Developing a solid online presence for any business is a must in today’s Internet-focused world. It doesn’t matter what niche your brand serves or how big your company is. If you’re not attracting attention online, you’re missing out on a valuable stream of business. That’s where SEO comes in. The goal of SEO is to increase web traffic organically by making your site more visible than ever, which in turn leads to more leads, clients, and profits. It sounds simple enough, but many businesses struggle with it.
So, why are you not getting SEO results?
YOU’RE NOT PATIENT
Many people are vaguely familiar with the concept of SEO, but few truly understand what it involves. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. Just as the name implies, it’s the practice of optimizing your website for search engines.
When you search for something on Google, what links do you click on? Like most people, you probably stick to the first few results. You may scroll down and look at other links, but an estimated 75 percent of all users won’t go beyond the first page of results! That’s why it’s so important to rank as high as possible on searches for keywords that relate to your brand.
That’s the point of SEO. It’s creating content and molding your site to ensure that it ranks as high as possible on the first search engine results page (SERP). The process is more complex than it appears at face value, but that’s its gist.
Why are you not getting SEO results? If you’ve only employed SEO for the last couple of months, the only thing standing between your efforts and success is time.
Here’s the thing: SEO is unpredictable and can take time to start getting traffic to your site, depending on your competition. You can’t snap your fingers and expect to get immediate results. SEO is a lengthy and ongoing process. As advised by Google, it’s impossible to guarantee a timeframe or a number one ranking.
With something like paid search or search engine marketing (SEM), you can start to see changes relatively quickly. But SEO can take several months or even over a year. Not only that, but it’s something that never stops!
The Internet is constantly evolving. If you want your site to stay relevant, you must keep up. SEO is more about the long game than getting quick results.
There’s no way to know when you’ll start to see the fruits of your labor. It all depends on your approach and how much you spend on your SEO efforts.
That leads us to another common issue businesses encounter…
YOUR SEO BUDGET IS NOT ENOUGH
Another reason why you’re not getting SEO results could be that your budget is not enough. Improving your website and employing SEO best practices isn’t inherently expensive. But ultimately, it’s about who has the budget to implement multiple and effective SEO campaigns.
It’s important to remember that you’re not the only one vying for those coveted top spots on the first SERP. You’re competing with many other rivals in your industry and niche. Some of them have seemingly limitless budgets to invest in SEO.
It’s not uncommon for larger companies to invest millions into running multiple SEO campaigns. If you’re a smaller organization prioritizing budget-saving measures over SEO, there’s no competition! The more prominent players with massive budgets are likely to rank far higher than you.
If possible, consider investing more in your SEO budget. How much you put into SEO directly impacts the scope of your campaigns. It’s the difference between having small gains and generating measurable and faster success!
A bigger budget lets you run more advanced campaigns. In addition to creating blog-based content, you can produce more impactful media like videos, in-depth articles, etc.
Higher budgets also pave the way for on-page SEO that improves UI/UX design, local SEO to promote in your geographical area, and off-page SEO with outbound linking, PR, and more.
INEXPERIENCED SEO MANAGER
Knowing more about SEO, you might take steps to see improvements. You adjust your expectations, become more patient, and increase the budget. But you’re still not getting SEO results. What gives?
Unfortunately, even a high budget and plenty of patience won’t make up for an inexperienced SEO manager, specialist, or agency. An SEO manager or specialist is responsible for running your campaigns. A good manager will perform the necessary data research, develop a concrete strategy for improvement, and analyze results for continued success.
However, some specialists will attempt to take the easy way out with methods that do more harm than good. These are known as “Black Hat” SEO techniques. Black Hat SEO is about exploiting search engine guidelines rather than doing the work to get actual results, and it could be why you’re not getting SEO results.
Some examples of Black Hat SEO include:
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Publishing low-quality content (blogs and website pages)
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Keyword stuffing
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Using spun content or automation
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Duplicating content
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Cloaking
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Hiding text or links
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Purchasing backlinks
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Tricky redirects
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Implementing doorway pages
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Using link farms
If you’re not getting SEO results or seeing noticeable progress, the specialist you’re working with might be using some of these Black Hat techniques. In addition to getting poor results, these tactics can create an annoying and even misleading experience for website visitors.
Even worse, Black Hat SEO can search engines penalize or even ban your website from appearing on SERPs at all!
Modern SEO isn’t as easy as some might think. It requires an in-depth understanding of data analytics, careful strategy, and the patience to keep up with an ever-changing Internet landscape. Working with a skilled SEO manager or agency that knows what they’re doing is paramount.
If you’re tired of not getting SEO results, turn to X Design Solutions. We’re well-versed in the complexities of SEO and are ready to help you see the results you’re looking to achieve. Get in touch with us today to schedule your consultation.