Q. I am business development manager for , an internet shopping search service. The success of websites like ours rests firmly with the search engine optimisation specialist, but it seems one almost has to become an expert in this area before you can assess the suitability of one provider or another. What is the best way of finding a technical expert like this? What are the red flags that we should be aware of?
Mark Oxlade,

A. Search engine optimisation is not a “black art”, but a series of well-understood techniques, which can be understood by everyone.