I have had a lot of discussions with people in the last few weeks about keywords. And, I have concluded this is one of the major areas where SEO customer service goes wrong. That is one of the reasons why we go into detail at the outset of an SEO engagement to explain to clients why we have chosen certain keywords for them. And, it is the reason why our reporting is so detailed on those terms. We try to take the mystery and as much techno-babble out as possible.
I was recently speaking at a conference and I asked the question about SEO, “What do you really want from your SEO?” A very intelligent and marketing-savvy doctor in the front row answered, “High rankings.” He had fallen into my trap. “I asked him, “Really? Is that really what you want from your SEO?” He answered yes again two more times when I asked him until it dawned on him that what he really wanted was more site traffic.
And there is the disconnect that makes people so frustrated with their SEO service. There is an assumed connection between higher rankings on certain key terms and more traffic. And, when that loose connection fails to produce tangible fruit, then the whole process is undermined. Meanwhile, the SEO company is probably doing good work. Not productive work... but good SEO work.
In our Keyword SEO program, we begin with the basic premise that you can be ranked higher in a shorter period of time on more efficient keywords. We seek out those keywords and present them to the client at the outset. Sometimes they are not front-line terms but they do get traffic and there are fewer competitors. So, guess what, you can climb higher faster. In comparison, we look at inefficient keywords... many of which are “power” terms that everyone and his brother wants to be on. The density of the competition makes those words less efficient.
Now, you can put the same effort into trying to climb on efficient words and inefficient words. Both take the same effort. However, if the goal is more traffic, we want your expecations to be in line with what is really possible. If there are super strong power terms that you want to be on and there is no way in the world you will climb there organically, isn’t it better to acknowledge that in the beginning and buy your way onto those terms with Pay Per Click? This is part of the reason we keep our SEO fees so low, so that there is room for a Pay Per Click companion program. You put your steady reasonable dollars ($300/month in most cases) into organically optimizing your efficient terms and you pay for the luxury of placement on the inefficient, yet highly searched terms. It just works better for what you can afford and what you expect to have.
So, choosing keywords. That is where the trust relationship begins to deteriorate with our competitors. If you are questioning your SEO services, my guess is that is where those questions started. If you want more information on the nuts-and-bolts approach we take to SEO, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.
