🎧 Listen to the full episode: SuperFastBusiness Podcast
It's no secret that investing in SEO can be a costly endeavor. Although the long-term ROI is often worth the expense, many businesses simply can't justify the up-front investment.
In discussion with James Schramko, founder of SuperFastBusiness, Gert Mellak shares his insights into making sure your SEO pays off with positive results.
Understand the biggest problems in SEO
Many problems can arise with SEO. However, some issues are more common than others.
With the rise in fake news and misinformation, it has become more challenging to determine what information is accurate. And this is what James agreed to be one of the biggest problems faced in SEO.
Gert's said to get the correct information and know which tactics work so your SEO budget isn't wasted. Every day, he gets calls from clients about these quick wins for their sites. However, there really isn't any kind of magic bullet or quick fix in SEO.
What do you need
Gert cited two things to keep in mind when looking for information:
- Make sure that whatever information comes from a trusted source
- It's best if applicable in your specific situation
Keep up with the latest solutions in SEO
So how do you know the right place to go for the particular situation?
Gert recommends finding someone you trust who can guide your SEO campaigns. He has a couple of calls with new clients before they begin working together to determine their objectives for conversions.
Working with a team that understands your business is crucial to search engine optimization. Whether working across different languages, regions, and industries, finding an individual whose experience matches yours will ensure optimal growth.
Don't make any rash decisions
James says that sometimes you can invest a lot of time and effort into SEO without getting any results.
The keywords they want to rank high up on Google are ego-driven. You don't know what people want when they type their search query. That's why you need to define your customer's ideal client, plus ensure that you understand what they want to achieve.
So, are you really wasting your money on SEO?
Some people took months or years to write content - maybe 1500 different articles - and come to say they have all the content but don't rank well on anything.
In a nutshell, Google is looking for experts who can show how they've solved specific problems. This means sharing your knowledge and experience is not enough. Google wants solutions.
If you're giving a real quick win with SEO or solving someone's problem, then it's definitely not a waste of money.
Establish a relation between different articles
One of Gert's biggest mistakes when it comes to SEO is that people don't create context related to their internal articles. It's often a situation to write an article and then leave it on the website without connecting with other content.
What you need is to bring articles into context together. Like, if you write an article about email marketing, and you link it to an article about subject lines, Google can see that it's relevant because it's related to each other.
Get authority with external links
Let's agree with Gert that external links matter if they're relevant.
In the past, people would ask for 500 links to their website to rank higher than competitors. These days it's all about relevance - you can have a lot of irrelevant backlinks and still outrank your competition if one of those pages is really helpful or engaging.
Google's algorithm is a complex system, but the heart of it still involves links. These kinds of links transfer authority from one page to another.
Do images affect SEO results?
Gert says that images can be tricky because your CMS might change your image's name. This really depends on your industry.
However, Google embeds images, videos, and other media. It's pretty essential from alternative texts on images as well as names of products featured within those visuals themselves.
Relationship between organic vs. paid channel
The relationship between organic and paid is a crucial one, says Gert.
Paid channels are often necessary, but they come at an expense that you cannot rely on to grow your company's revenue stream. It's crucial to leverage what resources exist so as much of the revenue potential can shine through.
Don't expect instant results
Gert added two pointers as your guide if you're spending money on SEO:
- Create content or articles with an intent to serve the search user.
- Be consistent in executing the right things over time.
With a trusted partner, you can achieve SERP success without breaking the bank.