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Outraged cries fill the streets as a disgruntled mob of entrepreneurs and marketers march towards Google’s headquarters, pitchforks in hand.
After all of these years of following Google’s best practices and slaving tirelessly over their precious keywords and algorithm updates, they have come to the unsettling realization that their efforts were all in vain.
And now, they are ready to exact their revenge on the “Wonder Twins” to make up for the years of lost time and money…
But there’s just one tiny little problem with the above scenario.
The angry mob has been wildly misinformed…
SEO is far from dead.
In fact, it is stronger and more important than it has ever been.
From Google executives to top ranked marketing wizards like Neil Patel, nearly everyone in “The Know” agrees that SEO hasn’t died, it has just changed forms.
And this is especially true for smaller businesses.
If you can learn and master SEO, the sky is truly the limit.
It is the key to attracting high level clients in 2017 and if you learn to use it properly, you will experience an explosive growth in your client base and revenue that is unlike anything you have experienced before.
Imagine if you could cut your current marketing budget in half while simultaneously doubling or tripling your customer base.
Imagine if instead of spending hours upon hours endlessly searching for new leads and clients you could just sit back, take a sip of your iced macchiato, play a few rounds of Candy Crush, and watch clients come to you.
I know that this might sound like a pipe dream to some of you.
But for the entrepreneurs who have learned how to overcome Google’s psychological warfare and leverage local SEO, this is their reality.
If you are a small business owner looking to truly take your company to the next level in the new year, then you need to take a good, hard look at the following information.
The train is leaving the station and I can promise you that you don’t want to be left behind.
“SEO is dead!” Outraged cries fill the streets as a disgruntled mob of entrepreneurs and marketers march towards Google’s headquarters, pitchforks in hand. After all of these years of following Google’s best practices and slaving tirelessly over their precious keywords and algorithm updates, they have come to the unsettling realization that their efforts were all … Continue reading “Reasons Why SEO is STILL the Best Marketing Strategy for Local Businesses”
Content marketing is by no means a new strategy. It’s a tried and true strategy that works.
Don’t believe me? Think of all the content you consume on a daily basis. Not just blog posts, but magazines, newspapers, books, TV advertisements.
All of these thrive on good content, and content marketing.
The best part?
Good content brings your website more traffic and can help attract more prospects and even convert them into paying clients.
Luckily, it also isn’t one you need specialized training or knowledge to use. Here are 10 things you can do right now that will help you get the most out of your content marketing.
#1 Make your content layout super easy to navigate.
When someone lands on your site, make sure they know how to find what they are looking for. Tag your blog posts appropriately to help your readers easily find your related posts. Also, make use of your website menu bar. It should be clear and really easy to navigate, like this:
#2 Write content with your customers in mind.
It’s one thing to get traffic with your content. It’s another to get targeted traffic. So, who are you trying to attract with your content? Take the time to research your ideal customers and find out what kind of information they are most interested in. Even better, ask your actual clients! Finding out what your current clients want will help you attract similar consumers.
#3 Keep them on your site longer.
If they like your content, give even more of it! Link to related posts within your content, as well as after your post. If you’re on WordPress, use a plugin like Yet Another Related Posts Plugin or WordPress Related Posts to automatically display content that’s similar to current post your reader is on.
#4 Target the right keywords.
Help new readers find you organically through the power of Google. To increase your chances of getting found, target a relevant long-tail keyword phrase that you know your audience is searching for. Where should they go in your content?
Plug your keyword phrase in your:
Blog post title
Within the first 100 words
Subheadings
The blog post URL
Image name and ALT text
Meta description
#5 Write content that goes viral.
I know; easier said than done. Exactly how do you write something that everyone wants to read and share? Here are some tips;
Write something really informative. It should go above and beyond other how-to posts out there.
Disprove something. Is there a common belief in your industry? Refute it and back up your point.
Write something emotional. Appeal to readers’ emotional side but writing something that will get into their minds, and into their hearts.
Take them back. Write something that resonates with your target audience. If your readers mostly grew up in the 80s, write something filled with nostalgia that will have them thinking back to their childhood.
Cover current news. People care about what’s happening now. If you can use it to your advantage go for it! Look at Oreo. During Super Bowl XLVII’s famous blackout, they jumped on it and immediate tweeted out this:
#6 Encourage social sharing.
You want your content shared, so make is really easy for your readers to help you out. Use a plugin to easily get social sharing buttons on the top and bottom, or on the side of each of your blog posts.
