If you’re reading this, I assume you’re either a marketer or someone who’s at least considered themselves a bit of a digital marketer.
In case you’re not sure what SEO is, it’s search engine optimization. SEO is all the tactics (and sometimes the algorithms) that you can use to increase the visibility of your website on search engines like Google.
Whether you have a brick-and-mortar storefront or sell your digital products and services online, chances are, you’ll eventually have to deal with search engines and their infinite wisdom regarding your site’s ranking.
And just like that, your once-friendly neighborhood SEO Wizard has turned into a raging mad SEO witch. One was trying to destroy your business and your personal life all in favor of their own twisted kingdom.
Nope, not going to happen. Not on my watch. Not on yours either.
Why should you never DIY your own SEO? Let’s explore.
Search Engine Optimization Is A Joke
The short answer is: it’s not. You see, SEO is a lot of fun to play around with, but only if you’re playing by the rules. If you’re not, then it’s not. The whole thing is just a freaking popularity contest.
And let’s be real. If your main goal is to game the system and win at all costs, you’re playing right into their hands. Because while Google, Bing, and other search engines try to maintain a healthy balance between different types of content and sites, the one thing they want to promote is more and more traffic to their websites.
Search Engine Optimization Is A Black Art
SEO is a black art. No two industries have produced a more confusing, inconsistent, and downright opaque practice when making something worthwhile out of thin air.
In theory, SEO is all about using the right keywords in your content to attract the right audience and increase your site’s exposure. In practice, it’s more like a crapshoot.
The more SEO is thrown around, the more confused you should get. Because while some practitioners swear by it and make a living off it, others see it as a way to game the system and make quick cash. Which one are you betting on?
4 Tips To Make Your SEO Game Changing
So you’ve decided to take the plunge. You want to be one of the thousands who’ve decided never again to attempt to DIY their own SEO. And to celebrate, and to make the process easier, you’ve decided to follow the tried and true method of professionals who’ve been in the field for years. You’re going to hire an SEO expert. Or at least, that’s what you think. Hiring an SEO expert is not as easy as it sounds and it can be one of the most difficult steps you’ll ever take in your entire life.
Here are four tips to make your SEO game-changing. Tips that will help you become among the best SEOs in the industry. Tips that will give you an edge and help you climb the ladder of success quicker than your competitors. Tips will change how you think about SEO and how you use it.
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Hire The Right People
You can’t just walk into an SEO agency and expect them to hand you an approved, workable SEO plan. Nor can you just roll up to a digital marketing agency and expect them to create a buzzworthy SEO strategy for your business. You see, not all experts are created equal. Just like not all developers are created equal, or not all doctors, or not all accountants.
An SEO expert is someone who’s studied digital marketing, knows the ins and outs of SEO and digital marketing, has studied the field in depth, and has applied that knowledge to their own practice.
The good news is you don’t need to hire the most expensive agency in town to get quality work. You simply need to be able to find the agency that specializes in your niche and has the experience and know-how to get the job done right.
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Understand The Philosophy Of SEO
When deciding to hire an SEO expert, your first step should be to study the foundations of SEO. What is the philosophy of SEO? What does it mean to optimize a website for search engines? What techniques do SEOs normally use? What are the different types of SEOs?
If you’re new to SEO, these are all important questions. Especially since you have no idea what an SEO is or does. Or worse, you think that all they do is drive traffic to your website.
Answering these questions and getting a clearer picture of SEO will let you determine whether or not you’ll be able to work with the agency you’ve chosen to partner with. Most importantly, it’ll give you a clear sense of whether or not this is the right agency for you.
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Understand The Process Of SEO
Once you’ve decided to hire the right agency to help you with your SEO, the next step is to work with them to create a process. A process that will streamline the optimization and improve the quality of your work. Most importantly, it will ensure that everything is backed up and verified. So you can ensure everything is done correctly and to the best of your ability.
The reason why you want to work with an agency is that getting everything done yourself is a time-consuming process. Especially when done manually. This is why most agencies, even the small ones, have employees handling your SEO work for you. So you don’t have to worry about getting everything done and checking up on their work. Like paying someone to watch the movie you just watched and ensure you didn’t miss any parts.
This is why it’s best to create a process. So you can ensure everything is done correctly and to the best of your ability. And it’s also why it’s best to work with a team of people or a single individual who has the capacity to perform various tasks. So when one person handles your SEO, they can do much more than just optimize your website. They can design and build you a fully functioning e-commerce store. Or handle social media for your business. Or design a marketing plan. Or write copy for your website.
By dividing all the tasks amongst a team, you can ensure that everything gets done on time and to the best of your ability. Especially since agencies normally have more than one person who can take on multiple tasks. So if one person isn’t feeling too energetic, they can hand off work to another. And another. And another. And eventually, your work will get done even if it takes a little longer.
Why Should You Never DIY Your Own SEO?
So you’ve decided to be one of the many people who thought SEO was a way to bring in more business and make a quick buck. Or maybe you just want to try something new. Or maybe you’re just looking for a way to game the system and make some extra cash. Whatever the reason, you’ve dipped your toe in the water and are now contemplating whether or not to swim across. Or better yet, how to effectively swim back across.
To those who’ve decided to venture into the black arts of SEO, I would like to say: congratulations. You’ve chosen a noble path. One that many consider being quite challenging. But I assure you, the journey is more rewarding than you’d ever imagine, especially if you take the time to learn a thing or two along the way. Like how to fish. Or how to bake a cake.
So let me once again rephrase: congratulations. You’ve decided to be one of the thousands who’ve seen SEO as nothing more than a way to make a quick buck. Or, if you want to be nobler, a way to game the system and make some extra cash. Either way, you’ve taken the first step to become a better SEO. Step one in the right direction is to decide that you’ll never again try to DIY your own SEO.
Why? Because there’s a reason professionals in the field have gone on record stating that trying to DIY your own SEO is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. And if you want to be better at SEO, you should listen to them.
