You have heard about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and just how important it is for your business. The concept of ranking higher in the search engines has been around for a long time, but the simple truth is that many business owners—even internet marketers—do not understand it completely. With so many varying sources and misinformation around the internet, there are many misconceptions about how SEO works and how you can rank higher in GoogleTM, BingTM, and other search engines.
MYTH: High rankings can be achieved quickly if you pay enough.
As a business owner it is easy to have the mindset that if you simply pay more for a service you can expect quicker, better results. What many internet marketers and business owners do not realize is that search engine optimization takes time. There is no magic system you can use to instantly skyrocket your rankings to the top of the search engines and expect to stay there.
An interesting blog post by SitePoint highlights this fact and emphasizes realistic goal setting when hiring any type of SEO consultant. If you believe that simply hiring someone to do SEO for you is going to result in instant rankings at the top of the search engine result pages, you are going to be let down in the end. With hundreds of search factors and thousands of competing businesses, SEO is a very dynamic process.
Truth: There is no one size fits all in SEO. A separate strategy has to be well thought through and planned out for each individual campaign. Following-through the strategies laid out is crucial to achieve the best results .
MYTH: If you pay for SEO services once, you are finished.
Another common mistake business owners make is to assume that if they pay for search engine optimization services one time, they are finished. In reality, the opposite is true. In such a dynamic field like search engine optimization, algorithms by search engines are constantly being changed and updated. Here is a great post by HubSpot product marketer Meghan Keaney Anderson on the dynamics of search engines. As a result, you need to constantly be improving and maintaining your rankings.
Even if you see significant improvements after a single SEO campaign, those results are not guaranteed to stick. As your competitors continue to take advantage of SEO and search engines add new updates to their algorithm, maintenance is crucial.
Truth: Instead of thinking of Search Engine Optimization as a single process that can be done overnight, SEO needs to be thought of as a constant necessity to increase and hold rankings in the search engines.
MYTH: Using a guaranteed service is the best way to achieve rankings or you should get your money back.
Guarantees in search engine optimization are always a very important thing to look at. SEO is constantly changing and rankings fluctuate on a constant basis. The harsh reality is that there is simply no way any SEO service provider can guarantee top rankings within a specific time frame. If a company says they will get you to rank 1 in 30 days or your money back – stay away.
The way SEO works means constant additions and changes to your website need to be done. From concrete variables such as high quality content creation and copywriting to link building and submission to the intangible things like keyword research, on-site optimization, and competitor analysis a lot of work goes into ranking a website at the top of the search engines. By thinking you should be ranking in a certain position within a certain timeframe or you deserve your money back, you discount the work that must be done to catalyze ranking increase. In fact, giving up on an SEO campaign too soon and demanding a refund can leave the campaign in shambles and actually hurt your rankings later on down the line.
Sticking with a qualified, professional SEO provider until you get the results you are looking for takes patience and an understanding of how SEO works. Giving up too soon can lead to a lot of problems.
Truth: Top ranking guarantee within a specific time frame is not possible in SEO and ceasing without giving the campaign ample time can ultimately leave you worse in the rankings. However, sticking with the right SEO provider will certainly improve website visibility and traffic over time.