So, you’re in the market for a Website SEO expert. As you will soon find out, hundreds if not thousands of businesses claim that they offer the “best, cheapest, and quickest” SEO services on the market. The sad reality is that most of the time, these companies cannot deliver on these promises. You get what you pay for applies perfectly in the SEO landscape. Cutting corners is not something to do when looking for a compressive SEO plan. In fact, it’s the quickest way to ensure you won’t boost your website’s overall performance.
rvResortScout is a leader in the RV Directory landscape and has the knowledge to help propel your own personal website to the top of search engine rankings. This will increase the amount of search traffic sent to your websites and directly correlates to more bookings being made. This article will show you just how we can help take your website from not ranking in Google’s Search Engine to being one of the top results. And more importantly, we will show you what to look for when picking the right SEO expert. At the end of the day, regardless of if you choose to go with us, we want to make sure you know the tell-tale signs of an SEO expert and someone out to make a quick buck.
To keep this article short, we will break it up into three short sections. A Green Flags section that will cover what you should be looking for from a Website SEO expert. A Red Flags section that will cover what to stay away from. And finally, we will show you a condensed version of the process we take when creating your own custom SEO plan. rvResortScout is fully transparent when it comes to expected time to see results, cost, and work you will have to put in to see the changes.
SEO for Websites – Green Flags
When looking for these green flags, it might be wise to have a piece of paper or a notepad next to you so you can jot down the pros and cons of working with each company. What you like, what you don’t like, and questions that you will ask the company should you choose to reach out to them in hopes of forming a partnership. Be honest with what you are looking for and what you expect. Any reputable SEO expert will do the same and will tell you exactly what you can expect. And arguably more importantly, in what time frame.
Experience
The first green flag we will be covering is experience. Having experience in your field goes a long way, not just in the SEO sector. Experience lets you handle curveballs thrown at you that inexperienced businesses might not be able to handle. At rvResortScout, we have team members with over 20 years of SEO experience who have used their knowledge to help their websites and their client’s websites rank high for several years. Always ask the company you are doing business with how long they have specialized in SEO research. If they shy away from the question or refuse to give a direct answer, this may be the first sign that they are not as experienced as they claim to be.
Testimonials
Next, we will cover testimonials and how they should shape your decision on who to work with. A comprehensive review of a company allows you to see just how they can help you. It’s easy to place yourself in another person’s shoes looking for a similar service you are. If they were able to help that person, why wouldn’t they help you? Testimonials should be easy to find on a business’s website, and if they aren’t, you might need to do a bit of work and ask for some. Be picky and access each one. If they sound fishy or too good to be true, you might want to shy away from a company like this. You are looking for honest and forthright reviews that give you insight into how this company handles its business.
One more note on testimonials. Just because a company has a few not-so-good reviews, don’t immediately discount them. It takes courage to display negative reviews, and it shows that a company is willing to be open and honest about a time that they fell short. If you see a negative review on their website, this might be the perfect question to ask them. Ask them what happened and what they are doing in the future to ensure that that doesn’t happen again.
SEO Website Knowledge
The knowledge a person possesses does not always equate to the amount of experience they have. While experience should be one of the qualifying factors, it should not be the only thing you look into when qualifying a potential business partner. The person could have experience from 10 years ago that is no longer relevant in the internet’s ever-changing landscape. Things that worked just two months ago may not work now. Google is always changing its algorithm, and having someone with the knowledge to make the most out of these changes is a must. A true SEO expert will possess this knowledge and use various tools to create your custom SEO game plan.
Ask about the tools they will use to create your game plan and how they will monitor your progress. How long have they been using these tools to help business owners such as yourself grow their business? All these questions and more should be asked when “testing” your SEO experts’ knowledge on the subject. For example, if an SEO “expert” tells you, you can experience results in as little as a week, that is not something a true expert would ever say. SEO campaigns can take up to six months to fully experience the results you are looking for, and typically results don’t start showing up until at least three months into the campaign. Of course, there are ways to speed this up but using classic/organic SEO techniques, anything less than a three-month time frame is unrealistic. Simply put, changes take time in Google’s vast landscape.
