What is Organic SEO?
Organic SEO (search engine optimization) is the process to obtain a natural placement on organic search engine results pages without paying anyone!.
There are various strategies that can rank your website high organically on search engines. Some being writing useful content, having the right keyword density, writing effective meta tags. If your website comes up well in organic search results then you will get numerous emails from all over the world promising to make your website #1 on Google. Do not pay attention to these emails. After all they found you online :). If they are a real SEO company then they should have already achieved the #1 Google ranking and do not have to resort to writing emails to acquire customers. There are good SEOs and there are inexperienced SEOs, therefore you have to be careful who you choose. For example, recently one of my friend was unemployed and his first thought was to become an SEO because he thought becoming an SEO involves no skills or experience.
Companies will usually offer free audits for your websites and tell you what is wrong with your site just to get your business. Many times these are marketing strategies, however sometimes it is legit, especially if you have an outdated website.
Is spending money on Organic SEO worth it?
It is good to have basic SEO for your website. Write good content. Write effective meta tags. Keep your website up to date. Get involved with social media even if you don’t like it. But do not pay anyone thousands of dollars. Organic SEO is hard work but not a rocket science.
How Far Does Organic SEO Take You?
No matter how well your website ranks on Google you will never be #1. The reason is because businesses that advertise with Google will come up on the top of search results. These business are paying Google for Ad Placements. Therefore, they will always get more business. When you perform a search query, depending upon your query around 7 Google Ads may appear on the page, some on the top and some on the bottom of the page. Under Google Ads, you may see a map and then a few organic search results.
How Can You Compete?
First of all make sure your website is easy to navigate and is user friendly. The underlying code should be well constructed. If you are using a website builder to create your website then most probably it will not do well in search engines. If your budget allows, then advertise with Google.
How Much Do I Need to Advertise With Google?
Clients always ask me if Google Adwords is worth the cost for a small local business. Should they spend time and money on organic results or pay for Google Adwords? Google Adwords can bring you a lot of business when done right.
When advertising with Google start with a small budget. Monitor which keywords bring you business. Add negative keywords so that users who are not interested in your business do not click on your Ad. Create high quality Ads and landing pages. Use call for action! Clearly state your message. Your contact information should visible. Make sure you do not have broken links on your site. Since over 80% of users are now using mobile devices, it is real important your site looks good on all devices.
Google Adwords can bring a lot of traffic to your website, but if the traffic is useless then you will lose money. Therefore, it is important to create great Ads, use the right keywords, use the right locations, scheduling and bidding. You should monitor your account everyday to make sure your ads are performing well.