#7 Collect email addresses.
They’ve read your content, but they’re not quite ready to become a paying customer yet. And that’s okay!
So what’s the next best step?
Getting them on your mailing list. Place an opt in form right after your blog post to really increase conversions. Add your email subscription box to the end of each post using a plugin like Magic Action Box or PopupAlly.
#8 Include a call-to-action.
If your content relates to a product or service you offer, use it! Slip in a call-to-action into your post. One word of caution: Don’t be spammy. Make sure your content is extremely valuable and helpful, before you use it to promote.
And it doesn’t necessarily have to be a prompt for a paid product. You can simply ask people to sign up for your mailing list, or download something for free. Here’s a great example of a call-to-action at the end of blog post. It’s a free workbook, but signing up gets people on her mailing list.
#9 Write great content.
Quality over quantity definitely rings true in this situation. Make sure your content is
informative, actionable and well-written. Use tools like CoSchedule’s Headline Analyzer to make sure your headline is catchy and engaging. And Hemingway Editor can help check your grammar and make sure your content is readable.
#10 Reuse your content.
You take all this time writing something worth reading and sharing, why not reuse it? Turn your most popular content into a video or podcast to reach a wider audience. Or group together similar posts into a downloaded eBook or an online webinar. You can even use quotes from your posts on social media.
Using great content to market a business has long been a successful marketing strategy. Use any of these 10 hacks to help you use your own blog content to really boost your business.
Content marketing is by no means a new strategy. It’s a tried and true strategy that works. Don’t believe me? Think of all the content you consume on a daily basis. Not just blog posts, but magazines, newspapers, books, TV advertisements. All of these thrive on good content, and content marketing. The best part? Good … Continue reading “10 Content Marketing Hacks to Boost Your Business”
What if there was a way to generate dozens upon dozens of high quality, authoritative backlinks to your website without investing thousands of dollars or resorting to black hat tactics?
What if you could convince the biggest industry influencers to start promoting your content on their website without having to pay a dime or have a prior relationship?
What if one simple tactic could 10X the number of backlinks to your site and all but guarantee the success of your business?
Well ladies and gentlemen, this tactic of mythic proportions exists, and it’s called link giving.
And today I am going to let the genie out of the bottle and teach you everything you need to know to leverage it for massive growth.
So sit down, pour yourself a big cup of coffee, and get ready to take notes.
Class is in session.
Link Earning vs. Link Building (and the problem with both)
Before I dive into the concept of link giving, I first want to briefly touch on its predecessors, link building and link earning.
These two practices have been an essential element of every SEO campaign since the inception of Google.
However, constant algorithm updates and changes have lead to a shift in the way that most SEOs and marketers approach them.
And even though most marketing publications and gurus continue to espouse the importance of these tactics, the simple truth is that link building (or earning) as you know it is outdated and inefficient at best.
Let me explain.
Link Building
Link building is the old-school-turned-black-hat SEO technique that was all but crippled by the Panda and Penguin updates.
It started out in a fairly benevolent manner, originally consisting of nothing more than marketers reaching out to relevant companies and either exchanging or purchasing links in an effort to boost their website’s rank and authority.
However, things quickly degenerated into a smorgasbord of spammy backlinks, poorly written blog comments, and paid sponsorships for subpar products.
And although Google has heavily cracked down on unethical link building strategies, the practice of link building is still incredibly prevalent for one reason.
It still works!
But…
Post Panda link building is far more difficult and requires an incredibly tactful approach that requires you to slowly and consistently purchase more expensive and authoritative back links over the course of months or years.
You can no longer get away with building links by spamming other marketer’s comments section or purchasing hundreds of cheap links from smaller websites.
To really succeed at link building you will need to buy links from quality sources.
And this is where most budding entrepreneurs come to understand traditional link building’s fatal flaw.
It requires money, and a lot of it.
Because of this fault, marketing tactics changed to bring us a more evolved version of link building more aptly called “link earning.”
Link Earning
Link earning is the marketplace’s answer to the problems associated with the high cost of entry to traditional link building.
Instead of simply purchasing links from other websites, companies have started to earn those links by creating high quality content that provides tremendous value to other’s audiences.
And this concept is great…
In theory.
You see, while it is true that Google’s algorithms highly favor companies that build up a natural backlink profile by creatively promoting high quality content, there is still a hitch.
For most high authority websites, the value trade just doesn’t make sense.
