is to generate buzz about a company/product/service or brand. Getting links is just a secondary, benefic effect.

This company has right now three job openings: one for an SEO consultant, one for a web designer and one for a web developer. I almost have the itch to apply as both an SEO consultant and a web designer, but I’ll have to pass on this one. I have too many projects on the role and physically no time to do something else. But I hope the links are useful for you.