Nobody disputes the importance of Search Engines in today’s Online world. Where your Business lands when the Search Results Page loads plays a HUGE role in whether or not you win that all-important customer click. Get the click and you could make a sale, fail to do so and your main competitor who appeared above you could be stealing all your customers. As a result, if you’re serious about growing your Business Online, you need to be investing in your Search Engine Optimization (SEO), to really give you the best chance of getting noticed in the Search Results.
Think about the last time you flicked through to page 6 of Google when looking for a solution to a problem. Have you ever flicked to page 6? Considering this, you’ll realize the importance of getting your Business ranking as highly as possible for Search Terms relevant to your industry and products or services.
For this reason, hiring a professional SEO expert is crucial if you want to have any chance of making it in the Google rankings. If you’re still unsure if you need to hire a helping hand or not, read on to discover how an SEO professional can give your Small Business the best chance of flourishing Online.
Proven Experience Is Vital
The most obvious advantage of using an SEO professional to work on those all-important organic rankings is that you get to draw on their wealth of experience. You may think that reading all the correct textbooks and listening to Digital Marketing-related podcasts will teach you everything you need to know to set up your own SEO Campaign, but the truth is that devising and implementing a great SEO Campaign is tricky without prior experience. And, if done incorrectly, the consequences can be dire.
Ask yourself how much your time you’d be willing to spend on becoming an SEO expert – something which takes years to master properly. This is time that could otherwise be devoted to the parts of the Business you’re already an expert on. You could spend countless hours up-skilling yourself on SEO and still barley scratch the surface and, in the meantime, you could be missing out on other great ways you can grow your Business which you already know how to do!
Mistakes Matter Online
While it may seem like a good, money-saving idea to set up and manage your own SEO Campaign, if carried out incorrectly, you can actually do much more harm than good for your Business.
No matter how clever you are (and we’re sure you are very clever!) chances are that you won’t have the same experience as someone who has set-up hundreds of SEO Campaigns before. And trust us, your own Website is not somewhere you want to test your skills for the first time. By learning SEO on your own Site, you not only run the risk of seeing no real returns as you commit unknown errors, but also risk of actually affecting your Search Engine rankings negatively in the future too. Search Engines, such as Google and Bing are very strict on what they will and won’t tolerate when it comes to SEO work.
Accidentally committing the heinous crime of ‘keyword stuffing’ or getting artificial backlinks could see Search Engines penalising your Site, as it appears that you have tried to cheat the system. Put simply, SEO professionals don’t just know what to do, they know exactly what you can’t and shouldn’t do.
The Rules Can and Will Change
As with all other forms of Marketing, ongoing SEO learning is required if you don’t want to get left behind, coughing on your competitor’s dust.
Search Engines are open about how frequently they edit and update the algorithms that determine who ranks where in Search Results. As a result, if you are serious about setting up your own SEO Campaign, you’re going to need to be just as serious about investing the necessary time (and it’s going to a lot) to keep up-to-date on, not just the latest trips, tricks, and techniques, but also on what the Search Engines are changing in terms of their own software.
None of the major Search Engines give warnings about when they’re making modifications, or even what these changes are likely to be. SEO is an ongoing process that requires frequent reviews of not just your work, but the movements of third-parties. By using an experienced SEO professional, you can minimize just how much damage these algorithm alterations do to your Online visibility.
Let Them Simplify the Entire Process
For Small Business Owners, choosing an SEO professional that manages to simplify an often technical and complicated process can be hugely empowering. Just like all your other Business expenditure, you need to know that what you’re paying for is really worth it. Many SEO providers will build you monthly reports that explain just what is happening with your Campaign, so you’re always in the loop.
Consider what you really need to know, and then have a think about whether diving into the wealth of information that Google Analytics provides every time you want a simple answer to a simple question will see you punching holes in your computer screen in no time. Choose a provider that gives you clean, concise access to the information that really matters to you.
Furthermore, some SEO professionals will be able to give you an idea on what a reasonable expectation for your Campaign is, helping you to generate potential forecasts and set goals in terms of sales and conversions.
While no one can guarantee you top of Google results, or even a first page ranking, SEO experts who have worked with Small Businesses in a similar industry may be able to give you an informed opinion on what to expect 6 months down the line.
Devote Yourself to the Areas You Can Make a Difference In
As the owner of a Small Business, chances are that you’re already being pulled in a million directions: you’re writing the rosters, organising pay roll, paying bills, arranging shipping of your products and fitting clients into your schedule. The last thing you need to worry about is establishing and maintain a strong and successful Online presence – that’s a whole new job in itself!
You need to make sure that your time and energy is focused on the areas in which you can have the biggest impact. It may be tough to entrust somebody else with a vital element of your Business – that of your Online Strategy - but consider how much time and effort you just freed up to pour into the areas of your Business you know you’re undoubtedly needed in.
An SEO professional won’t just give you the time back that you need to spend working both on and in your Business, but they’ll give you peace of mind knowing that your Business is flourishing happily along Online.
If you were wondering whether or not hiring an SEO professional is worth it, we can save you the trouble – it is. Unless you’re ready to commit to studies SEO full time, an expert will be able to bring their copious years of experience and knowledge to the table, helping to bring your Business Online prominence without you having to even lift a finger!
