There are so many small business entities out there. It is the desire of all business owner to grow their ventures. According to many, the best way to do this is through Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This involves the appearance of a business site among the top search results on Google. Basically, Google uses different strategies to rank sites. One of the main factors for consideration is how easy clients navigate through different sites. Try it and you will agree with me that the sites that often appear on the first page in Google search results only take seconds to open. The time required for sites to open increases in the next pages. It is advantageous to always appear high in the ranks. This is because the chances of your brands being visible are relatively higher. Undeniably, Google users often look for what they want within the first page of Google results.
It is not easy to improve your site’s ranking on Google. One study shows that it would take at least 2 years to make a significant improvement. Nevertheless, there are so many strategies that SEO gurus employ to improve SEO ranking of their clients’ sites. Many business people pay a lot of dollars for their services. The question is – is SEO worth hiring? While it is true online presence is so important, hiring an SEO cannot work for all businesses. In this blog, we are going to discuss in details whether SEO is worth hiring. Continue reading.
Working on the business development department, I have been asked repeatedly the question of whether SEO is worth hiring. Trust me the answer is we give is not at all times yes. The assertion that all businesses need to hire an SEO specialist is wrong and unreasonable. The reason is there are so many underlying factors you need to consider. Honestly, many businesses are not always ready to hire SEO companies.
Should You Hire?
That is a good question. Do you think you are personally ready to hire? Well, hire if you meet the following conditions. In case you do not, postpone the plan to some other another time in the future.
• When you have all the necessary internal resources.
It is not all about hiring. You must ensure that you have all the necessary internal resources devoted to SEO. You cannot simply hire an SEO company and get results without putting efforts. If you really feel you need to hire an SEO company, make sure you have all it takes to devote time and resources within. If you are set, then go ahead and hire.
• Hire when you have trustworthy analytics data.
A good SEO company, or perhaps a digital marketer will want to fix data integrity problems before setting goals and standards to begin the project. You must know the much you actually have and the gaps that need to be filled. Otherwise, it will be so difficult for you to quantify the achievements made. There are so many things you need to track before beginning SEO. Do you have all the necessary analytics tool? Then Hire!
• Hire when you have sufficient budget.
As a business person, you know how important it is to always take time and do the math before making decisions. Basically, a one-year project in a medium size business often cost something in the region of $100k. this fee covers a number of aspects, including a technical Seo, a devoted Seo team like Search Media can help you create an appropriate project plan and model, establishing goals, and content strategy among others.
Does this budget make sense to you? If you cannot afford to hire a genuine agency, look for a solid personal consultant who can boost the site. There are so many genuine consultants out there who can be of great help to your site in case you cannot afford a legit SEO company. In addition, if the agency you are in love is unaffordable over a period of one year, ask them if they can handle the task for just three months. They may consider working with you on that basis.
• Only hire if the agency cannot lock you into the contract.
It is our desire to get fair treatment in everything we do. If by any chance you are not getting results after a certain period of time, terminate the contract. It would be absolutely ridiculous to keep paying for their services throughout the remaining period yet you cannot benefit. Before the contract in enforceable, ensure there is clause indicating one or two-month outs for both parties. In this regard, make sure the company will not complicate everything but rather allow for a swift transition plan in case another agency will have to be hired.
• Only hire if the SEO Company is compatible with your culture.
If you really need results, this should be the first factor for consideration. You must ensure they are actually fit for your prospects and be fit to their prospects as well. Suppose your culture is characterized by plans that easily change, you will have problems getting an SEO consultant. If you really need a company that easily and frequently communicate, the first thing you need to do is to ask for their mode of communication with businesses to ensure it fits your needs.
• If you are investing in several marketing channels, an SEO is worth hiring. It can work out perfectly in combination with other strategies such as email, PPC and social. Generally, SEO can offer a very sound site on technical basis, as well as an optimized content. Nevertheless, if not combined with other channels that can help get traffic, it may take too long to give the desired results.
The Bottom Line
Is SEO worth hiring? It is but again not always. We have considered a number of circumstances that makes it worth. However, we do not say you should now ignore it. That can be disastrous. The worth of SEO services significantly depends on the nature and extent of your business.