Three Reasons to Avoid SEO

It seems there’s an Search Engine Optimization company on just about every street corner. And every one of them is calling or sending out emails. Last week I received a call from two companies touting their SEO magic. It got me thinking about the reasons not to undertake an SEO or VSEO project for your website. So, here are our three top reasons to avoid SEO.
1. SEO companies are a bunch of liars. My guess is that 90% of the companies selling website search engine optimization services over promise and under deliver. Some of these companies are out-right scams. If a company promises you a first page Goggle ranking, they’re lying. Period. Except for the narrowest of terms there is no way to “guarantee” you page one placement. If a company offers a guarantee, read the fine print.
2. SEO doesn’t’ work. SEO and VSEO doesn’t work – at least not the way most companies want you to believe it works. Most SEO promoters want you to believe they can do a little code work and BINGO! Page one.
Can your website benefit from a professional SEO or VSEO effort? Certainly. But SEO is an on-going process. It’s not a one-time wave the wand and life is good. You need to do the work consistently over a period of time.
3. SEO is expensive. Yes it can be expensive. I’ve seen clients spend $5,000 or more per month on SEO projects. One client was spending $5,000 per month with Yellow Pages. They dropped their Yellow Page ads only to turn around and spend nearly as much on SEO projects. The truth is SEO and VSEO projects don’t have to destroy the marketing budget. There is initial work to perform. Important elements that need to be in place for any SEO or VSEO project to be effective. Then it is really a process of integrating your site management with your social media marketing and normal promotional efforts. Don’t get snookered. Yes, SEO or VSEO is important for any online effort. It does work. It can drive traffic and increase sales. But understand what services you are buying and how to measure the success of your project.