"SEO" is one of today's most popular Internet buzzwords, used by both true professionals and those looking to make a quick dollar alike.

Unfortunately, website owners and eBay store owners are caught in the middle between so many companies and individuals touting that they "do SEO" it's hard to know who to turn to for help.

Let's go over a few points.

Someone claims they can get you listed in the top 10 of Google ~ GOOD LUCK! Browse any of the websites in any given top 10 on Google and you will find sites with zero pagerank and sites that are well ranked.

As with anything on Google ~ it is mathematical and it is dependent on the given factors of the algorithm currently used.

What can you do to get yourself ranked higher? First of all don't hire the person who guarantees you top 10 ranking!!

2nd ~ Improve your keyword density, your quality content verbiage, your alt text if you have alot of pictures, your keywords, description and title, plus your internal links on any given page. Even though meta tags (keywords, description, title) are not as widely used as they used to be in the search engines, they add to keyword relevancy in the body of the page, keyword density, and the quality content density of the verbiage.

3rd ~ Make sure all verbiage on any given page is relevant to the page theme or product(s) on the page. Make sure there is a detailed product description as well as some informative text (for both the search engines and your customers.

4th ~ Develop a good strong internal linking structure. This makes you less dependent on finding quality websites to do back linking with. When you find them, good, work out a reciprocal linking deal. What a good strong internal linking structure does for you is as one page grows in page rank and popularity, all associated pages linked to that page also grow over the long term.

5th ~ Never expect on demand, quick fix results. There is no such thing, making that whole idea simply unrealistic, and you get much better results from Google by growing slowly and steadily. They view quick and sudden rises with suspicion as it's simply not a natural, organic growth. You could find yourself spending much more time in the sandbox or possibly even getting yourself banned.

6th ~ Schmooze a little. Participate in forums and always include your website URL or eBay store URL in your email siggies and forum siggies, when and where permitted. You'll also establish yourself as contributing meaningful help and advice as well as asking questions that generate helpful replies whenever and wherever possible.

7th ~ Always set aside a few pages on your website and use at least one if not two of the custom pages included in your eBay store basic subscription for product and/or service information. This establishes you as an expert in your field, (best case scenario), or at the least as very knowledgeable. This not only adds to the quality content of your website or eBay store but also instills consumer confidence in you and your products and leads to sales down the road.

8) Identify at least two major competitors and watch them. This is invaluable for SEO, marketing and promotional purposes.

These are just a few basics for do-it-yourself white hat SEO techniques.

If you are looking to hire someone to do SEO for you, don't be afraid to ask questions before putting down your hard earned money.

Your questions should be answered thoroughly, knowledgeably, and within a reasonable timeframe. The individual should be able to backup or demonstrate their claims, and by answering you within a reasonable timeframe they will be demonstrating their abilities for excellent, good, poor, or bad customer service. No question should be too big or too small.

On the reverse side don't bleed your potential SEO consultant expecting them to give away all for free.

They should answer all of your questions and concerns and be able to give you a ballpark estimate for results based on your current situation. They should not make promises or guarantees!!!! You should be given access to other client testimonials and be able to contact those clients for further discussion if it makes you feel more secure.

Lastly, phone consultations are a no-no and a waste of money. All conversations should take place via email. WHY??? Get it in writing!!! Make sure you get everything in writing ~ you can always get further clarifications, details, explanations and whatever you need in writing. Phone consultations give you no leverage at all.