Google rankings shouldn't cost a fortune
04 December 2008 - By Sean Fishlock
Ok, some people are going to hate me for saying this, but if you want true SEO (search engine optimisation) success, you can start by forgetting about your favourite keywords.
The Internet has become so competitive that everyone is chasing #1 spot. I'm not saying to give up right now. We've had fantastic results with targetted campaigns.
But lately I've heard numerous stories of small businesses paying over $1,000 a month (yes, you heard right) in "snake oil" Internet Marketing scams, some of them are from incompetent and opportunistic Google Adwords resellers peddling the "easy" (but expensive) way to the top - keyword auctions.
In fact some of these Adwords resellers mislead people by claiming that they are actually from Google, I know, because I've had some call me, when in fact all they are is a Google adwords partner (which anyone really can be). This may give them some search engine credibility, but I'm not sure how Google feels about this. But in the end, what they are actually doing is a bit like telling someone that you can make them a millionaire if they pay you a million dollars.
What all these businesses forget is the one universal constant, there can only be one at the top and everyone wants to be that one. To get to the top the Adwords way, you basically have to outbid everyone else. Tackling your favourite keywords the natural way is much harder and has so many hidden costs. Some will do anything to get it, but it is not the be all and end all. And despite what people might tell you - no one has a crystal ball.
With search engine optimisation being an inexact science, the best most SEO consultants these days can offer is money back guarantees on being on the first page of Google within 8 months. So it is no longer just their customers taking the gamble. You have to be very careful with what they are actually promising. It is pretty easy to quote big percentage increases off a very small base. And in the end, the amount of money and effort you may spend on SEO just about negates any positive impact it may have on your business.
With so many people hiring SEO people to get that #1 spot for their favourite keywords, it is a little like trying to win the lottery. You may even spend a million over a lifetime just trying to hit the jackpot.
But many people get rich without ever entering the lottery. At the same time, many website owners get fantastic results without achieving #1 spot for the most competitive keywords in their field.
So the question is how ?
Well I'll let you in on a little secret.
Let's start with an example.
My first instinct, being in the web design business would be to target #1 on Google using the keywords "web design". Makes sense, afterall Google says that there are 2.2 million searches for this term every month. And being in this industry, "web design" is what I'd expect people to be searching for. Surely I want to be part of all that action.
But to get this, I'd have to spend an equally ridiculously large amount of time and money employing every trick in the book to get on the first page and achieve it. It could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars all up. It is a huge risk, because there is absolutely no guarantee that I will actually, against hundreds of thousands of other web designers, get that spot.
If I had a smaller budget and less time, and happened to get lucky I might reach page 2 and this might result in less than 100 visits to my website a month.
But who really are these people searching anyway ? Some people searching for "web design" might just be students reading up about it. Others might be web designers looking for tips. The keyword is supplier-centric. It focuses too much on the name of the service. There are more people looking for it than just your target market. It is always the most competitive and the least qualified.
There is another way.
vs Consumer-Centric Key phrases ...
The sheer volume of Internet searches means that there are a vast number of searches going wanted. This is what I call unfulfilled demand. In the economy of supply and demand, these are the cheapest and easiest customers to obtain.
Consider for a moment that not everyone searches for "web design". Some people might search for "improve my website", for example. In fact there are anywhere between 100-500 such searches a month. Most of these searchers will be in the market to pay money to have a website built professionally. Some may even spell keywords incorrectly, but they are still potential customers.
This is a consumer-centric keyword model. Like user-centred design,this model focuses on the customer's need rather than the solution orthe common name of the service.
What is more is that there is significantly less competition for this keyphrase. Meaning that I have a much more realistic chance of getting a number one - and much quicker as well. That means potentially 200 or 300 visitors to my site, and almost all of them will be looking to improve their website. When they get to my website, they are 100% more likely to buy my products - bingo - increased sales !
But most marketers are too stuck in Web 1.0 and old fashioned marketing to get these sorts of instant results.
Only the more savvy SEO consultants (myself included) realise this.
Do you want to get real results that don't cost the earth ? I know I do.
And if you are interested in employing some of these strategies for your business, and want someone who knows what they are doing to execute it for you, the call me.
My first instinct, being in the web design business would be to target #1 on Google using the keywords "web design". Makes sense, afterall Google says that there are 2.2 million searches for this term every month. And being in this industry, "web design" is what I'd expect people to be searching for. Surely I want to be part of all that action.
Supplier-centric keywords
All this sounds all well and good, but there are literally thousands ofother web designers doing the same thing. The lower you go, the lower the clickthrough rates get. For example, if I was somehow able to achieve a #4 spot, then there would be 2.2 million impressions, but the number of people clicking on the link would be substantially lower -say 20% of that figure. So I might potentially get 440,000 visits to my website (sounds fantastic).But to get this, I'd have to spend an equally ridiculously large amount of time and money employing every trick in the book to get on the first page and achieve it. It could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars all up. It is a huge risk, because there is absolutely no guarantee that I will actually, against hundreds of thousands of other web designers, get that spot.
If I had a smaller budget and less time, and happened to get lucky I might reach page 2 and this might result in less than 100 visits to my website a month.
But who really are these people searching anyway ? Some people searching for "web design" might just be students reading up about it. Others might be web designers looking for tips. The keyword is supplier-centric. It focuses too much on the name of the service. There are more people looking for it than just your target market. It is always the most competitive and the least qualified.
There is another way.
vs Consumer-Centric Key phrases ...
The sheer volume of Internet searches means that there are a vast number of searches going wanted. This is what I call unfulfilled demand. In the economy of supply and demand, these are the cheapest and easiest customers to obtain.Consider for a moment that not everyone searches for "web design". Some people might search for "improve my website", for example. In fact there are anywhere between 100-500 such searches a month. Most of these searchers will be in the market to pay money to have a website built professionally. Some may even spell keywords incorrectly, but they are still potential customers.
This is a consumer-centric keyword model. Like user-centred design,this model focuses on the customer's need rather than the solution orthe common name of the service.
What is more is that there is significantly less competition for this keyphrase. Meaning that I have a much more realistic chance of getting a number one - and much quicker as well. That means potentially 200 or 300 visitors to my site, and almost all of them will be looking to improve their website. When they get to my website, they are 100% more likely to buy my products - bingo - increased sales !
But most marketers are too stuck in Web 1.0 and old fashioned marketing to get these sorts of instant results.
Only the more savvy SEO consultants (myself included) realise this.
Do you want to get real results that don't cost the earth ? I know I do.
And if you are interested in employing some of these strategies for your business, and want someone who knows what they are doing to execute it for you, the call me.
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