You’ve undoubtedly received some unsolicited email that begins like this, along with the rest of your inbox SPAM:
“I came across your website and observed it isn’t properly optimized. I can assist you in repairing it.” “I found you on page 4 of Google under the keyword search for (whatever), and I can get you to page one.”
They want to “help” you; how noble. They observed a “problem” with your website and decided to lend a helpful hand in resolving it. Find the best enterprise ai.
What a lovely person. What a helpful organization. What nonsense!
First, a common sense question: Is there some good Samaritan out there on the Internet, philanthropically scanning for errant websites needing their unwanted help?
Second, and more crucially, is there any organization that is so in bed with Google that they can guarantee page one placement for a given phrase in natural search engine rankings?
Both queries have the same answer: “NO.”
Here are some statistics about your website that you should be aware of:
- Good results, such as page one rankings, take time to achieve.
- To get to page 1, you’ll probably have to go through pages 2, 3, 4, or lower first.
- SEO firms harvest search engine results on pages 2, 3, 4, and so on for various keywords using the software.
- SEO businesses understand that you have yet to reach pages 2, 3, 4, or 5 by chance, especially in a competitive industry. Furthermore, they know that to attend, you must have 1) an interest in promoting yourself and 2) money because marketing is not free. (Congratulations, you have now qualified as low-hanging fruit.)
- SEO firms then phone or email you with the AUTOMATED data, claiming that they discovered you on page (X) for a keyword search of (Y) and that they can do more, better, faster, and cheaper.
- The higher you rise in the search engine results, the more of these solicitations you will receive since you will become more visible and available. This hints that your existing search engine marketing company is doing well. (Don’t blow it by being too easily swayed!)
- Beware! You could easily fall for this popular sales tactic if you don’t know any better. It sounds fantastic, and if you need to be more tech smart on SEO/SEM, a strong sales pitch may persuade you, especially in today’s economy where times are bad and every dollar counts.
Warning: If you switch, you may significantly harm your search engine position, which you have worked hard to achieve. (Note: It is common to rank lower than page one for one or more keywords– Consider this: there are millions of words but only ten slots on page one. Remember the keywords for which you ARE ranking on page one.)
There are numerous “moving parts” to an effective search engine marketing plan. A proper SEM strategy entails a coordinated effort that includes effective website optimization, article publishing, blog posting, social media bookmarking, online press releases, and other activities. SEO and SEM entail far more than merely inserting keywords into your website’s text and hoping for the best.
When done correctly, your optimization and marketing activities will increase your keywords’ long-term trend. To review and validate your progress toward page 1 results, you should have access to progress reports, analytics data, trend charts, etc. When working with search engines, keep two things in mind:
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” There is forward motion.
Point #1: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
As indicated above, companies contacting you about switching SEO/SEM providers suggest that your existing provider is doing their job. Consider this: no one ever phoned you when they couldn’t find you. The more noticeable you are, the more requests you will receive.
Everyone wants your money, especially if they know how much you have. By increasing your visibility on search engines, you effectively prove that you are a possible consumer if they can catch you. Some businesses will tell you whatever you want to hear to acquire your money. Many of the same companies bind you to a 12-month contract since they are aware of point number two below.
Because of the Internet’s Wild West aspect, you should trust, speak with, and stick with an SEO or SEM service that has exhibited solid outcomes for your business. However, the grass is sometimes greener on the other side. Changing providers to an unknown is risky, primarily if the new provider employs one of the “canned” email or phone solicitations mentioned above.
Point #2: What is set in motion stays in motion. There is forward motion.
Organic marketing is, by definition, a cumulative activity. If done correctly, the numerous articles, blogs, posts, links, and so on all contribute to a better, longer-lasting search engine position. Both good and evil SEO firms are aware of this. Ethical marketing firms use the accumulation of posts to contribute to the advancement and achievement of your organization.
Unethical (or mercenary) SEO firms capitalize on the same existing assembly and current momentum to maximize their profits by “riding the wave” that is currently in motion and putting forth minimal (if any) effort while charging you a lower fee than you had been paying for legitimate, productive work. When the momentum slows, plateaus, and begins to invert into a decreasing trend, the naïve business owner is three or four months into a 12-month contract. Usually, when there is a first sign of problems, the damage has already been done.
Momentum is the tendency of a moving thing to maintain its speed and direction. In the context of your search engine rankings, an upward trend tends to continue due to the efforts of a persistent, proven search engine strategy. The same is true for downward trends. We mean a consistent history over several weeks or months, not just a slight up or down fluctuation for a specific keyword placement when we say “trend.”
Consider a large cruise ship at sea to understand better how changing search engine marketing providers might affect your rankings. They don’t come to a halt on a dime. Like a sports vehicle, they do not go from zero to sixty in six seconds. Instead, once they’re on the proper (or wrong) track, it takes tremendous time and distance to reverse course.
Enjoy smooth sailing if your search engine campaign is on track. Unfortunately, switching suppliers will most likely decrease your spending if someone convinces you of a cheap shortcut (there are no simple shortcuts to accomplishing a job well). At the same time, your “ship” slowly begins to shift in direction.
However, when you detect that the waters are becoming shallow (your search engine results are reducing), reversing the trend and then steering back to your original path takes far more time and effort (money) than if you had kept on a proper track in the first place. The story’s moral is that if you switch providers to save money or chase a specific term (while disregarding the more comprehensive picture), your ship will typically end up on the rocks.
Recovering from the damage can cost significantly more than having your current provider make simple tweaks to what was working in the first place. There is no such thing as Search Engine Marketing Malpractice in the medical or legal fields. Hello, and welcome to the Wild West. If you make the wrong decision or switch providers too soon, “the bad guy got your money.” You are defeated. Your company suffers as a result. There is no other option.
Why is the problem so prevalent?
Because of technology and the vast amounts of information readily available on the Web, combined with the speed and efficiency of mass-email campaigns, it’s just a numbers game for the SEO firm that uses automated software to scoop up your company’s name, page rank, position, and keyword choices.
They understand that the odds are in their favor if they talk to enough businesses. You’re just a number to those businesses. They know you’ll leave once the contract expires, so they frequently use penalty clauses to hold you captive. There’s always another company on the Internet eager to convince you that they can save your ship. The more distressed you are, the more appealing their pitch will sound to you.
Furthermore, with new technology, the nature and capabilities of search engines evolve rapidly regularly. Because there is no actual “certification” method for a person to conduct SEO and SEM, THOUSANDS more incompetent persons are advertising that they market websites than qualified, competent people who are great at it. All someone needs to do is read a beginner’s book on the subject, and they’ll be able to talk the talk. People merely “book smart” on SEO/SEM often do more harm than good since they lack real-world experience, current information, and practical application in creating results. As a result, before you invest money with a supplier, you should see examples of their work.
