With today’s extraordinary emphasis on the internet, there is little wonder that so many people have opted to chance their arm in the hugely competitive website services industry.

From website developers and designers to online marketing and SEO consultants, the world is hardly short on expertise. It doesn’t matter where you are in the world there is always someone you know who is involved in this thriving market.

Learning how to design, develop and market a website is not something that anyone can learn in a couple of days, so it’s best left in the hands of the experts. However, the question must be asked – how many of these service providers can actually be classed as experts. Much like car mechanic work, most people will pay for website services not knowing what they should be getting charged for a service, whether it’s being done properly or whether they getting good value for money.

As far as website design is concerned, there is little that can be hidden. Website owners can verify straight away if the design is up to scratch and if it’s likely to provide them with the intended online results and functionality.

Search Engine Optimisation or SEO, on the other hand, is the one aspect of a website that can be more difficult to grasp. SEO is the main ingredient in providing a website with the online exposure it needs. After all, there is no point having a website unless people can locate it online, particularly if your business is in a competitive online market, such as the accommodation industry.

SEO is aimed at increasing your rankings in the Search Engines for a variety of highly searched keyword phrases that relate to your products or services. This is a service that is normally carried out prior to or immediately after the development of a website. Search Engine Marketing or SEM is then fulfilled on an ongoing basis to help business websites slowly chip away at surpassing their competitors online.

The main aspect of ongoing Search Engine Optimisation is link building. This is the biggest factor that determines the positional movement of a website’s Search Engine rankings for specific keyword phrases. Businesses in a highly competitive online market need an agressive online marketing campaign to leap ahead of their competitors.

Whilst website owners get excellent benefit out of link building, there are a large percentage of website owners who are being charged unjustifiable amounts on a monthly basis for very little results. In fact, some businesses actually carry out what are classed as "black hat" SEO practices. These are generally methods of link building that require little time and cost to the service provider, yet they charge over the top prices. Whilst those websites involved in these techniques often see great results in the beginning, in most cases, these "black hat" forms of Search Engine Optimisation can cause a website to lose its rankings for specific keyword phrases or be dropped out of the rankings altogether.

It’s important that you shop around, ask some questions about what you expect to receive for your money and an outline of what’s being achieved. You’ll soon get a feel for what is right and how much you should be paying.