Running a business in these modern times is both exciting and challenging. With the advent of internet technology, it is now possible for even small businesses to compete at a global level and this means more opportunities. In fact, most successful start-ups today have harnessed the power of internet technology to break through in their niche.
From Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Dropbox to Twitter, the power of the internet marketplace in building new businesses cannot be ignored. However, there are many challenges your business has to overcome in order to fully leverage the power of this new marketplace. This is more so for late adopters who have to compete with already established brands with authority in the niche.
Luckily, this is a fast-paced environment where the creatives are able to stay ahead. If you have already built a professional website for your business, you should hire a search engine optimization (SEO) expert as part of your online marketing campaign. These experts audit your website and identify areas that need working on to bring more traffic, convert and build brand authority in your niche.
While there are a lot of SEO resources online, a DIY SEO campaign is not the best approach in this market. Many would-be successful websites have failed because their admins believed they had all the resources to run their SEO campaigns. If you have been thinking of managing your own SEO campaign, it is time to take a step back and reevaluate the decision.
Below are some of the warning signs that should motivate you to immediately hire an SEO expert for your website:
- No Clue on SEO Trends
The SEO industry is volatile and what was trending a few months back might be out of season in no time. In essence, the fluidity of these developments makes it very hard for a business owner to stay abreast of all changes. The resultant failure to embrace new SEO ideas will affect your overall campaign.
For instance, not many website owners would have thought social media would explode as a marketing tool and hence, they lost out on a big opportunity. With an SEO consultant working for you, there is a better chance of integrating trending SEO techniques into your current campaign and reaping the benefits.
- A Previous SEO Penalty
As a website owner, your main focus is on the core business. You might not have the time to learn about Google algorithm updates and the penalties that come with not conforming to Google Webmaster Guidelines. Eventually your manual SEO efforts will lead to a penalty and this can ruin your business.
On the surface, an SEO penalty might not seem like a big deal but an SEO consultant appreciates that this will hurt your industry reputation, lower traffic and ranking on SERPs and affect the bottom-line. If you have ever been slapped with an SEO penalty, it is a clear sign that you need an expert working on your team.
- One-off SEO Effort
Like most website owners, you already appreciate the importance of high ranking on search engine result pages (SERPs). As such, you might have invested in an SEO professional when you launched the website but that was all. A year or so down the line you still believe the earlier efforts are enough to keep your site’s ranking.
Well, you have to understand that SEO is not something to do and forget and this could be one reason why your site is struggling to make a mark in your niche. An SEO campaign should be an ongoing project where your website is constantly monitored, audited and upgraded. If you have no current SEO effort going on, you clearly need to engage a qualified SEO specialist.
- All SEO Efforts are on Content
This is one pitfall for most website owners as they focus all their SEO energies on creating content. While it is true that content is king in SEO, it is not the only component required to boost traffic and keep your high ranking on SERPs. SEO today is a combination of techniques ranging from website audit and maintenance, content creation, SEO marketing, video creation, blog reviews, remarketing, and responsive web redesign, to link building. In short, it is about on-page, off-page and technical optimization and only a qualified SEO professional can get the job done effectively.
- Problems Finding Time for SEO
Assuming you have some background in SEO and you are running an online business, you might be tempted to carry out DIY SEO but the results will not be impressive. You will have to reduce your focus on the core business or give halfhearted attention to your SEO efforts. Eventually, your business will start performing poorly, hence the need to hire an SEO consultant.
If these are some of the issues you are grappling with as you attempt to run your online business, it is time to do your research and hire an experienced consultant to guide your SEO efforts.