Even if your article provides some great information for their company, odds are, they either have similar content or have been pitched similar content by companies who are also offering to pay.
And as frustrating as this might be, you need to remember that business is business.
Unless you are offering something of mind boggling value in exchange for an authority backlink, you will probably be left empty handed.
And while it is true that many websites have had some great success by publishing and promoting viral content, this approach simply isn’t scalable.
So while the inherent weakness of link building is that it requires a strong financial backing to run a successful campaign, the inherent weakness of link earning is that without a strong rolodex of viral content, you will need that financial backing to succeed.
So What is a marketer to do?
Link Giving The New Kid on the Block
After hearing about the dismal state of affairs in modern link building/earning, many of you might be slumped back in your chair with a sense of hopelessness and despair gnawing at your stomach.
Afterall, it doesn’t sound like you have much of a chance of building up the link profile you need without a few dozen viral articles or copious amounts of disposable cash in the bank.
But before you throw in the towel and jump out of the ring, let me introduce you to your new secret weapon.
Link giving.
Link giving is the practice of requesting a backlink from authority websites in exchange for a more powerful backlink to their website.
And before you start protesting and telling me that you don’t have a big enough website to offer any value to authority blogs, let me explain exactly what I mean.
The Link Giving Process: How it Works
Step 1: Borrow Authority
Most major publications like The Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, and Business all offer guest and ghost writing opportunities to select members of the general public.
And as long as you have built up a decent list of accomplishments and have a basic control of the English language, becoming a contributor for one of these websites is a very achievable goal.
And once you have become a contributor on Forbes or similar site, you now have access to a platform that gives you nearly unlimited link building power.
This is basically an ethical way of piggybacking on other websites and borrowing their authority to achieve your goals.
Step 2: Reach Out Like Normal
Once you have earned a position as a contributor for an authority website, the next step is to reach out to your desired influencer much the same as you would when practicing traditional link earning.
With one big difference.
Now, whenever you reach out and ask for a quote for an article you are writing, influencers will know that their name will appear on a website with hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of monthly readers.
Step 3: Request a Backlink
Once the article goes live, the next step is to reach out to the influencer and share the article with them.
Now, you have already offered them a high level of value and they will feel a certain obligation to return the favor.
Therefore, whenever you end your correspondence, share another piece of work that you did that cites them as a source and request that they share it with their audience.
Considering your position as a contributor for a major publication and the massive amount of free value that you have already offered, it is a no-brainer for them to share your content and build a mutually beneficial relationship.
Link, given.
A Quick Note
Now some of the more astute readers might be thinking “Hey! If I am writing for these authority sites, then why not just link back to my own website in my articles?”
Well, unfortunately, most of the major publications you will be writing for are pretty strict about the backlinks they allow you to include in your articles.
So while linking back to someone like John Maxwell or Tim Ferriss won’t pose any issue, linking back to one of your blogs that only contains 2 posts will not be acceptable.
How to Get Started as a link Giver
All right, so many of you reading this are now thinking:
“That all sounds fine and dandy, but I don’t really have the authority to be writing for Forbes or Entrepreneur. What the heck am I supposed to do?”
Look, you cannot expect to land a position contributing to one of the world’s most prestigious online magazines unless you are a pretty exceptional writer.
This means that you need to be writing and writing a lot.
There is no way around this.
Step 2: Do Your Research
Before you are ready to pitch yourself and your writing to your magazine of choice, you first need to have a reasonable idea about their expectations, standards, and general quality of their writing.
This means that you need to spend at least 5-10 hours reading over and possibly even rewriting the top articles on each site you want to contribute to.
While it is certainly possible to become a contributor without this step, if you want to stack the odds in your favor you are going to do everything possible to give yourself a competitive edge.
Step 3: Connect with Editors the Right Way
If you want to get published on Forbes, Entrepreneur, or The Huffington Post, then you can forget all about pitching yourself to editors via LinkedIn or cold emailing.
Most editors receive a few hundred pitches just like yours each and every day.
Instead, you want to first connect with other website contributors who have already developed some traction and renown with their content.
After introducing yourself to a contributor, offer to help them with research or editing.
Tell them that your ultimate goal is to become a contributor yourself and you are looking for some insights into the creative and administrative process and would love to help.
Once you have worked with them for a few weeks or months, you should have no problem getting them to connect you with the right person who can review your articles.