Interest in Your Project
A good SEO Website Expert will ask questions you would have never thought of yourself. They might ask you questions about what you’ve tried in the past, your budget, time frame for the project, and more basic questions. But then you might run into someone who asks you, “Have you used Google Analytics to tell you your most visited webpages and tried to optimize them first?” At first, you might be taken aback by the question if you don’t know what Google Analytics is and the power it yields to website owners. Nevertheless, it shows your “expert” cares about your site’s well-being and wants to know what you have tried in the past, so they don’t waste your time trying techniques that did not work. In other words, they will show interest in your project.
Interest is easy to fake at first. They need to show they have a proven track record of following through with what they promise, just like in a relationship, it can be easy for people to fake interest for a few short weeks. But three to six months down the line, when the big changes are happening, are they still able to stick with you and help you navigate the waters? The answer needs to be a resounding yes. If it isn’t, it time to move onto the next SEO expert. This is part of why rvResortScout agrees to work with clients for no less than three months when agreeing to help optimize their website. SEO optimization takes time, and we strive to give each of our clients the time dedication needed to complete each project successfully.
The Red Flags of Website SEO
Arguably, more importantly, to look for are the red flags of so-called SEO experts. These are the tip-offs that these “experts” might not really be experts in their field. The sad thing is anyone with a bit of time and experience making websites can create an SEO consultation service and drive clients. With the growth of Ads on the internet, it is becoming easier and easier to get your business shown, even if your business does not necessarily deserve to be shown. For this reason, it is important that you pick up on any of these red flags.
Cheap Rates
Unfortunately, SEO optimization is not cheap and requires a lot of time, manpower, and resources to do a thorough and well-thought-out job. Still, several experts will charge pennies to do work that frankly can’t be done at that price. What ends up happening is you get no results. This leaves you frustrated because your so-called expert hasn’t helped you at all. Worst of all, you might even think SEO optimization doesn’t even work. I’m here to say it does, but you get what you pay for applies perfectly in this situation.
rvResortScout does have higher rates than some of our competitors. But that is because we use only the most qualified individuals and most up-to-date software to get our clients the results they deserve. As a quick tip, most SEO projects in 2020 cost between $800-$2,000/month based on the project’s scope. A one-time project will range upwards of $4,000 and hourly rates for consultants fall between $80-$200/hour.
Beware of anything much lower than the above-quoted price point, anything less you might just get some basic keyword research and maybe make a few more tweaks that deliver weak to no results. The point here is no to be tempted by rock-bottom fees that will leave you paying more in the long run.
An SEO optimization package should be considered a risky investment. A major factor in why SEO’s can be considered a risky investment is the fact that the search engine ranking algorithm frequently changes with little or no warning. Google, for example, algorithm changes at least 300-400 times a year, (which averages up to almost twice a day). Which in turn, makes it difficult to pinpoint an exact SEO formula. Even with these constant changes, factors such as original content, optimized titles with proper meta description, a good link structure, and increasing page speed do remain a constant.
Empty Promises
If an SEO expert starts promising you things, you better watch out. Of course, there are certain things we can control, but Google is not one of them. Only Google knows exactly what it is looking for, and while we have the ability to create a fully optimized SEO website, there’s always a chance Google does not list it high. Such experts also claim to be able to make massive changes in just a few days. The reality is SEO optimization is a process that takes 3-6 months to get the most out of it truly. When working on the internet, there is a slight time lag in the time it takes for Google to pick up on major changes you are making to your website.
This is why at rvResortScout, we commit to helping our clients for a minimum of three months. At this time, you will have the ability to end the contract or sign on for an additional 3 to see the project to completion and its maximum potential. SEO optimization is a lifelong process, so some of our clients choose to get on our lifetime package where we monitor any changes to their Google Rankings and can help them decide on the best course of action if/when they take a dip.
Hiding Their Process
In website SEO, the process needs to be transparent. You should know what your “expert” is doing at all times. If they say it’s a hands-off operation and you can sit back and wait for the results, that could be a red flag. At the very least, they should explain what they are doing in the background and what stage of the process they are on. They shouldn’t expect you to do all the work (after all, you are the customer), but a good SEO expert will reach out to you for permission to make changes, ask for your input, and give you updates along the way.
