Perhaps the biggest dilemma for business owners looking to make waves online!
Remember, at the end of the day the final decision is up to you, the business owner. Now let’s take a quick look at 2 different sides of the dilemma.
1. DO SEO YOURSELF:
Yes, you can figure most of the basic stuff out. But the biggest problem you will run into is doing the research online. My guess? You will probably start believing everything you read online and formulate your own opinions about SEO, opposed to conducting your own trial-and-error methods to see what works and what doesn’t for your business.
For example, the keywords that work for my business may or may not work for smaller businesses with less traffic & lower ranking websites. Or, the link building campaign that works great for your business may or may not work for the guy next door. In fact, certain strategies work well for some of my sites and not others! If you want to do SEO yourself, read this phrase at least 10 times before proceeding:
Self-conducted Trial-and-error Testing
Just because a website tells you something works, doesn’t mean it works! It only works after you implement the strategy and SEE RESULTS IN FRONT OF YOUR OWN EYES! (remember, most SEO sites are trying to sell you on their thinking, thus selling you on their products and upsells)
Now can you see the dangers of swimming in shark-infested, uncharted waters without knowing much about SEO to start off with!
2. HIRE SOMEONE:
This can be equally dangerous for a first-time do-it-yourself SEO(er)! In order to remain sane throughout the process, follow these simple steps:
1. Ask to see specific url’s of work they’ve done. Not just names, you want to physically lay your eyes on the exact work they’ve done. Most small-shops will deter you from exact url’s because they probably have ZERO case studies!
2. Ask if you can contact references for work they’ve done. If they’ve done great work, any client would be glad to boast about them. If this step doesn’t happen, start looking elsewhere.
3. Research them. Meaning, type in the keywords they are ranking for. Why? If they can’t rank for their own keywords, they SURE AS HELL aren’t gonna be able to help you rank for YOURS!
Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this one!