No Shortsighted SEO!
No Shortsighted SEO!
You know it unfortunately still amazes me how many people, especially business owners that suffer from shortsighted seo. Search engine optimization is now a misnomer. It’s really much more than just "optimization" these days. It’s not enough to have a great title, optimized images, correct page structure, blah blah blah. It’s really more about building a brand.
A perfect illustration is taking a company that has a great big long name, let’s say, "Albuquerque Broadband Corporation" and making them instantly recognizable as "ABC" It’s not as easy as 1, 2, 3.
It Takes Time – Start Now!
It takes a concerted effort to build a brand, but it can be done, and done well in a local market. There seems to me that many people aren’t terribly concerned about consistency with their company image, what it is exactly they stand for, and let alone what their website says about them. If the website in question look outdated, then in consumer’s minds, the products or services offered in part by that company are also. It supposedly take about 1/20th of a second to begin forming an opinion about someone or something, websites and companies included. That really doesn’t give you much time to grab someone’s attention, let alone get them truly interested in what you have to say, enough so that they’ll share your content with friends, colleagues or on their social media channels.
Interaction is what you are striving for, and without it, you’re not going to get far on the web.
Of course word of mouth is still the best type of advertising, but good word of mouth can certainly start by looking good online. After all, over seventeen percent of website traffic comes from mobile platforms. How many people just saw your website with their iPhone, Galaxy, or Windows phone, and were not able to navigate reliably? Part of good SEO is having at the minimum a mobile-compatible website, if not a dedicated mobile site, or mobile app available for download.
No SEO is Better Than Bad SEO
Of course it’s still good to have all your ducks in a row with good titles, and other on-page SEO elements being properly handled, but the bigger picture includes larger ideas, like brand-building, social engagement, and site compatibility. I won’t even get into link building, or a dozen other related topics.
Perhaps what bothers me the most about people engaging in shortsighted seo are the folks that seem totally oblivious to the changes that are going on around them. As part of my weekly routine, I normally will check classified ads for people needing help with their websites, or IT in some other respect. I actually spoke with a lady yesterday that said:
"I just hired someone but I’m not sure how much experience he has…"
You don’t? Hmmm…
If you’re not sure about what it takes to get your website right, then either invest the funds to hire someone who really does, or invest the time to educate yourself. Either way, your business will thank you, and your customers will thank you when they log on and actually find what they need online on your website.
In today’s crowded marketplace success in business begins and ends with the Internet and your presence there. (Or lack thereof.)
