The search engine optimisation (SEO) industry, like any business sector has good and bad practitioners and companies peddling its wears and the bull sh*t detector we all employ in the real world is just as effective in the online world, were promises can be too good to be true.
However, there are literally thousands of SEO and Content Marketing firms and practitioners in the UK that have been operating for a number of years to gain a positive reputation, and above all else, pass what I call the 3rd Party Validation Test.
Online or offline be wary of the company that is selling something but has no clients recommends, no happy customers, no product reviews and if appropriate, no portfolio to show. This only demonstrates that the company in question has no happy customers!
That being said, when an SEO firm is being considered it will help the process run smoother if the commissioning business has an idea of what can and cant be achieved. It also helps to have a basic idea about the value of SEO and some of the core areas that contribute towards a successful SEO campaign.
Practical Tips for considering SEO
1) Remove the Invisibility Cloak
In short no SEO means no visitors from search engines. If you don’t do any work on the optimisation of your website then it basically means that search engines can’t categorise and rank your site for keywords relevant to your business.
No matter whether you are starting SEO on a small or large budget (something is always better than nothing) the basic rule applies that if the search engines cant find you, no customer has a chance of coming close to finding you either.
This is no Egg and Chicken scenario here, as ask yourself whether you would go past the first 50,40 or perhaps even past the first 30 Google results in your own search for something?
2) Know your Competition
This is as much about being realistic as it is optimistic. It helps to set your sights high but if you are a small ‘one man band’ operation trying to compete with a corporate, a little out of the box thinking is needed as the old adage rings true in that if you cant be better, be different.
Rather than compete directly with a corporate (with deeper pockets for web/SEO) you may want to consider targeting your business more locally and differentiating on service or perhaps after sales service which are typically perceived to be an advantage of the smaller business, and something consumers are willing to engage upon.
For competitors that have a web presence within your grasp (i.e. budget) the search engine rule applies that if your website has more relevant (and a greater level of) content, more relevant back links, and again a greater number of relevant backlinks, plus all of the other metrics that work for SEO then all things being equal you should eventually surpass your competition by employing an SEO strategy that at some point in time puts your site measurably ahead.
3) Patience is a Virtue
SEO doesn’t have to be expensive as you can get worthwhile results on a small budget so long as what you invest time in is creating good content and building online relationships.
In an established market your competitors will likely have several years of web presence and SEO tactics ahead of you, so again it will take some out of the box thinking and it will take some time so be patient.
Rather than think you can start off big and add 200+ pages of content and pay an SEO firm for a thousand backlinks to beat the 1st position in Google with a bigger site, this doesn’t mean it will be a better site so exercise caution as chances are, that much content in a short space of time will be weak, as will the backlinks, leaving you running the risk of having your website penalised for the actions of your SEO firm.
Google doesn’t take kindly to sites that try and cheat the system and its your business that will fall foul of Google if your SEO practitioner takes short cuts.
With Google there is no “it wasn’t me, it was my SEO firm” defence and rather than help, bad SEO can see your site banished from the search results altogether!
4) 3rd Party Validation
Rather than respond to a spam email peddling SEO, stop and think that if their services were any good, they wouldn’t have to resort to spamming to gain your business would they?
When choosing an SEO firm or practitioner, ask around as chances are that of the people you know, (especially the self employed) some will have bought SEO services directly, others will have had horror stories of who to avoid and others may suggest a couple of names.
Then, as you would interview a potential employee, evaluate the SEO practitioner not just on ability, experience and client results but whether they are the type of people you want to work with, whether they make you feel at ease, offer a realistic outlook and take an attitude of ownership of the task at hand.
5) Beware the SEO Contract
SEO is a service that after a month to 6 weeks will yield a very small but identifiable result.
You may move from not being in the first 500 places of Google results to the first 100 for a given search term. Granted, this wont make the slightest impact to your sales or visitor numbers BUT it is checkable by you, the paying client.
As such, it is very easy to weed out an SEO firm that relies on 12 month contracts but doesn’t deliver! A firm that is good at what it does will not try and tie you into a long contract and hide behind it.
Edible is a Liverpool based Content Marketing and SEO business working with a broad base of clients from sectors such as business to business and business to consumer retail and services, hospitality, manufacturing, research and also financial and professional services.
For SEO Liverpool, or further afield simply get in touch for a non obligation evaluation of your website and its potential.
