Getting found first on Google & the other search engines is of course part of what search engine optimisation is about, but it’s a misconception held by many business people, that being found at the top of the search engines is all SEO (search engine optimisation) is about.
What SEO is all about, is increasing the quantity & quality of traffic to your website from the search engines, by getting your website found at the top of Google (and other search engines, but Google is most important as it generates over 80% of search engine traffic) for your important, targeted search terms.
So – it’s not all about being found first, or on the first page – it’s about being found high up for important, targeted search terms.
If you sell garden Chimeneas, for example – the important search terms you’ll want to be found on the top of Google for, are terms which include Chimenea’s, terms such as “Clay Chimenea” , “Cast Iron Chimenea” , “buy chimeneas online” , “Discount chimeneas” and so on. In many cases however it’s not quite that simple, knowing which keywords to focus on comes from keyword, market & competition research – and nobody can really tell you what good SEO is going to cost you, whether with an SEO consultant or a company / agency, until this research has been done.
If you’ve been having telesales calls from, or spam email, companies who tell you they can get your website found top of Google for a small monthly fee (sometimes you’ll be told this is guaranteed) – then ask the question “for what keywords?”
I’ve had clients that have been disappointed by companies offering to get them to the top of Google, by the lack of an impact the service has actually had on their business – mainly this is due to the fact that the keywords that the website is achieving first page rankings for, are search terms which potential customers are not searching for.
For example, one of the keywords sometimes included, is the business name – if you’re so well known that substantial numbers of people are already searching for your business – then great – but the chances are this isn’t the case yet which is why you need SEO services. Even if your company name is an important search term – as you’re likely to be one of very few websites which contain the business name, usually the business name isn’t a keyword that needs any SEO work to be first on Google, or at least first page for – you’d usually be found first for your business name naturally without any SEO taking place. Of course there are exceptions to this rule, for example if you have a very common business name.
Keep in your mind always that SEO is about increasing targeted traffic, and it’ll only work if your website is found towards the top of the search engines for important search terms, so when anyone promises to get your site to the top – ask the question, for what search terms?
Personally, my opinion is that if someone phones you & tells you they can get your site on the first page of Google – and especially if they mention that they guarantee this – and if you ask them “For what keywords?” – and they cannot give you a list there & then of the search terms they believe they can get you ranked top of Google for, for the amount of money per month they’re quoting, then you should be very cautious. How can anyone guarantee they can get your site found on the first page of Google without having a clue what search terms are going to be important to you? And – because SEO is a service based on man / woman hours, and the mount of time required depends on the competitiveness of the search terms, how can they quote without knowing exactly what search terms they’re talking about?
I hope this helps if you’re new to website marketing & you’re not sure which way to go – if you are considering hiring an SEO company or SEO consultant, just be sure that they make it very clear to you which search terms they’re referring to when they promise to get your site found first on Google.
If you’d like to speak to me about my SEO services – email me.