Step 4: Pitch Incredibly High Quality and Relevant Content
Now that you have the attention of one of the website’s editors, it’s do or die.
The content you pitch will either make or break the entire future of your link giving capacity with that website.
And what’s more important is that you pitch high quality content that is relevant to their audience.
Just because you wrote some sort of epic fantasy novel a couple of years ago that blew everyone’s minds does not mean you should use this in your pitch.
Instead, find content that will make the editors take a pause from their busy day and say “Whoa! This guy NEEDS to be writing for us.”
Step 5: Know and Exceed the Company’s Expectations
If you make it through the gauntlet and earn a spot as a contributor you need to remember that the real work has only just begun.
If you want to have the ability to become a master link giver for months or years to come (which is necessary to really grow your business) then you need to meet and exceed the editor’s expectations with every article that you write.
This will ensure that you have a continuous access to a platform where you can easily grow your backlink profile and authority online.
What to do if the Editors Reject You
If the above method fails or you simply lack the expertise and writing ability necessary to land a spot as a contributor, all hope is not lost.
Your fallback plan is pretty simple and actually just as effective for building your backlinks.
Follow all of the steps above up to step 3 and then, instead of asking for an introductory, offer to start working for the contributor as a ghost writer.
This will still give you the ability to give links to industry authorities and will not require that you go through the effort of actually becoming a contributor yourself.
This is a great way to build authority backlinks, however you will also not have the ability to grow your own influence and authority the way that you would if you were to write for Forbes or a similar website.
Conclusion
To succeed as an entrepreneur in the 21st century, you need to be able to tackle conventional concepts with unconventional methods.
Link giving is the undeniable future of SEO and backlinking, and if you can become an effective giver, you will quickly develop authority and influence in a way you had never believed possible.
So take this guide and get started today.
I promise that your website and your business will never be the same.
A new, unconventional approach to SEO What if there was a way to generate dozens upon dozens of high quality, authoritative backlinks to your website without investing thousands of dollars or resorting to black hat tactics? What if you could convince the biggest industry influencers to start promoting your content on their website without having to … Continue reading "The Art Of Link Giving | Evolving Link Earning for 2017"Read More
Any entrepreneur who is well versed in modern marketing methods knows the unbridled power and impact that a successful SEO campaign can have on a business’s success and revenue.
However, what they might not know is that on the path to search engine success, Google will intentionally employ every dirty tactic, psychological deterrent, and algorithmic manipulation at their disposal to try and get businesses to quit.
Now, I know that the above statement has probably left some of you scratching your head in confusion.
“Surely Google doesn’t WANT me to fail!” You might be thinking.
And you are right.
Google doesn’t want you to fail, they simply want businesses that are not committed to adding value to fail.
If you are still struggling to comprehend what I mean, let me make a quick analogy.
Why Google is So Ruthless.
Most of you are probably familiar with the infamous Navy SEALs, an American special forces unit that must undergo a rigorous training program boasting the highest attrition rate on the planet..
While the number obviously fluctuates, in a typical training class, less than 20% of the men who start training to become Navy SEALs will actually see it through to the end.
Some are injured in training and forced out, but most simply quit.
Why?
Because the instructors responsible for their training are absolutely ruthless.
They do everything in their power to break men down and get them to wave the white flag and go home.
However, they don’t do this out of malice or a desire to see any one particular candidate quit.
The training methods they employ are intentionally designed to separate the wheat from the chaff and ensure that, as the old saying goes, “only the strong survive.”
And this makes sense.
For the trainees who graduate, they will be participating in some of the deadliest most high-stakes mission on the planet where any error or weakness spells death for themselves and their teammates.
And while nobody dies in the game of SEO, Google has employed similar tactics with a similar logic to ensure that only committed entrepreneurs are rewarded.
They don’t use the dirty tactics we are about to discuss because they want you to fail.
They do it because they want to make sure that only people who are serious about providing value and giving something back to the online community are able to rank their sites and maintain their prized first-page status.
Now, before we dive into the exact tactics and methods that Google uses, let’s take a brief look at Google’s history to better understand the method to their madness.
The Lessons of History.
2000-2009 was considered the “Golden Age of SEO” for spammers and online marketing hacks.
Poorly written, valueless content abounded and all that was required to achieve first-page ranking was a few cheaply purchased links.
This lead to a world wide web that was rife with useless webpages and laughable articles that somehow managed to provide their owners with a handsome income.
