I get emails from SEO experts daily.
They claim my website is ranking poorly in the search engines and I’m loosing customers.
Funny, they seemed to have found me just fine!
Meanwhile on the blog, I am bombarded with comments on my posts.
Typically in broken English, referencing content that has nothing to do with the post. Most don’t make any sense at all.
Ever had a website hacked, injected with malware and links to other people’s websites?
Or what about the guest post and link requests from companies that aren’t even remotely related to what you do?
These are all the shady “Black Hat” techniques and shortcuts of these so called SEO experts.
But they GUARANTEE me a number one ranking in Google, I hear you say!
Don’t be fooled! No one can guarantee a page one ranking.
And if they do run for this hills!
Google is the boss man. And Google says no.
I don’t believe in paying for SEO
The harsh reality is, a lot of work goes into doing SEO correctly and in a way that won’t land you on Google’s naughty list.
Interflora can attest to this. As well as BMW Germany.
And it’s an ongoing battle.
With the sheer amount of websites out there (millions and billions) all competing for that elusive number one ranking, you need to pay a reputable company thousands a month on an ongoing basis to maintain your rankings.
An entrepreneur friend came to me recently with a quote from a well known Australian SEO company for $2,500 a month.
She thought it was ridiculous.
However knowing the work involved in doing SEO right, this sounds pretty spot on.
So what’s the answer?
It’s all about the content!
Your best SEO strategy is to simply Blog, Blog and Blog some more.
Share your passion with the world. Solve your customer’s problems. Demonstrate your expertise providing high quality relevant juicy content.
Start with a blog a week. Consistently. Week after week.
This will keep Google coming back for more and boost your rankings in a way that is sustainable.
SEO is a long-term commitment that should form part of your overall marketing strategy – not be a strategy on it’s own.
SEO due diligence
There are also a few quick & clean tips that can help you get on Google’s good side.
Consider this your SEO due diligence.
These aren’t enough on their own. However combined with blogging, it will help Google sit up and take notice.
Create a Google+ Page and link it to your website. Google is the boss man and if Google says websites with Google+ pages rank higher, then that’s what you need to do. Simples. If you have a local business, encourage clients to leave you a review. Google loves reviews.
Share your content on Social Media. Get your message out there. Be discoverable. The more people who share your content on social media channels, the more Google thinks you’re important.
Guest post. Legitimately. Leverage your connections and offer to do reciprocal guest blog posts. These work best when there is mutual benefit, so establish strategic alliances with non-competing businesses where you can add value to their audience and vice versa. Target websites with high page ranks – the higher quality backlinks, the more important Google considers your website to be.
Tighten your “On-Page” SEO. I use the Yoast SEO Wordpress Plugin to optimise my website. I also make sure I place targeted keywords in the title, URL and first few paragraphs of each post. Also include your target keywords in links, image alt tags and image filenames.
Make sure your website is Mobile Friendly. With more than 60 per cent of traffic originating from mobile devices, Google has said websites that aren’t mobile friendly will rank lower in mobile search results. Use this tool to checkout if your website is mobile friendly.
And last but not least, if you’re still intent on outsourcing SEO, do your homework.
Don’t fall for false guarantees of shady SEO gurus. You get what you pay for and it may cost you more money in the long run.
If you want to learn more about SEO check out Shae Baxter’s blog. She is the SEO bomb.
Now go forth and BLOG …
