What is SEO?

Is it just a buzzword for getting your site more traffic? Is it a scam? First, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It incorporates many different strategies to get more traffic from Search Engines, like Google. Every business wants a user to type their services into Google and they come up first. The idea, all those people will click on your site and become new customers. That’s the idea, but it is not that easy. It is not just a buzzword, it’s a real service that can impact your business. Is it a scam? Not from a legit business. Be aware, there are always scammers.

Search Engine Optimization is about finding the “right” keywords, that attract the “right” user, that you can come up for! Once you find that, then you must optimize your site for those keywords. Well, how do you optimize your website for keywords? Google (the biggest Search Engine today) has a crazy long algorithm that no one truly knows all. In fact, Google is always changing their algorithm. There are proven techniques that work, but there is no SEO that can make any guarantee in such a volatile market.

SEO Strategy

It is best to focus on SEO strategies that yield results. It may include on-page SEO, whereas you optimize for the keywords within the website page content. You may also want to take a technical look and include schema mark-up on your site. SEO can be full of opportunity, and gains to be had. It is a slow, gradual process. You will not see gains overnight, but over time. SEO can be affordable, or costly, depending on how aggressive you want to be.

Now that we have a recap on what SEO is, is it worth it? SEO is always worth it. If you have a website you want people to visit, then you want to incorporate SEO. The digital age is a competitive one. And it takes work to take advantage of the online landscape. You get out of it, what you put into it. What works today, may NOT work tomorrow.

When looking at SEO services, it is important to look at your ROI. For instance, how much can you profit from 1 new customer? What about 10 new customers? 100? There are a lot of questions when looking at your digital marketing budget. Your ROI will help you determine how much to spend. It may even help you to know when it is time to ramp up or scale back.

Now that you have a budget, how do you get there? You can hire an in-house person or assign it to an existing role. Many companies rely on 3rd parties who know the industry. Regardless of if you perform your SEO in house or not, the key is in the metrics. You need proof to know what you are doing is working. Setting up your KPI’s will go a long way in proving how much your SEO efforts are working. If they are not working, you may need to find another strategy.

Beware of Scammers!

If you have been scammed, then you may be one of those business owners saying, no way! Never again! I put out $1000’s and got nothing back! There are a few signs that you might be dealing with a scammer to look out for.

If it sounds too good to be true it probably is. If anyone makes a guarantee to put you in the 1st position on Google, run. Many scammers will make empty promises. Like guaranteeing a position or amount of traffic. Also, low cost SEO services like $300 a month where they will take care of everything. That is not enough of a budget. Some of those companies that get you traffic pay for ads for you and all your competitors. That is not SEO. Remember, SEO is a long-term ongoing strategy; so, if someone offers you SEO services for a one-time low-cost fee, it is a scam. They most likely will do nothing and just take your money.

Avoid being scammed by asking for references. Someone you can talk to. Make sure they are clear on what they are doing for you. If you don’t understand what they are doing for you, do research to gain a better understanding. Find out how they are going to prove it is working. What are the KPI’s? How will they report on them? Check out their online reviews, but don’t put all trust in them. Find out where they are located. Foreign countries love to take advantage of American Citizens, so beware.

At the end of the day SEO is worth it. It is going to help you focus on getting the right kind of visitors to your website. The more you put into your website the more you will get out! The more SEO you do ongoing, the more long-term benefit you can get. An expert can also save you time, since that is what they do, they understand the ins and outs of it all. To learn more about SEO and digital marketing services, talk to one of our experts.