I can’t count how many times I’ve been approached by people I meet that claim to be SEO (Search Engine Optimization) experts. And more often than not, it is simply a buzzword used by most web developers and companies looking to hook someone into their business. Over time I’ve learned to be a bit skeptical whenever someone tells me that - even if they are legit. In my book, you have to prove your SEO worth - I’m not just going to take your word for it. Typically, this involves just some conversation on the subject, where I can in a matter of minutes gauge their true value.

Well, I’ve just added another tool to my SEO gauge arsenal brought to you from SEOmoz. What is it might you ask? Their SEOquiz. With 75 questions covering a variety of Search Engine Optimzation subjects, varying from beginner knowledge to questions only the “Dark Lords of SEO” possess the answers to.

How did I fare might you ask?
SEO Master - 83%

Gauging from the reaction on their blog post about the quiz, I fared better than most (and the SEOmoz crowd is mostly filled with SEO professionals). But what this really means for me is that I’m going to have to start toting around a laptop with an aircard everywhere I go. Just so the next time I run into one of these guys that proclaim themselves an SEO expert, I can whip out this quiz on the fly and make them prove it to me. The quiz is pretty tough, so I’ve got respect for anyone doing nominally well. My only request from SEOmoz is twofold:

1) Mobile version: Save me the need to have my laptop everywhere
2) Have an SEO certification process, something a little more official that qualifies SEOs as actually knowledgeable or full of shit

And while you may not be as critical as I am about “SEOs” proving their worth - this tool can still benefit you. How? Well, if you’re looking to engage with an SEO firm for some SEO work, have them complete this quiz - ON THE SPOT. The key here is that there is no timer, so it’d be pretty easy to get any score you want just by popping open another browser window and searching for the answer as you’re taking it. So make sure they’re doing it live. Along the same lines, if you’re to a point of hiring an employee or a contractor for some internal SEO work, same thing, have them complete the quiz on the spot.

Knowing what’s being said on the internet about you, your company, or your product can provide valuable insight and feedback from the marketplace. How do companies manage to keep tabs on that sort of information? Google Alerts. Google Alerts allows you to “subscribe” to any information indexed by Google either weekly, daily, or as it happens.

You should at least have alerts setup to monitor anything important to you and your business. This would include your business name, your website address, competitor’s addresses, product names, etc. If you sell a widget A, setup an alert for “widget A” - this will allow you to see who else sells it, how they sell it, and what they sell it for, as well as anything in the news about it. You can monitor virtually any term or phrase you’d like, so whatever affects your business is game for inclusion here.

A great example of this in practice is in a previous post about Integrated eCommerce Solutions - I mentioned a few product names, one of which being Everest software. Shortly therafter, the CEO, Edwin Miller was posting a comment to that very article. Is Edwin Miller an avid Blue Acorn blog reader? I highly doubt it - he’s not even my target reader. But, I’d be willing to bet that he has a Google Alert set for particular key terms (such as his software name) that notified him of my posting. In fact, he’s probably getting another one right now for this post as well! And he’s not the only person that’s caught wind of my references.

Keeping tabs on what people are saying about you can help you in knowing market perceptions, as well as address any concerns. As an eCommerce merchant, you’ll want to pay particular attention to reviews about your products, your site, customer service, etc. and be able to address them as quickly as possible.

I’ve been on haitus for the past two weeks or so, between ramping up for a go-live on one of our eCommerce sites and the holidays its been a bit tough to get in front of the blog. I’ll have more information soon regarding the new site just launched and some of the preliminary results of the beginnings of our SEO efforts. Stay tuned for more.