SEO optimization can be very expensive. Does anyone have ideas for small businesses?
Does anyone have ideas for small businesses to improve SEO? Search engine optimization can be very expensive, I have been quoted from $500 a month to $5,000 a month for larger companies. Currently, I cannot afford this. Can folks share their 'Do it Yourself' suggestions?
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Jul 1, 2015
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Jun 10, 2015
I know you are eager to get results, build traffic, convert visitors, nurture leads and close new business but DIY solutions can, and often do backfire. I am certified in digital marketing and new media by UCLA and certified by HubSpot in Inbound Marketing and I tell you man to man, you have to do it right or save your money until you can. There is just too much to learn and too much competition to expect any results by tinkering here and there.
My company charges a fee somewhere in the middle of what you mentioned above but I see a new approach being developed for organizations with smaller budgets. It referred to as "Dedicated Marketing". The reason it reduces the costs is that instead of paying for a standard size team of professionals and have to pay $4000 or so a month, a talented company can offer you 1 key, certified professional that works for you and your account only. So, you're not paying for the extra social media, blog or content creation personnel. You have 1 person who you can work with that learns your most important objectives and works with you to tackle all challenges one at a time, based on the budget you can afford.
Just don't try to do it yourself if you have zero experience because you will waste a lot of time and potentially even money.
Trying to help.
Jun 4, 2015
There is not any alternate of SEO but you can consider Social Media Marketing to promote your business. SMM can help in improving traffic to your website. It could be a much better option for you.
Jun 3, 2015
That's ridiculous! Blogging 2-3 times a week and being active in social media helps with SEO. Google looks for fresh, relevant content written for the human reader in natural language. Use the free Google Adwords Keyword search tool to find the relevant keyword for your biz and geo location and creatively use them throughout your site - especially the title and headings. Being active on Google+ also helps. If you have 100 active followers, your ranking can increase by 14 spaces.
Jun 3, 2015
I agree with some of the suggestions posted here, and disagree with others. In a nutshell:
• If you are not an SEO expert, DO NOT do it yourself
• If an SEO services company wants to charge you a flat fee, DO NOT hire them
• If an SEO services company guarantees rankings , DO NOT hire them
• If an SEO services company promises conversions, DO NOT believe them
• There is only one way to provide fair SEO services: performance-based pricing
With performance-based pricing, aside from the initial fee to prepare your website for a campaign, on a monthly basis you will only pay for actions that get you on page one of Google. If none of your key-phrases show up on page one during the month, you pay nothing.
A second option would be to go with Pay-Per-Click, which in the short-term is only as expensive as you want it to be. With PPC, you control your budget, and your improved rankings are almost immediate.
Never let anyone tell you that they will win you business; they can only get people to your site, after that it's up to you.
Jun 3, 2015
To add a different twist on the good suggestions already listed here:
I think the point of SEO in your case is to drive more bookings for your bartending and event service
If I were you, I wouldn't try to do SEO on my own since it takes a specialized set of skills to get good results and if you do things wrong, you can seriously damage your rankings.
Plus I think you should spend your time on the things you're good at--and not burn time developing new skills in SEO, especially since the rules of SEO change on a continuous basis. This means in order to be successful, you need to keep yourself updated on the latest best practices forever. Not a good use of your time, I think. Better to leave that to people who spend all their time with SEO.
Therefore, since you're concerned about the amount of money you should spend on SEO, I suggest you view your contracted SEO services not as an expense, but as an investment. The best way to do this is to find a local SEO expert who is willing to really stand by their expertise.
You shouldn't pay them a retainer fee but should pay them on a revenue share of all bookings that occur as a direct result of their SEO work. If they don't generate any new bookings, they don't get paid anything (or perhaps only a very small amount). But if they do generate bookings, you pay them a generous revenue share for their effort.
It is possible to track SEO-generated leads if your SEO partner sets up your web analytics properly.
This way, they are highly rewarded for their work but ONLY if they perform. This removes all the risk from your perspective. Yes, you do need to be generous in your revenue share of SEO-generated bookings, but this is revenue you are not currently earning anyway.
Jun 3, 2015
DIY SEO is one of the most dangerous things you will ever do. I wouldn't play with it because a little bit of information can do a lot of damage. You get what you pay for on the SEO front. Don't skimp.
SEO bleeds out into a bunch of different areas like social and PPC advertising. If you do the SEO wrong then you will hurt those other efforts.
Would you do your own taxes? Would you clean your own teeth? If they answer to either of those questions is yes you probably shouldn't be running your own business.
Jun 3, 2015
Hey I just had a look at your website. It looks pretty but a few things I would recommend.
Add a "Home" link to your menu.
Add Call To Action button on your website preferably on Home Page, Services Page.
Add Meta Tags like Meta Keywords, Meta Description on each Page.
Show a Testimonial on your home page rather asking them to visit your testimonials section.
We can consult you or can do complete work for you.
Jun 3, 2015
I agree with Mike. Many experts feel that SEO-for-SEO's-sake is going out of fashion in the spam-sensitive and social-networking-driven era; in any case, SEO was never optimally effective unless a solid brand and customer base were already in place. "Keyword padding" might draw a few additional curious looks to your site, but unless the site itself is maximally effective, the curiosity will never translate to new customers.
A few hints that will increase your SEO effectiveness at no charge: ask customers to post their compliments on social media and/or as online reviews; get yourself noticed by the media through press releases; and, if you have any kind of brick-and-mortar building or are active in the local business community in any way, mention your geographical location at least once on every "about me," "home," "services," and/or "testimonials" page.
I agree 100% with this. I actually got into SEO because I was trying to market my own IT Services online and love it. It is not for everyone though. Hire a pro and let them get you the results you need. do the lead gen thing for a while and see if the SEO can keep you in business but dont rely solely on organic search you need social integration as well. A great SEO can do it free or cheap. When I say free or cheap I mean get you jobs, it will still be a lead but it wont be a lead plus facebook or Google adwords fees.