Take Your Dank SEO and Go Home.
Goodness, there are a lot of scam artists out there doing paid SEO work. One of my latest favorite trends that we're seeing with our clients goes as follows:
We launch a site and list it in Search Console
An "SEO company" will crawl Google for new sites
They will get contact information from the page
Then they will send the owner an email or call
The call or email will say something along the following lines:
"Hello, [insert wrong name here],
I noticed that your website is not ranking for keywords that would help get you to the top page of Google. Do you have time this week for a conversation?"
There are a few things wrong with this. Chief of most being that conservatively with great SEO tactics, it takes 90 to 180 days to rank on Google.
What does an SEO company do?
An SEO company specializes in helping a business gain more organic traffic through keywords most likely to convert when searched. For example, if you're an electrician, it would be better to rank for "local electrician" than "how to change a wall outlet." The first one is someone looking to hire; the second is someone looking for do-it-yourself.
This is where SEO companies, at least the terrible ones, really "shine." They will look for keywords that are easy to rank for, dump a bunch of bottom-tier SEO into a website, and show "progress" 90 days down the road. The trouble is, you don't have any traffic coming through the website that is looking to action something; rather, you have a bunch of keywords in the #1 position that does nothing for you.
Shady, right?
I have three main concerns with the trashy SEO companies.
(1) They don't have good SEO for their company.
This one is pretty self-explanatory, but many SEO companies have terrible SEO for keywords they should be ranking for on Google. One of my usual call-outs when talking to these companies is, "If you're so great at SEO, why are you relying on cold emails to gain new clients instead of SEO tactics?" Also, when you review their SEO using SEM Rush or Ahrefs, it's hot garbage.
(2) They outsource their work overseas.
I am a big believer in controlling the creative process. To me, that means if you offer a service, you should be the one doing it. It would be like our team saying we do content creation and social management and then up-charging our clients for someone else to do it. It's dishonest.
(3) They don't care about the end-user.
One of the main cornerstones of Wayne Media is that we prefer to work with businesses within our local service area. If it's Brighton, we're targeting southeast Michigan. That's pretty much it. However, SEO companies focus nationally, so it's difficult to gauge whether or not someone is on your side or just treating your company like an assembly line.
Are you looking for a great SEO company? Here are a few things to consider.
Check out their reputation, including their Google and Facebook reviews.
Look at their website and portfolio. A great SEO company should be transparent.
Search them on Ahrefs or SEM Rush. Check out what keywords they're ranking for on Google.
Ensure your goals align with their goals. Being on the same page is a top priority.
Does Wayne Media do SEO work?
Wayne Media does not do SEO work as a service. Our team optimizes on-page SEO for websites that we've built. We build on the Squarespace platform, which does exceptionally well for SEO rankings if you know the framework. On-page is an essential element of SEO, but just the beginning. It doesn't include backlinks, citations, and the relevant content and updates that a website needs to rank and maintain its position.
We are in the process of building out an ongoing SEO service, but like anything we roll out, we want it to be practical and well-tested. I am not in the habit of rolling out things half-baked. Don't get me wrong, our social media services and website retainer do encompass SEO tactics, but not near the depth that businesses need for long-term SEO services. More details on our new offering soon, but I wanted to write this blog so business owners understand what to be aware of and avoid missteps when hiring a long-term SEO company.
Questions? Let us know.
rob@waynemedia.com
517.525.9643
