Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has been around for a while now, yet there are so many misconceptions about this industry. Black hat and cheap SEO agencies shoulder some of the blame. But the industry is ever-changing and complex, which makes it a little tricky for businesses to understand.
If you’re looking to launch a digital marketing campaign, here are some SEO truths you should absolutely know before hiring an SEO agency!
Cheap SEO Is Costly
Search Engine Optimization is a complex and ever-changing task, which is why these services fetch such a high price. It can be tempting when looking for an SEO agency to go for cheaper options. However, cheap SEO will cost you more in the long run.
Cheap SEO services typically either do very little to benefit your business, filling their hours with pointless fluff, or they do easy, black hat SEO tactics to get results for very little work. Both situations are bad ideas and could result in not only a loss of money but could cause Google to penalize or even blacklist your website.
SEO is a Long Game
One of the hardest parts of SEO is that it requires a long-term commitment. While cheap SEO agencies may promise you first page keywords within weeks, any respectable SEO agency knows that it can take much longer than that to start seeing results.
The more competitive the keyword, the longer it will take. That shouldn’t deter you though! With hard work and persistence, a solid long-term SEO plan can get you the results you want. It may take a few months, but those are results that won’t quickly go away as PPC or black hat SEO tactics do.
SEO Ends when Google Stops
Unfortunately, SEO is a never-ending thing. It can be tempting to stop an SEO campaign once you get the results you’re looking for, but this common mistake can send you back to square one. Not only will your competitors keep going, eventually outranking you again, but Google is constantly making algorithm changes.
Google’s algorithm changes determine what an SEO campaign has to do. They’re constantly changing what factors matter and how much each one weighs when determining SERPs. What may work for SEO one week could be completely wrong the next. That’s why it’s important to always keep on top of SEO. The job will never really stop until Google stops making changes- which is not likely to happen!
SEO Can’t Do the Impossible
It can be hard to explain to clients that even with the high cost and long-term plan, SEO cannot do it all. A successful SEO campaign will boost keyword rankings and drive traffic to your website, but it’s only one part of turning that into successful conversions.
If your website is slow and outdated, no amount of SEO will really impact your business. Think of SEO as leading cattle into a pin. Once that’s done, it’s up to your business to entice them into eating.
Good SEO is Multi-Faceted
SEO can be confusing to explain to a business that has never done it before, simply because there are so many moving parts to it. There are two main parts to SEO- technical SEO and content creation. Under those falls a bunch of different tasks such as blogs, onsite optimization, link building, social media, and more.
A common issue with cheap SEO packages is that they’ll do minimum onsite optimization and a few blogs, thinking that is enough. A good SEO campaign will actively monitor and update all parts regularly. This means working on internal and external links, consistently posting blogs, optimizing all onsite text, regularly checking onsite technical optimization, fixing site speed, keeping social media updated, and more. Any SEO agency that promises you results for doing the bare minimum is one you should run away from.
SEO Should be Consistent
Consistency is key when it comes to a successful SEO campaign. A good SEO campaign will make a strategic plan and then execute it for all parts of the business. In addition to executing a well throughout campaign throughout the business, SEO needs to be consistently monitored and updated.
One-time SEO is common, but it won’t provide long term results. A good SEO campaign will regularly post blogs, link building, and fix any technical issues. Being inconsistent with SEO is not only not very helpful for rankings, but it also can send the wrong message to your users. Users want to work with or purchase from businesses that they believe are on top of things.