Have you ever turned down a proposed set of content from your SEO Company? Literally gone through it and made sure that every single word is representative of the message that you are trying to put forth? Amongst my colleagues, the answer is “no” across the board. My usual follow up question to them is why not, and the rather weak response is that they have already paid for the service, and that they have faith in the equations and market research that have led to the SEO Company making the changes that they have. For my misinformed colleagues, mass impact is the goal. But for many of them it has not really created the massive interest that they had hoped. But why is this? Is the fault with the SEO companies, or the business owners themselves?
In my opinion, it is the fault of the business owner, because they tend to misunderstand the purpose and functioning of SEO companies. Your SEO team is there to get your website out there by getting it higher up on the list of search items. They do this by analysing massive amounts of user search information, and then putting in keywords that are likely to get found by related searches. The mentality for them is that the more keywords of use there are, the more hits on the site, the more profit, and happy businesses. And in very rare instances, this does work. But your SEO team is there to crunch numbers and improve visibility – that is it. They do not function as an online website builder. They are not creative content writers, they do not apply any real creative finesse, and they do not keep your business ethos in mind when they are boosting your online presence. That is your entire job.
Too many business owners view SEO as some kind of business messiah, the great hope for all smaller business to make it big in the big bad world of internet business. And don’t get me wrong, it is an essential business tool that does get your name out there. But the fact is that you have to make sure that the product you present is worth looking at. Think of your business like a fishing trip. You are trying to lure clients in so that you can catch them and prompt them to make a purchase. SEO services give you better bait (or a more attractive lure if fly fishing is your thing), but ultimately, you as the business owner/fisherman have to be able to complete the sale.
SEO keyword implementation can completely change the product that you present, and it is imperative that you have someone in place to make sure that this does not happen. Any reputable SEO provider understands that they are an addition to your marketing plan, not the sum total thereof, so point things that upset you out to them – you are not obligated to accept work that you do not want. Try to give them something great to work with from the outset, and then you will all reap the rewards.
