Is S.E.O The Right Choice For You & Your Business?

This is a guide for anyone starting a new business or considering growing their business online.
This checklist is to guide you on the correct actions to take to avoid finding yourself in any unfamiliar & costly situations. And if you are new to online marketing, then trust me you will!
Here are the list of topics I will cover in this article;
i) What the hell is S.E.O?
ii) What can I expect it to do for my business?
iii) How long can I expect to wait to see results?
iv) Can I afford to wait that long?
v) So what else can I do?
This is crucial, as a simple Google search for something like “How much does S.E.O cost?” will yield results that no doubt would leave many new startups and small businesses eyes watering when they see the costs involved.
In the UK the average profits for small companies are around £6000 per year. And considering the average cost of S.E.O services start from £500 per month. It’s not hard to see that for many small businesses those numbers just don't add up.

And on top of this there is a risk that for many, they may well end up with no extra business. As there are many less than reputable companies operating in the market.
So the stark truth is, if you are operating under the above thresholds then be expected to be looked down on in the wider industry. By professionals who essentially will advise you to learn yourself. While not being very interested in working for you as they know you will not be able to afford them.
Or even worse you are in danger of working with companies who target this particular section of the market and are essentially selling junk services to the unsuspecting or ignorant clients.
In most reputable guides you will find online today, you will be told that if you cannot afford that level of budget then do not even look at any companies offering these services for cheaper.
So sadly it does not look too good currently for the small and start up business trying to make their way in a competitive market. But it by no means should be a reason to not continue to pursue your dreams. As there are still many small businesses finding their way to prosperity. And become something more. Essentially from learning from the mistakes of others.
As well as companies out there that do a good job for small business. In this area personal references & referrals are key.
What the hell is S.E.O?
These three letters stand for Search Engine Optimization. At this stage it has to be said..
If you are already paying someone for this and are still unsure what it actually is, then you may be in trouble.

This basically describes the different search engines people use to find stuff on the internet. There are still some business people today who do not know exactly what a web browser is.. Let alone the differences between them..
And the “Optimization” part is how commercial websites make sure that they appear when someone who does not know about their business is looking for their product or service. And are using keywords on the search engine to find what they are looking for.
Kind of like when buying a brick & mortar business, you may want to see how many sales they made last year? You can use the Google Keyword Planner to ask Google how many people were looking for a product or service on their search engine to get an idea of how much business there will be.
It really means nothing if you can find yourself on the internet when you type your company name.. Submitting a website to Google takes about five minutes before it starts to show.
What you actually need are new customers to find you while they are looking for your product or service.
No matter what you are paying someone to perform these services for you. It is very unlikely that lessons on how it works will be included in the price. So dont expect it. It’s important before you even start that you do your own research.
The two main forms of S.E.O you will encounter are;
On Page Optimization
This is where work is done on the pages of your website to help it show for your customers when they are searching.Off Page Optimization
This is where work is done on other websites that help make your website show for your target customers more by using social media websites and others. Although you can also find services in this area that will attempt to generate sales through websites like Facebook. It’s important to understand that the Off Page Optimization services are mainly to boost search engine rankings, not to get sales or inquiries through Facebook and other social media networks.

And as today’s commercial websites presence on social media sites, as well as search engines are now essential for many of them to operate. These are the must have areas to cover in business marketing solutions.
Is this right for you?
Was the above confusing for you? If so consider some basic online courses to try and understand how it works better. Or get a friend to try and explain it to you. The point is if you hire an S.E.O company to do this for you, but you are unprepared to try and understand what they are doing. Then that only leaves you with one thing left..
Which is trust.
In itself not a bad thing. But for business, especially a small ones. It could be fatal if misplaced or not placed at all. This takes us back to the discussions by S.E.O specialist about the low end of the market and why people are advised not to deal with companies operating on that level.
What they don't want to tell you is.. If you are like this then they really don't want to deal with you too.
If you expect that S.E.O services come “off the shelf” or work in a month or two and you are not prepared to get involved yourself with a low budget.
Then S.E.O is not right for you.
It may be right for your business. But personally you will be the direct cause of it costing more, or taking longer to work. Or you may even find a good company who works for a low price. But without trusting they are doing the right thing or a competent job then you could even damage your own business.. Yes it does happen.
What can I expect it to do for my business?
This is a ‘no-brainer’ as for some people the simple truth is that we all want page one or nothing. Even the small guys optimizing their own websites at home for local keywords. And quite a few big websites that started out that way too!

