SEO strategies are constantly evolving, and the time-tested tactics that garnered great results a few years ago get you blacklisted today. Few companies have the resources to employ a full in-house team dedicated to SEO, so it makes sense to hire an expert. Unfortunately, the best SEO professionals are priced accordingly, and cheap SEO solutions seem tempting. Before you go for the most affordable option, consider the real cost of using shoddy strategies.
Optimization for the Wrong Keywords
Optimizing for the wrong keywords is as bad as using no keyword optimization at all. You should avoid keywords that are highly competitive, rarely used, or overly generic. You also need to dig into your industry and uncover terms and phrases that are commonly used amongst your customers, regardless of their accuracy. If users have developed common slang that applies to your products and services, it’s worth utilizing – particularly if your competitors have failed to do so.
Quality link building takes time and research. If you opt for cheap SEO, at best you’ll end up with unoriginal and over-utilized keywords. At worst, you could get pages overstuffed with poor keyword placement to the point of getting penalized by Google Penguin.
Low-Quality Link Building
Good links don’t come cheap, so if you’re getting a bargain on link building, there’s a good chance it will backfire on you. If an SEO company offers fast and prolific link building, you should be wary of their tactics. Google punishes all link schemes, including massive link exchanges, large-scale article marketing, and automated link building programs. Google prioritizes natural links that result from high-quality content. The best SEO strategy prioritizes valuable content that will naturally encourage links on its own.
Poorly Written Content
Google isn’t the only one that will see through poorly written content. Your customers will penalize you for it as well. If your content reads unnaturally because of high keyword placement or offers a plethora of spelling and grammar errors, your readers will promptly return to the SERP.
The Internet is full of writers who will churn out unoriginal content for pennies, but cheap SEO content won’t get the returns you’re looking for. Well-written pieces that are engaging, valuable, and sharable will not only interest your readers, they will spawn organic link building. Getting your content right creates a solid foundation to support all of your other SEO efforts.
A Disorganized Website
Slapping together a basic website is easy and cheap, but the results will leave you with a site that’s inflexible and difficult to navigate. Even if you’re on a strict budget now, it’s worth it to invest in a website design that can grow with your company.
Visitors want to find what they’re looking for in as few clicks as possible. If it takes more than three clicks to get the information they’re after, many visitors will simply give up and try another website. Your investment in quality content and carefully researched keywords is lost if you place it all on a cheap website.
When you invest in expert SEO services, you find that they pay for themselves in the form of conversions and sales. Don’t go cheap on this essential service.
Editor’s Note: This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.
