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5 More Things SEO Experts Won’t Tell You
The Sprocket Report
Have you seen email, snail mail and even commercials telling you how SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the greatest thing since sliced bread? In their defense, SEO really is important to your website, but you should know the difference between the reality and the hype.
Last time we shared 5 things with you that some SEO “experts” won’t tell you. And if you are promised any of those, now you know to ask more questions. Keep reading to get the scoop on 5 more things you should know about SEO before signing up with a search engine expert:
1. SEO is an art not a science. And it’s always evolving.
Once the spammers figure out a pattern, they abuse it, so search engines are always tweaking how they deliver search results in order to provide users with the best possible answers.
2. Even the experts don’t know what Google is doing.
You can read plenty of blog posts explaining what the Penguin or Hummingbird update has changed in the world of search, but Google never documents what’s going on in their black box. Even the most revered experts can only report their best guess based on observations of what appears to be happening.
3. The best SEO requries a full time employee or maybe even a department.
SEO is harder than it looks. Since you can’t just apply it like a magical potion, it takes constant experimenting to find what works. What is the competition doing? Is this word better than that word? Who are the high-ranking sites that should be linked to us? And then something changes that sends repercussions down the line. Most small businesses don’t have the resources to operate this way.
4. You know your customers better than they do. Or you should.
SEO agencies that assist a lot of different clients can’t spend much time learning about your company. They may not know that your customers come from the next town, use a colloquial phrase for your product and often misspell your name. A one-size-fits-all approach may not work at all for you.
5. It’s not really about search anyway. It’s about your customers.
The whole point of Search Engines is to give people the answer they are seeking. SEO is not meant to mask your website so it LOOKS like the right answer to a customer’s query – it’s to make sure your website IS the right answer. Instead of typing in search terms like “Bedford Falls Mortgage Company,” the current trend is for people to type in questions like “How do I get a home loan for a house in Bedford Falls?” The best websites served up by a search engine will demonstrate in numerous ways that it can answer that question perfectly.
Once you realize that the intent of SEO is to make it obvious that your website is the right answer for the right customer, all the smoke-and-mirrors practiced by many SEO “experts” just falls away. What’s left is common sense: highlight your relevancy, provide quality content, and build appropriate relationships with other websites.
Getting distracted from following those simple guidelines is a pretty common website problem. If you need to get your search engine optimization back on track, get in touch today. We’re always happy to help.
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Kate Gingold
I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
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I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
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