We turn down 65% of the SEO prospects we get here at ROARlocal.
Considering our SEO services start at $1000 a month it begs the question, why?
Here’s something most SEO agencies won’t tell you.
If your website sucks then sending SEO traffic to it won’t solve your problems.
All it will do is cost you a tonne of money paying an SEO agency’s fees and you’ll get diddly squat in return.
As an entrepreneur, I hate that.
YET…
Day in day out we see hard working entrepreneurs paying for SEO that will simply never give them a good ROI. We won’t take their money, however, most SEO agencies will.
So, if you’re going to get some SEO done, then before you do, I urge you to do this and you’ll save yourself a tonne of cash:
You Should Always Run A Google AdWords Campaign BEFORE You Do Any SEO
Listen, people are delighted to get their site ranked at the top of Google. But the real objective of SEO is not just to get a top ranking on Google. The real purpose is to get more traffic, which then converts into more sales.
I believe there is great long term value in doing SEO – as long as you are optimising for the right keywords – i.e. the keywords that are actually going to generate more income for your business.
That’s why EVERY SEO campaign, in any market that is competitive, should be first tested with Google AdWords.
By using Adwords, you can test a wide range of keywords and phrases… and find the ones that actually convert into sales. Then you can focus your SEO efforts on those high-converting keywords. Otherwise, you’re just guessing which keywords are going to convert best. And if you guess wrong… well, you’ve just sunk a lot of money for nothing.
Sending SEO Traffic To A Website That Does Not Convert That Traffic Into Sales Is Just Plain Dumb
Once you’ve got everything in order, and people are flocking to your website in droves… what do you do with all that traffic?
…If your products aren’t in place, if your content isn’t informative and engaging, if your Unique Selling Point isn’t apparent… you’ll have brought all of these people to your site for nothing.
In other words, you can invite all of the people you want… but you better have something for them when they arrive!
To take this one step further…
If you really want to ensure your online success, you will make a point to have strong SEO… but you won’t stop there.
As I said above, SEO can change… whether it’s some new Google algorithm (as we’ve seen before), or some new method of web design we haven’t even though of yet… it’s constantly changing…
And for that reason, you simply can’t put all of your eggs in one basket.
The best SEO in the world doesn’t negate the need for other methods of getting your message out to your prospects and customers – from direct mail to newsletters, billboards to social media presence, pay per click to media buys…
The best strategies are the ones that can weather storms and keep up with peoples’ changing preferences.
The more diverse the strategies you have in place, the more resilient your business will be to unforeseen changes in consumer behaviour (or in the technical elements we rely on for marketing – like SEO).
Our unique outsourced marketing service creates strong and sustainable lead gen strategies for your business – each adding a spoke to The Money Wheel – the more spokes you have, the stronger the wheel.
SEO is just one spoke – but if it breaks (and it’s one of the only spokes you have), you’re in for a bumpy ride.
So, make sure your SEO is tip-top, but don’t let it cloud your mind as the end-all be-all of marketing success – there’s plenty else to work on too!
Neil