But then, the wizards over at Google heard the world’s disgruntled complaints, and realized the detrimental effects of their algorithms, and decided to make a change.
Google underwent a number of evolutions, including the 2011 Panda update, that transformed their algorithm from link and content centric to brand centric.
Then, in 2012, Google dropped the hammer on bad link building… Hard.
The Penguin update completely changed the world of backlinking and made it nigh on impossible for marketers to purchase their way to a #1 ranking.
Google has developed an algorithm that knows what types of signals and indicators are given off by a growing brand.
And if your SEO campaign isn’t giving off those signals, then you are, as they say, “Sorry(?) out of luck.”
Google’s Psychological Warfare Tactics.
Part of Google’s genius is their understanding of how different companies work.
They realize that brands of any kind are not focused solely on SEO results, they are focused on creating valuable content for their audience and creating a dent in their industry.
Google also knows that the majority of entrepreneurs do not truly grasp the power of branding and, as a result, will be unlikely to invest the required time and money into developing a branding campaign that will generate real SEO results.
These two simple principles are the foundation for the psychological warfare at play in Google’s search algorithm.
All that it really requires is a mobile optimized website, long form blog content, quality inbound links and, if we are referring to local SEO, a unique NAP, a few citations, and quality directories.
Follow the above formula and you will boost your rank.
Period.
Most entrepreneurs and search engine optimizers know this and Google knows that they know this.
Which is why they developed a series of psychological games to separate the entrepreneurs who are truly seeking to build their presence and add value from the business owners who are looking for a silver bullet approach to first page ranking.
What are these games that I am referring to?
1. Testing Your Patience by Rewarding Consistency
The first “game” that Google plays is to reward websites based on their consistency of link building and content creation and not just the overall volume of links and content.
For example, if your company or brand generates 100 links in 30 days, you will likely notice a minuscule increase in your ranking, if you notice an increase at all.
However, if you were to build only 10-15 links a month over the course of 6 to 12 months, the search engine gods would reward your efforts handsomely.
2. Forcing Ranking Delays
The second psychological tactic that Google employs is to force ranking delays.
What does this mean?
Well, any backlink that you build today will not truly begin to benefit your ranking or your brand for at least 6 months time.
This means that if you started an SEO campaign today you would not reap the fruits of your labor for almost a year!
3. Unexpected Ranking Changes
If you grew up playing some kind of competitive sport, many of you may have had the (mis)fortune of having a coach who reveled in playing mind games.
You know, the kind of games where after “finishing” a 2 hour work out with a 5k run, your coach then informed you that you had another 5k to run before you were dismissed.
And while many of you may have hated your seemingly sadistic coach as you ran across the track, your lungs burning and heart rate dangerously close to inducing cardiac arrest, most of you probably realize that this style of training, developed an inner strength and resolve that helped you succeed when it was game time.
This is the same kind of tactic that Google uses to weed out the weak links in the search engine game.
Their algorithm contains triggers that will intentionally produce unexpected swings in your performance, (like decreasing your keyword ranking for 30 days) in order to test your commitment to your campaign.
Google uses the above tactics to ensure that companies are willing to truly invest the time and effort required to succeed at building a brand and achieving SEO success.
But for many of you, the financial stress and fear of the unknown that these tactics create are simply too much to handle.
If this is the case, you need to realize that this is exactly what Google wants, and you are being beaten by the game before you even become a real player.
Without the internal fortitude and long-term commitment to your campaign, this is what you can expect from your SEO efforts.
Month 1
In the first month, your spirits are high. The prospect of #1 rankings and tons of leads has whet your appetite and you are hungry for success.
With leads and an increased revenue on the mind, you are more than happy to trust the advice and actions of your recently hired SEO agency.
Month 2
As you pass the 30-day threshold, your spirits are still high.
You have done your research and know that SEO success takes time, so you are more than willing to sit back patiently and wait for the results.
However, as you open up your email and find that second invoice, a small seed of doubt is planted in your mind and four words ring in your head; “Will this really work?”.
Month 3
Pause and take a deep breath! You’ve made it to month three.
But there’s a problem. Your agency keeps sending you reports about flat keyword rankings, a nonsensical graph, and some B.S. about link timing.
And to add insult to injury, all of the content they are publishing reads like it could have been written your 14 year old nephew.
But hey, these guys know what they are doing right?
Right?
Months 4-5
Screw this! It’s all a scam and you just can’t take it anymore.
