SEO Services. Do You Really Need It?
Posted in SEO, SEO Services by Dinesh B [ SEO Pro ]
It often is surprising to see many companies and businesses fail to even consider and subsequently plan for Search Engine Optimization. They fail to see the potential upside that a business gets when you can rank highly on a high traffic search engine such as Google.
The world of SEO, SEO Services and SEO Consultants are now pretty main stream but somehow invariably the time when you start to think of using such services are often when your website is completely built and many potential advantages are lost in the process. Let me give an example, web 2.0 is synonymous with cool and creative names that startups come up with for their websites. Part of this is due to the fact the all dictionary names even with the combination of one or two words are pretty much taken. This has led to a flurry of misspellings and even Swahili words (just to illustrate an example) used as the domain name.
While this is understandable, this is by no means the only option. Depending on the business or service you are offering, it is vital that you also look at pre owned domain names as an option for your website name. Now I don’t mean buying a domain name from a domaineer though that is one option but usually will turn out to be an expensive option, I was more suggesting looking at domain names that expire almost every day. Now you might not get the perfect brandable domain name or the most coolest sounding one but one thing you will get is a definite advantage in your search engine ranking. Infact I turn away some customers that come to me asking me to get them onto the first page with a brand new domain in a highly competitive niche.
If there is one thing that I would compromise with then this one is it. Using an aged domain name will get you out the blocks faster and is more search engine friendly especially if you are in a highly competitive niche. Now there are ways to go about rebuilding an expired domain so that you get the maximum benefit out of it.
Back to the topic of whether or not you need SEO services for your business. One of the main issues that I see everyday is that clients are all for SEO at some point but get disillusioned pretty soon with the lack of results. I believe there are a few reasons for that.
- The main reason I see is that many companies and consultants advertise offering SEO Services but all they do is submit to search engines and directories.
- As SEO is becoming more and more mainstream, many companies offering SEO Services are taking a commoditized approach to SEO. While this is more profitable and easier to manage, clients usually make the mistake of using few of the services that are offered and often see little or no change in search engine ranking. There is no point in taking a piecemeal approach to website optimization. Either you do the full monty or you plan do it over time. Anything else is wasting money and you have another one on the SEO hate list.
- One of the biggest issues is trying to rank for a keyword or phrase that either does not convert or does not bring in the right target audience. This is a common problem that many clients face and while they cannot complain about the SEO firm they do not see a return on investment on the money spent on search engine optimization.
These are some of the frustrations that many clients go through and soon enough start to wonder if SEO is all the important as it is cranked up to be. Hey did I not try it? Did it get me far? So what if I get more hits and page views now that I’m on the front page. I do not see any improvement in sales or the bottom line.
While there are many many reasons to push the case for planning and investing in SEO, the above are not reasons to avoid it. If you have been in the same boat and the above is a familiar story then it is most likely you were at fault as as the SEO consultant or company. It is important to understand that SEO is a commitment from both sides and you have to be prepared to invest and be patient as results take time especially in a competitive niche.
So the next time you talk to your SEO firm ask about what exactly you are signing up for. What are the services that comes as part of the SEO package and how are they geared to help you in your quest for search engine ranking. My suggestion would be to find someone that gives you the entire gamut of SEO services under one umbrella even if the cost is somewhat higher. Hey if you are in Texas and looking for SEO Services from a Dallas SEO Consultant then you know who to call. :) A little tip, you know how you can save cost? Bring in your SEO consultant into the picture from the very beginning. This will save you costly man hours spent on redesign and on page optimization amongst other things.
By the way there is another SEO contest going on and yours truly has decided to participate. Hey no harm in building your reputation is there. So if you guys are interested in keeping track you can follow the Busby SEO Challenge and this is my opening page about the Busby SEO Challenge.
Let me end this by saying that I strongly believe that a good SEO consultant or firm can take your business to the next level. The key is to find the right person or firm and equally important from a cost perspective is to engage with an SEO Consultant right at the very beginning. So Yes, you do really need SEO Services. No longer are search optimization services a luxury. It has become more of a necessity now and remember your competitor might already be ahead of the curve and are well on their way in rolling out their SEO Strategy.
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June 26th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
It is important to understand that SEO is a commitment from both sides and you have to be prepared to invest and be patient as results take time especially in a competitive niche.
June 27th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Great post. SEOptimists used to be an elite group of highly skilled (and highly paid) marketers who used training and theories to boost rankings through different methods.
Nowadays, any Joe Schmoe can claim title of a SEO consultant, just because they know a couple tactics that are used.
Quality SEOptimists are trained and experienced, they are able to tap into the market of that particular site, and develop a planned and well executed strategies with the sole purpose of enhancing a sites SERPs.
Backlinks are fine and all, but in the whole picture account for 1/10 (if that of all SEO efforts). Most of its level of effectiveness comes from careful keyword placement in crucial areas of the site’s content. Tons of research is involved and no Joe Schmoe self proclaimed SEO consultant has the know-how to do it.
I am waiting for Google to eliminate or tighten up on backlink effectiveness and leave real SEO consulting to the professionals.