Truth be told, search engine optimization (SEO) may not be for you.
Regardless of the product or service and company size, SEO just may not be something you can handle - at least for now. If you fall into one of these areas, you may want to just skip the online marketing rage.
1. You don't want to edit your content.
If you're not willing to change your content, an SEO consultant really can't do much to help you. Really, the keywords people use need to be in your content. It's that simple.
2. You love graphics - lots of graphics.
Partial to graphics? Excellent. If you have plenty of business and a pretty Web site, SEO may not be in your future. Again, text helps - if you can work it into your Web site. But if you love static graphic or Flash and "skip" intro buttons, you may want to save SEO for another day.
3. Pages short on copy.
It's not really a repeat of #2. We've some rather barren Web sites with hardly any graphics and not enough copy. Honestly, it sometimes seems like a hunting expedition may be needed to track down more than a paragraph. How many words do you need? No one knows the magic number. But 25 words usually doesn't help.
4. You change your content a lot.
So you want to keep your home page fresh and exciting? Unfortunately, major changes often conflict with the SEO strategy. In other words, if you keep wiping out the keywords an SEO firm inserts, the program is pointless.
5. You want to wait on the redesign.
Some companies get excited about SEO - high rankings and increased traffic can pay off. But don't get started on a program if you're just going to let your current Web site miss out on search engine optimization. Some businesses just want to gear up keywords for a new design months down the road while neglecting their current Web site.
6. You can't stand the thought of your page titles changing.
The title appears in that blue bar in Internet Explorer - the one way up there above "Favorites." If you prefer to say "About Our Company" instead of keywords that actually BRING traffic, you might want to put SEO on the back burner.
7. You're not willing to address other business problems.
SEO consultants can get you traffic, but they can't make your Web site more user friendly unless you let them. Maybe your product page is too busy or your shopping cart is confusing.
About the Author
Michael Murray is vice president of Fathom SEO, an Ohio-based search engine marketing firm. We are members of SEMPO, SEO Consultants and OSEOP. Visit our site for our SEO white papers and recent SEO studies on the manufacturing and health care industries. michael@fathomseo.com