The mistake that many make is that they are unaware of exactly how long it will take to work. And how effective it will be to their business. If you are looking to pay under the national average cost for S.E.O services. You have to have the expectation to match.
Google only want websites to rank who have earned their positions.
If you demand that a company produce results for you in a short space of time, then you are asking them to go around Googles current rules. Which is basically cheating.
And I know that for many in business they may feel it may be a risk worth taking. But a lot of them are unaware of the exact risks.. That their websites can get banned from Google.. Which could be the end of their business.
And a shady S.E.O company will be long gone by the time the damage is done.
This is another reason the larger professional S.E.O’s shy away from smaller companies. S.E.O is a long term strategy. Traditionally when business start up they will raise their advertising revenues for the first year before they even start operating. If all you have is £50 — £60 left and you needed your first sale yesterday.. Then I am afraid it’s too late.
Then S.E.O is not right for you.
How long can I expect to wait to see results?

This is one of the most important points to consider for any business. In really simple terms, you can expect to see sales for your business once you start seeing your website on page one for your customers target keywords. It all depends on what industry you operate in.
And the biggest factor in this area is the condition of your website. Consider that they are all individual. Two different websites may want to be on page one for the same keyword. But one could take longer than the other because it is newer or has problems and other technical issues.
So it’s important that you consider S.E.O as an investment into the growth of your website. Not a monetary transaction. If that was so then you would be working for your S.E.O company not the other way around.
If you do not want to get into the technical aspects then you can always rely on your eyes. Keep checking your keywords on Google the same time each month to see where your website appear.
This simple trick will give you the speed and direction your website is moving up or down the rankings. And is ultimately what is telling you about the job your S.E.O company is doing.
If you are serious about your business online you will have to continue this. Or expect your local competitors to be all over you in a few years.
If you are not prepared to do this..
Then S.E.O is not right for you.
Can I afford to wait that long?
At last the proverbial question.. Can you wait as long as it takes? The truth is if you want to survive long term, especially if you are in an industry that is growing online you will have to.
The key to success of any long term strategy is to to maintain the course. A page one ranking can recoup all advertising spent in the first few months. Which is why companies are doing it of course.
But if you are in a situation where you cannot maintain a budget to maintain the work to get your rankings..
Then S.E.O is not right for you.
So what else can I do?

If you have come this far and you still have not given up on operating online all together. Then that’s the first sign you got what it takes.
But after all of the above if you have not found a trustworthy company for your budget. The only options you will have left to you will involve getting your own hands dirty.
Paid Ads:
There are various paid advert solutions from many different companies that are relatively easy to setup and in many cases the company will do it all for you. Like Google & Bing paid adverts. As well as websites that suit your own niche.
Even local classified adverts on websites like Gumtree will get you enough to get a more stable cash flow.
Online Networking:
There are also websites such as linked in that also have paid advertising solutions tailored to specific business niches. Relatively low costs these can provide well needed and suited traffic to your website for your product or service.
Facebook not only provide this. But many of it’s functions are now tailored around business communities which if implemented well will produce direct inquiries or sales through the website.
And there are many others out there.
Blogging:
This is actually part of On & Off site Optimization. Many S.E.O’s will do this on your behalf as it creates opportunities for them to do more work to boost your rankings. But without getting into the technical aspects of how to do this best, I’ll keep this simple.
1.) Make a blog on your website domain name.
Such as www.yourwebsite/blog
2.) Start blogging about the type of customers you would like to have & the areas or products & services you would like to sell.
These two steps will give you a significant boost to your website over time. And as long as you are tracking where your customers found your details then you will literally see the direct financial rewards from this activity as long as you keep it up.
S.E.O:
Yes I know this is supposed to be the section where we are looking at alternatives to S.E.O. But if you do have the time then currently the most valuable free guides are the following;
The Google S.E.O Starter Guide
The Beginners Guide To S.E.O
Two must reads for any new business looking to put in the time. With practical steps on On-Page Optimization. It’s not only a great way to learn about how S.E.O is done.
But is invaluable for a beginner dealing with a professional to know that they are actually getting what they have paid for.
So at the end of all of this. If you are;
*Willing to support a regular budget for S.E.O & willing to help out yourself if you need to.
*Can find a company who you can trust to do a good job for your budget.
*Not expect to pay the cheapest you can get for the best that money can buy.
Then S.E.O is right for you!
What do you think?
Have you had any positive or negative experiences?
Leave your comments below.
Anthony Mark is the founder of Mark Digital Media Ltd, a writer & artist.
With a long time interest in business technology and politics. enquiries@markdigitalmedia.co.uk
