SEO: Why we don’t promise position 1 rankings

We would all like to be at the top of Google searches… it is the goal for many businesses both big and small. There are many businesses that offer SEO (like us), many of which promise those coveted first place and first page rankings, but are these promises too good to be true? If they are kept, how much will they actually help your business?

Here are three reasons we DON’T promise rankings and what you need to look out for when companies do promise them.

 

Before you go ahead and read, here are a few terms we have used that may be helpful to know, if you don’t know them already.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO): Optimising websites to appear higher in searches (generally Google). By using knowledge of keywords, competitors, audiences and location content and pages can be optimised to appear higher and more often to those searching particular terms. (SearchEngineJournal 2017)

Search Volume: The frequency or measure of how often a word or phrase is searched into a search engine, like Google. High or good search volume means they are searched often, low search volume means they are used in searches less often. (searchmetrics)

Keywords (or terms): Words entered into search engines by users. Pages and websites need to be optimised by including these words and terms to attract more visitors. (HubSpot 2011)

Long-Tail Keywords: A keyword phrase of 3+ words that target a specific audience. Using long-tail keywords usually results in higher rankings than competitive keywords. They also generally have a lower search volume but are more likely to convert to website visits and customers due to their specific nature. (HubSpot 2014)


Google is always changing

1. Google is constantly changing.

Google changes, all the time! Even if you aren’t working directly in the digital space, you’ll likely be aware of the constant changes and updates on websites, social media platforms and search engines. Google is no exception and is a massive player in the digital space. Not only do you have to be there, but you constantly have to update your game plan to keep your ranking. At any moment Google can change the way it indexes websites and just like that, your SEO strategy becomes less effective or irrelevant.

 

Even once we create a strategic plan and begin deploying it, we’ll need to adjust and change to the game plan due to changes in Google, competitors and keywords. This doesn’t just make ranking first or on the first page difficult and uncertain but means climbing to a higher ranking is a long-term commitment.

 

Companies who offer short term SEO strategies with high rankings will likely be purchasing dodgy links and taking shortcuts which may result in being penalized by Google. What’s more, even if you do rank highly quickly once your SEO campaign is over you will lose your ranking. It may take a week or months depending on your business and industry, but without a continuous strategy, you won’t be able to compete and keep your ranking.

 

The battle between competitors

2. The battle between competitors.

Your SEO isn’t just affected by Google. Nearly every business is in the ‘Google rat race’, competing for first place in their industry. Once one business takes over another all the businesses below are also affected. If your competitors put in more money, more time and more research into their campaigns than you do, their performance will improve and yours will drop.

 

Some industries are more competitive than others. The competition for your keywords depends on your competition in the local area or industry. This means that for businesses that are ‘one of a kind’ in their location or industry, ranking high or number one may be relatively easy. If you are in an industry or location full of businesses with similar services or products however, you’re going to need to compete a lot harder.

 

As competitors play such a huge role in your ranking there is no way to guarantee that your competitors won’t amp up their game or that you’ll be able to come up above them.

 

Good SEO should include keywords and terms that will benefit your business by driving more people to your website. Unfortunately, the best keywords or terms are often the terms also used by competitors. If you are a smaller business you may not have the budget to compete with high search volume keywords and terms, and your SEO campaign may need to focus on long-tail keywords instead. Choosing the right words and terms takes time, a lot of research and some trial and error, but it’s vitally important to do so as the right words will drive more traffic and create more leads.

 

The truth is it is easy to rank any website, so long as the keywords targeted are low search volume words. In a short amount of time, anyone will be able to rank with low search volume words that your competitors aren’t using… because no one is searching them. It’s all well and good to get a business to rank, however if it’s using words that none of their intended audiences are using on their searches, it’s going to provide no real benefit to anyone.

 

If you are told that someone can get your business to rank (and rank quickly) make sure to check that the keywords are relevant to your business, have good search volume or will bring the right people to your page. Chances are they will not be researching competitors or trailing different key terms and will be using low volume keywords that won’t convert.

 

 

It's a long slog

3. It’s a loooong slog

SEO is a whole lot of trial and error! If something works for one business, it is not guaranteed to continue to work in the future or work for the next business, even it is in the same industry.

 

Since every website, business, location and industry is unique the same strategy can never be used twice. As the game changes so does the strategy, and each time it does it becomes more and more specific to the business it is working for.

 

Each campaign may start off by researching your business, however, the more that is learnt about your business, industry, location, website, content and the people you need to attract the more specific and effective your SEO plan will become. Like any in-depth learning, this takes time, revision, reviews and commitment.

 

If your SEO company aren’t making any changes, have ranked you quickly (on high search volume keywords and terms) or not linked it to any other aspects of your marketing strategy (such as content marketing, social media or advertising) they are likely using dodgy links or content, or taking other shortcuts. Some of these SEO ‘techniques’ can result in websites being penalised on Google.

 


Our takeaway

Nothing is guaranteed! If you’ve been promised or guaranteed a ranking, it’s been too easy or too quick you’re probably not getting bang for your buck! It may have been cheaper in the short run but your rankings likely won’t convert to more visits, sales or leads.

 

Sometimes because of your industry, location, competitors, or the chosen keywords, ranking first is just not possible. There are so many factors involved with deciding good keywords, as well as how Google analyses, sorts and manages these keywords that are out of anyone control, that no one can honestly say that they will be able to provide an SEO campaign that will rank you first AND be of any benefit to your business. This can be a long and slow process but, if done right will lead to more conversions, clicks and customers. If you’re going to do SEO, you are better of spending a little more and making sure it is done right.

 

How can we help?

KBB Digital works with businesses to develop long-term, two-way working relationships which to not only help you through the SEO process but explain and review each step on the way with you.

We work with businesses to better understand their goals, their market, competitors and audiences to identify profitable keywords, not just the keywords that are returning the most searches per month, but ones that will allow for the most effective use of your marketing budget to deliver actual results.

Taking into consideration competition, location, your budget and your goals we create a strategic plan that will bring the right people to your site.

No, we don’t promise first place rankings or promise quick results because, although we can, it won’t benefit your business and that is what we are here to do.

Get started with a 30-minute complimentary marketing consultation today. Call 1300 887 115 or fill the form below to book.

 

 

KBB Digital Marketing

Looking for the answer to something? Give us a call, we love to chat!

1300 887 115

START WITH A 30 MINUTE

COMPLIMENTARY
MARKETING
CONSULTATION.

No sales pitch just great advice for you to take away and use as you wish.

SEO, SEM, FB, Inst – it’s a minefield of information out there, let us guide you through what it all means and how it can benefit your business.

BOOK NOW

.. or call 1300 887 115