When most small to medium sized businesses hear the term SEO or search engine optimization, the first thing they see are dollar signs. The next thing they see is some random company emailing them and saying something along the lines of “So I was searching Google for your site (enter site name here) and I noticed that you weren’t ranking in the top results.” This text is quickly followed by “My partners and I have a fool proof system to get you there.” Most of the time, these emails are from scam artists or companies who have no idea how to really get your sites ranked. Situations like this have put a black eye on the idea of SEO, but I’m here to tell you, it’s not all that bad.
With more and more people using search engines to find businesses online, it’s crucial that even the most basic practices are put in place on all websites. Search engine powerhouse Google has been ranked as one of the world’s most popular websites for years and shows no signs of slowing. Old world type directories such as the Yellow Pages are becoming more and more obsolete as people hit the web to find what they’re looking for. Whether your business is selling products or selling a service, implementing some search engine optimization is an absolute must if you want to be found on the web.
Once I’ve had the opportunity to sit down with clients and explain the importance of SEO, the biggest question I hear is, “How much?” Most companies who provide search engine optimization rarely post their prices online. The ones who do post a price generally provide a very “ball park” number of something like “$999.99 and up.” Most of these companies vary in costs mainly because they don’t have a set system of search engine optimization in place or they don’t really know much about SEO and decide they’ll charge top dollar for a service which they (and really no one in the world) can guarantee. A good SEO provider will be able to sit down with you and discuss their step by step process of helping you gain some search engine traction, but will not guarantee the service. Another trait of a good search engine optimizer is having several different packages available to suit different company’s needs. Sometimes, just a basic package will get the job done and keep costs at a minimum, helping small to medium sized businesses get their best ROI.
We recently worked with a client in Windsor who wanted their website re-designed. Within their web design package, we included a very basic package which included services such as; keyword research and implementation, META tag optimization and optimized on site content. The client was hesitant at first and asked for a meeting with me to discuss our recommendations. We reviewed their current site traffic as well as their SERP (Search Engine Ranking Position) and found that only 22% of their traffic was coming from search engines. After doing a few hours of keyword research, we found that competition for their particular keywords wasn’t too fierce and that even the basic SEO package we recommended would help increase their search traffic by a significant amount. They agreed to the basic package and after a review of their Google analytics 4 months later, we found their search engine traffic increased from 22% to 57%.
Search Engine Optimization may seem daunting to many businesses large and small, but it is absolutely necessary to help grow your business in the online realm. While many companies may seem like they’re just after your money, there are many reputable companies who will perform a situation analysis, access your needs and offer a package that is right and affordable for you.
Source: Experiencedmg
