Search engine marketing is one of the most important aspects of online marketing, and certainly one of the least understood fields for non-tech savvy business owners and managers. As a result, it has been subject to many misconceptions, including the fact that you don’t need it as much as your SEO expert wants you to think. In this article, we delve into some of these myths and help to break down the walls between you and your SEO team. Hopefully, you’ll see that you’re the only one holding your business back by not embracing SEO.
1. SEO is complex
To be clear, SEO is not the easiest thing to do. However, it isn’t in the same league as rocket science. SEO, like other online and offline marketing techniques, is constantly evolving with changes in consumer preferences and other factors. Because of this, one previously effective technique could be rendered completely obsolete in months or even weeks. And like any technical field, you do need to have some education to carry it out effectively.
The reason many business owners still think of SEO as being complicated is because the internet is teeming with misinformation. The best way to understand SEO is to find the right information and keep abreast with the goings-on thereof. Now, don’t expect to learn everything overnight, but in a few months you’ll develop a working knowledge of the field – enough to hold an intelligent conversation with your current or prospective SEO executives.
2. SEO is a scam
The truth is that there are, in fact, more than a few low-life digital marketers who set out to prey on business owners that don’t know a lot about SEO. If you’re dealing with agencies, one of the easiest ways to identify such people is to watch out for people who make any guarantees.
Google doesn’t get paid to offer top positions in its SERPs, and they are constantly tweaking and changing their algorithms. SEO is, on the other hand, a long-term marketing strategy. This means that it could be months before you see results for your effort. As such, no SEO executive worth their salt could make any promises since they know that it isn’t up to them, ultimately. Anyone who does is simply trying to steal from you.
Remember that you have to invest heavily to get high-quality work, as with everything else. Do not push your SEOs into quantifying results, such as “I’ll give you x links every month”. This is why it’s important to educate yourself on what SEO entails, so that you’re able to make informed decisions on what your deliverables must look like.
3. My SEO expert may ruin my business
Many a business has had its online reputation completely ruined by following bad SEO advice. However, this only happens when an ignorant business owner blindly follows advice of an SEO without following up or carrying out their own research. SEO should be considered a long-term strategy; any drastic steps/changes to get results fast could go awry and cost whatever progress you had in the first place.
Begin by making baby steps: create a good relationship between your internal marketing team and the SEO agency to ensure all your campaigns are consistent and collaborative. This way, any giant leap will be carefully thought out and vetted before execution.
4. SEO is expensive
The best thing about SEO is that you can start small, working your way into the bigger moves as your budget grows. With a monthly investment as low as $500-1000, you can start with relevant keyword research and optimization for first-page SERP.
Revenues received from effective optimization would exceed any amount spent, which is why SEO done right is an effective marketing strategy. It beats traditional marketing channels such as television and print media, which are every expensive, difficult to quantify in terms of ROI and less likely to lead to conversions.
Conclusion
Take time to carefully consider your options before investing in SEO. Once you do, it doesn’t matter how much you have to work with. Start small and grow big over time. At the end of the day, educating yourself is your best shot at ensuring you get good results for your efforts and investment.
