There are many reasons why a SEO strategy fails to deliver.
In this post I ponder over 10 primary reasons why your SEO strategy could miss its mark.
1. No long term perspective
Most SEO strategies are defined for a limited period of time like 6 months to a year. Many clients feel post that period there will be no SEO needed, or at max, some maintenance to keep up the rankings. It’s this short term thinking that gets website owners caught up in a wrong SEO strategy with little results. The right SEO strategy needs to create “value” throughout the lifetime of your online business. Is your SEO strategy the right strategy?
2. Shooting in the dark
Most SEO experts don’t have a proper strategy in place to secure your rankings. What’s amazing is that the client feels SEO is not something they will understand, and don’t feel they need too. This means your SEO strategy could be shooting darts in the dark hoping to hit the bull’s eye. Are you aware of the SEO strategies being used on your website and do you understand them?
3. Lack of alignment
Most SEO strategies are not consistent, lack participation and deep perspective into search engines. Many SEO experts build random links (from relevant sites) to your website which eventually does push the rankings temporarily. But if you want to build a strong link reputation and earn lifetime traffic, then alignment is a must. Is your SEO strategy in alignment with the new link variables – consistency, relevancy, diversity, progression, participation and age of links?
4. Playing follow the leader
Most SEO strategies play follow the leader i.e. your competitors. Most clients worry too much about the competitors (and their rankings) and lesser about the “value” they are creating. A SEO strategy that focuses on chasing competitors is like a dog trying to catch its own tail. It’s always seems close, but yet the dog can never catch it. Is your SEO strategy chasing its own tail?
5. Wrong expectations
Most SEO strategies make high claims and ranking guarantees. Most clients buy into this. The clients who buy into quick or cheap SEO schemes need to understand the expectations and deliverables properly. If you do not understand your SEO strategy, how it works and why it works, then good luck for the same. Is your SEO strategy based on wrong expectations?
6. Chasing a dream
Most SEO strategies present the dream of tons of traffic that will come to your website. Yes, there is business that will come, but the reality is – getting business online is not always easy. It involves creating value, building a brand, communicating that brand, making the brand visible, understanding your target markets and your customer, and a long term vision. And this takes time. Is your SEO strategy chasing a dream or is grounded on reality?
7. The bigger the better
Most SEO strategies aim to target maximum number of web, user and social communities while link building. And many clients get impressed with the big numbers. What’s to be kept in mind is that it’s not possible to participate in so many communities at the same time, and over a period of time. So bigger is not always better! Do you have a SEO strategy in place that focuses on “value and participation” rather than numbers?
8. Forgetting the customer
Most SEO strategies are not focused on the customer. If your potential customers are not getting any “value” from your SEO strategy then you are on the path to failure. Create value – make that value visible – this will lead to conversions. Is your SEO strategy creating value for your potential customers?
9. Are all SEO Strategies the same?
All SEO experts follow the same guidelines; however, all SEO’s don’t have the right SEO strategy in place to get you closer to your online business goals. So take your time to understand the SEO strategy you plan to implement and why you are choosing that SEO strategy over others.
10. The wrong SEO strategy
I believe there are no wrong SEO experts, but there are SEO experts with the wrong SEO strategies. So hire the expert SEO with the right SEO strategy today!