What Every Business Owner Should Know About SEO

I've heard it countless times: “I'm only paying $100 a month for my current SEO services,” or “I've already tried SEO and it only hurt my business,” or the ever-so-popular “It’s going to take HOW long for results?  We were ranked in just a few weeks with our last company!”

I get it, it’s human nature and very much a part of today’s society that you want results, you want them now, and you definitely don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for them.

However, the amount of horror stories I hear from clients about their past experiences with SEO companies compels me to offer some good old fashioned advice to any business owner that is thinking about starting up an SEO campaign.

SEO is not rocket science

Although there are plenty of technical aspects that happen throughout an SEO campaign, at the end of the day; it is (or should be, at least) all about creating and distributing amazing pieces of content that directs an audience to an amazing website.  Google likes websites that are able to stand out from a crowd and that can get regular visitors coming back on a consistent basis.

Cheaper is not better

Beware of those companies that offer you an SEO package of $75 a month.  The saying is true, you get exactly what you pay for; and when budgets are low, so is the quality.  This is typically where black hat tactics will creep their way in (giving you that amazing jump in rankings that take a skydive once Google catches on).

Whatever you do, NEVER hire the 18 year old SEO “guy”

A good campaign takes some serious street time.  Not that I have anything against the younger crowd, but because of the labor and knowledge that goes into your campaign; you should be only trusting reputable agencies with proven results, transparency, and honesty.

Design your website with SEO in mind

This is another big mistake we often see.  Business owners rush out to get their website designed (again, typically taking the cheapest route), without even considering the impact it will have on rankings.  Your best bet is to hire a full-blown digital agency in order to ensure that the designer will include their knowledge of SEO into your design.

Communicate with your SEO team often

I cannot stress this one enough to any of my potential clients.  SEO is not something you can just sign a check for and forget about it – This is a team efforts.  Not only does it put much more “life” into your campaign, but also it allows for better organization.  Make sure you are given routine results presented to you, and always give an opinion; most agencies will be thankful that you care enough to be involved.