How to Tell If Your SEO Isn’t Working Out
August 22, 2018
Search engine optimization has easily become the backbone of the ecommerce industry, helping businesses rank higher when consumers perform online searches. Many companies are choosing to enlist the help of an SEO specialist to advise them on ways they can improve these online rankings. This includes advice regarding keywords, content, and even website layout strategies, such as mobile-friendly pages.
While search engine optimization is still considered an affordable marketing strategy for online businesses to take, sometimes they’re more of a miss than a hit. If you find that your website ranking has become stagnant or has dropped and you’re unsure of the why or how of it, your SEO team should be able to explain it to you. Here are a few ways you can tell if your SEO expert isn’t such an expert after all.
SEO Is Still A Foreign Language: One way you can tell that a search engine optimization team isn’t the team for you is if you still don’t fully understand what it is they do. Your experts should be able to explain how SEO works, what types of algorithms they hope to utilize while boosting your ranking, and what performance changes are being made to your website to make those ranking changes come to fruition. Sometimes, a small change in rank doesn’t happen for any reason and new Google algorithm changes are to blame, but big leaps both up and down mean your SEO team has done something to change your rank. If they can’t explain it to you, you may want to consider going elsewhere.
Transparency with SEO is important because it’s such an ambiguous field to begin with. Is it helpful? It absolutely can be, but there are many roads to take which meet at the same destination for moving your site in levels of search ranks. Understanding why and how your business performance is changing is half of the battle of online competition. Don’t let your SEO team woo you with a bunch of unfamiliar jargon; you have the right to know what’s been done to your site and what the future goals are. If jargon is all you’re getting, ask your expert for a dictionary. The least he or she can do is walk you through some of the key words and phrases associated with rankings and how they work.
You’re the Last to Hear the News: In the search engine optimization world, following updates and news regarding search engine giants like Google is crucial to the success of your site. You want to rank highly, so you need to understand what search engines are looking for and how to achieve it. If you’re not hearing about the latest in SEO trends, algorithm updates, or other Google news-worthy stories, but you see them circulating the web weeks later, it’s time to trade in your SEO team for somebody in the know.
You can stay abreast of new search engine info by following Google’s official press releases and news articles. They’re often very open about changes in their algorithms, even going so far as to Tweet about it online. Google may not always break down the different changes their algorithm makes to individual rankings, however, which is why having an expert in the field of optimization is especially important. Your SEO expert will be better equipped to decipher the change and develop theories on how to reorganize tactics. Search engine news is the best way to remain at the top of your industry, and to catch trends before they’re old news.
Dwindling Interest in Your Movement: Search engine optimization shouldn’t feel like dating, where once you’re comfortable, you just stop trying. It’s an ongoing process and your SEO team should recognize that and continue providing positive results. Most professional teams are in it to win it and will do their best to help clients achieve movement, but from time to time, you catch a dud who will leave you high and dry but continue reaping the financial reward in the form of payment. If your SEO company started with phone calls and emails and now all you see are aesthetically appealing charts and reports, it’s likely not a good match.
Don’t let your team become lazy and leave your website in the dust while they wine and dine new ecommerce sites. Be assertive in your need to continue with communication and rank movement. If the expert you’re working with can’t provide this type of consistent effort, then find one who will.
Seeking New SEO Services: Finding an SEO company is hard work and takes time out of your day and away from your business. While it can be a hassle to perform a diligent search for good SEO help, it’s important to the integrity and ongoing success of your website. By taking your time and carefully considering your options, you’ll have a better chance of finding a good match in terms of a professional service.
One way you can tell the stars from the scams is by reading real user reviews. You can also ask the company to refer you to past clients or ask to see results of other companies they’ve worked with. Talk is cheap, but actions speak louder than words, so if you can see for yourself that an SEO team was able to improve the rankings of previous clients, you know you’ll have a better chance at reaching the top of your own industry.