Most reputable SEO experts will also have a roadmap or a guide that you can follow along, so you know where you are in the process and the changes that are happening each day. Some of these stages may include a consultation stage, assessment stage, working stage, monitoring stage, and completion stage. Of course, these stages are flexible, and at times you may even need to go back to get to your optimal SEO level. Knowing which stage you are in keeps you in the loop and gives you a better idea of when you can start expecting results.
Bad Communication
Is it easy to reach out to your SEO Expert and get a quick and concise response when you need it? Are they able to answer all of your questions without giving you the runaround? How do they respond to pressure when you are asking them about the status of your project? Are they there for you, or do they disappear when you need them the most? These questions are important to ask and could signal major red flags if these questions are not answered correctly. As the client, you have the right to ask questions and get answers in a reasonable time frame. Not knowing an answer is not an excuse for never finding you the answer. Communication is key, and if they lack communication basics, it is time to move on.
A good SEO expert will either have the answer, will get you the answer, or at the very least be honest with you and tell you they cannot get you the answer. Do not settle for less. When the communication is not there, the success rate of your project will diminish. It would help if you were in sync with the company you are working with, and the only way to do that is through honest and direct communication. Never hesitate to reach out if you have any questions concerning the SEO process.
A Brief Rundown of Our Website SEO Process
This section aims to give you a short/condensed version of what we do when we are running an SEO campaign for our clients. This is meant to serve as a guide but in no way should be thought of as a concrete plan that we take with every single client. Instead, we form custom plans for each of our clients to meet their needs, budget, time constraints, and time dedication to this project. In this example, we will cover Campground X with a $1,000 budget, a six-month time frame to see results, and is willing to put 5 hours a week of work into this project to help it move along.
When a client reaches out to us and agrees to have a custom SEO plan built for them, we initially do a complete consultation/audit of their website. This is where we identify weak points, strong points, keywords, image optimization, headline optimization, content optimization, meta descriptions, and more.
Once our audit has been done, we report back to our clients and tell them exactly what should be done and what can be done for their budget. In essence, we are giving them a free estimate just like you would get for a home improvement project. Often our clients opt to dedicate a bit more capital to increase their SEO spending once they see what exactly needs to be done to fix their website. Check out this quick write-up on SEO Analysis to get a deeper dive into the topic.
Once a price and package are agreed on, the fun starts. Our team of SEO experts gets to work on making sure Company X’s plan comes to fruition. We go into overdrive to make all the necessary changes to their website (with your permission) that will help increase your SEO status. As these changes, our made, our team continually monitors your ranking on the web. Every little change matters and we make sure to document and track every change, so we know what works and what doesn’t. Our team uses a scientific method to pinpoint the exact formula for your SEO success.
Down The Line
This process continues for a few months, and during that time, Company X is in charge of reporting back to us what they think is working, changes they would like to see made, and asking any questions along the way. The team at rvResortScout continually monitors Company X’s website to track any Search Engine Ranking changes. We also make the tweaks along the way that help complete any good SEO plan. This can include things such as meta descriptions and SEO titles for your web pages.
Then 3-6 months down the line, we start to notice the results. Company X now has an uptick of 30% in monthly traffic, which equals 10% more bookings a month, drastically improving their bottom line. As time passes, these results will increase as Company X gains more authority on the web, and Google recognizes them as one of the best campgrounds in their area.
As previously stated, all of this was a very condensed and short view of an SEO plan. In reality, many moving parts go into a successful plan, and meticulous planning is required to make it work as it should. But this was meant for you to get a glimpse into the SEO world. If this is something that you believe your business could benefit from, please schedule a discovery meeting with one of our marketing/SEO experts, and they will help you decide on a package that is right for you. During the meeting, you can expect an overview of the services we offer and a few questions to get to know your current SEO strategy. We wish you the best of luck in meeting all of your SEO requirements; we hope to speak with you soon.