Your business partners are on your case, the rankings are the same as they were or worse, and all you have to show for your efforts is an increasingly sparse marketing budget and a few new prescriptions for your blood pressure.
You throw in the towel, believing it is all a game.
And as you walk off dejectedly, with your head hanging low to the ground, Google’s algorithm is sitting back in its chair, laughing like a James Bond villain as it enjoys its victory.
Or at least that’s what would have happened if you hadn’t read this article…
But luckily for you, you did.
The True Path to Winning the War.
If you are unwilling to trust the process and be patient on your path towards SEO success, then the above section is more of a self-fulfilling prophecy than a possibility.
However, if you can pull an Indiana Jones and take the leap of faith, in time, you will be rewarded with the Holy Grail of SEO.
Let me show you an example from a previous client.
This particular site started with no SEO authority, close to zero inbound links, no verified Google maps listing, and zero branding.
Not exactly what you would call a head start.
To make matters even worse, the client had zero understanding of SEO, no particular interest in learning about it, and were extremely impatient.
They wanted results and wanted them yesterday.
Despite the challenges we knew this client would present, we decided to move forward with the project, taking it upon ourselves to not only deliver a great campaign, but also keep the client motivated and in high spirits until the campaign paid off.
For the first three months of the campaign, the results were, as expected, atrocious.
But we knew how to play the game.
After re-optimizing the website and building optimized landing pages, we knew we would have to give Google time to digest it all.
Along the way, we also built tons of foundational links like citations, quality directories, and social profile accounts and augmented our strategy with an aggressive guest posting campaign.
And yet, as we advanced into months 4, 5, 6, and 7, our boots muddied by Google’s brutal trenches, the campaigns volatility and unpredictability continued and, unsurprisingly, the keyword rankings trended downwards.
While none of these trends are particularly alarming or unexpected for an experienced SEO company, it’s a different story for the customer.
As the client continued watching their rankings like a hawk, the tension started to build, and their concerns grew.
With the bad reputation many snake oil SEOs have given the industry, this is the point where most clients begin to question the validity of your work and start doubting your ability to deliver on your promises.
Luckily, this client kept the faith and continued working with us.
Around month 6 or 7, we’d built enough consistent SEO juice to warrant a major upgrade in rankings.
However, Google had other plans.
As we crossed the threshold into month 8 the rankings went lower than ever!
But we understood their strategy.
This change in our ranking was nothing more than a ploy to test our commitment.
Would we change our strategy? Delete links? Triple our links? Get more aggressive with anchor text?
Google was hoping so.
However, if we had made these alterations, it would have confirmed Google’s suspicion that all of these activities were being done solely for the purpose of SEO.
And this would have spelled game over for a long, long time.
With our client’s trust and our extensive knowledge of Google’s tactics, we may have lost many small battles, but ultimately, we won the war.
During month 9, the rankings recovered like clockwork, and finally, during month 10, after nearly a year of consistent effort, the client’s site ranked in the top third of page #1.
As frustrating and time consuming as it might be, this is the only path to true SEO success, and if you go into each new campaign understanding this, you will be ready and equipped to beat Google at its own game until you are #1.
Conclusion
Despite the overall “Us against them” attitude of this article, I want to conclude with one final point.
Google is not the enemy.
Their algorithms are designed to test your will and commitment to ensure that only the best websites earn a first page ranking.
And this is a good thing.
It guarantees a prevalence of high quality content and prevents spammers and “get rich quick quacks” from stealing ranks through unethical methods.
And luckily for you, with the above information, you are now an insider of the game which gives you a distinct edge over your competition.
You now know how to handle the waves that Google will send your way and how to ride them accordingly.
So use the knowledge in this article to give you the resilience and perseverance required to rank your website.
And feel free to thank us when you reach the top 😉
Any entrepreneur who is well versed in modern marketing methods knows the unbridled power and impact that a successful SEO campaign can have on a business’s success and revenue. However, what they might not know is that on the path to search engine success, Google will intentionally employ every dirty tactic, psychological deterrent, and algorithmic … Continue reading “How Google Uses Psychological Warfare to Get Your SEO Campaign to Fail”
Hiring an unsuitable SEO agency can quickly multiply the price of better keyword ranking in Google. With so many service providers vying for your business, it seems daunting to sift through them all to find the one true gem.
However, if you are determined to optimize your website for increased traffic and, ultimately, sales, it is a task well worth the effort. Before selecting the SEO agency to help build your online business, be sure you are aware of – and avoid – the following costly mistakes.
1. Opting for the Quick Fix
No matter how good an SEO agency might be, it simply cannot produce the results you are looking for in the first month or so of optimization. One reason is that web crawlers cannot work that quickly. Another is that attracting the quality traffic you seek – visitors that convert to customers – takes a concerted effort over time.
If your website provides value to visitors in terms of content, they will be more likely to tell others. While social media buzz does not count with Google positioning, according to Youth Noise, it does work in tandem with SEO to send more visitors your way. However, like SEO, social media results do not occur overnight. Therefore, signing with an SEO agency that promises an immediate surge in traffic is bound to be a waste of money.
In contrast, an agency that knows its business will be laying the groundwork for significant improvement during that first 30 days that will come to fruition over time, according to Inc. The payoff is not instantaneous, but it will be genuine in terms of gaining loyal customers.
2. Economizing
Economizing is a smart strategy when you get real value for less cash. Choosing an SEO agency based on the low cost, however, is a great way to overpay in the long-term. When you sign a contract with an SEO agency, you agree to give the staff enough time to produce the promised results. If they do not follow through, you have not only wasted money but also time that could otherwise have worked to your firm’s advantage.
Meanwhile, your competitors are maintaining their top rankings because they invested their money in a reliable, if somewhat more expensive, service. In the attempt to economize, you have fallen further behind than ever, and will likely be spending significantly to catch up.
3. Settling for the Package Deal
Some SEO firms offer neatly arranged packages with all the generic services tied up in an attractive bow. Even if you doubt that some of them apply to your business, it all looks easy and streamlined.
However, successful SEO programs are completely customized to the business user, according to Jonathan Long of The Huffington Post. Your program should be geared to your industry, your marketing goals and your keywords. Anything less is a simply a financial drain.
4. Failing to Consider the Company’s Credentials
Failing to thoroughly vet any SEO agency you are thinking of hiring is a classic mistake of busy businesspeople. A referral from a colleague is certainly a good place to start, but you have several other sources for confirming a company’s track record.
You can do some advance research that is sure to save you time and money later. For example, look for independent online reviews of SEO agencies and the ones you are considering in particular. Ask companies for references and follow them up. Tell the SEO agent you wish to see a portfolio of past work. Reserve your decision until you are satisfied that the agency has a solid and proven reputation for success.
5. Choosing a Firm With No Experience in Your Industry
You would not hire an auto mechanic to coordinate a wedding, nor should you hire an SEO agency with no experience working in your industry. Even though the basics of SEO span all industries, the fine points of linkage, keywords and analytics are best left to experts who understand your specific field. Otherwise, you may find yourself paying for the time it takes for them to get up to speed or the mistakes they make due to inexperience.
6. Bypassing the Basics: Backlinks
Because backlinks are essential to solid SEO, they should be an important topic of your discussion with an SEO agency. If you simply entrust the agency is up to date on all the essentials, you may regret it later when your program is not performing as planned. Instead, ask the agency representatives how they source and select backlinks.
Backlinks from other reputable websites help solidify your position as an industry leader, and it follows that your Google ranking will rise. It matters, however, that the sources of links provide quality content that is relevant to your keywords. Thus, if your SEO agency provides your site with a quantity of non-relevant or poor quality connections, it may do more harm than good in terms of your position on search engine pages.
7. Not Asking About Analytics
Your ability to assess the effectiveness of your SEO upgrade over the coming months and years is critical to fine-tuning your outreach, so ask prospective SEO agencies how, when and what they provide in terms of progress reports. A professional agency should deliver the statistics that go beyond Google rankings and website traffic figures. Such information should track how your site attracts new viewers, how many return for more information, who fills out forms and most importantly, how many convert to customers.
Conclusion
An online business presence is only as successful as the amount and quality of contacts it attracts. It does make sense to put money into SEO, just like you invest in other marketing to increase sales and help your company grow.
If you select an SEO agency based on specific criteria rather than the spur of the moment, your investment is far more likely to meet your expectations and business goals.
Hiring an unsuitable SEO agency can quickly multiply the price of better keyword ranking in Google. With so many service providers vying for your business, it seems daunting to sift through them all to find the one true gem. However, if you are determined to optimize your website for increased traffic and, ultimately, sales, it … Continue reading “7 Costly and Completely Avoidable Mistakes People Make When Choosing An SEO Agency”
