SEO has been around for a while and has proven to be a game changer in many industries around the globe. Many businesses are reluctant or afraid to invest in things they don’t know or trust. This is changing.
1. Can I do SEO myself?
You can certainly optimize your website yourself , but you need two things to learn SEO: A lot of time and experience!
Being a website operator (webmaster/website administrator) is no longer difficult and cheap these days!
1.1 Domain & Hosting
Let’s start with the two points, the “web hosting” and the “domain name” of a website. The costs for this are simple and manageable because a hosting package including the domain name starts at 3 euros per month.
Info: The web host or web hosting is a term for a service provider or service . Here a computer or only partial services are rented out. The computer itself has a constant connection to the Internet and thus provides the hardware for the actual website.
Tip: The web hosting contract should be a simple and small package at the beginning, because switching upwards is usually free of charge.
The content management system ( CMS) can be explained with the words ” the operating system for the website “. Many of the systems offered on the market are open source and therefore also available free of charge .
The function and usability differ, so the strengths and weaknesses of the individual systems should be researched in advance. Selection criteria should be coordinated with the project and personal ability .
Info: Good coordination between the selected CMS and the right hoster can increase the performance of the website . There are different CMS systems on the market , such as WordPress , Trupal or Joomla , just to name a few.
Tip: Large and well-known website hosts such as ionos, Hoste Europ, Strato and others often offer installation at the push of a button (1-click installation) in their packages. No additional skills are required for this .
If you want to create a website that does not pursue any financial goals, you can create a perfectly acceptable website without much knowledge!
Blogs, fan websites, but also forums or advice portals are often created and operated by private individuals. More or less time is invested in these, for example directly after work. It is, therefore, a hobby called “own website”!
However, if there is a business behind the website, the possibility of a well-planned website should be used. It is no longer just to be understood as a business card on the Internet, as was the case a few years ago.
If a company has a well-functioning website that is better than its competitors , this can help to attract more customers, and not just for online shops.
Especially for shops, this topic is becoming more and more relevant and unfortunately too often underestimated. Here it is worth getting advice from a professional!
1.2 There are numerous hobby webmasters and hobby SEOs too!
SEO can be learned by anyone . There are numerous websites that explain and guide everything point by point.
There are also a large number of tutorials on YouTube or other helpful portals. There are now even study courses, part-time further training and lectures on the topic of SEO.
However, in addition to the money, it takes a lot of time for training to keep up to date, because SEO never ends! We as SEO-Schweinfurt will be happy to advise you and teach you the basics of Seo directly on-site. Ask for an appointment now!
For some areas, this is definitely sufficient for the time being. However, if there are several websites in competition , what and above all how it was done decides. The search engine algorithm is constantly improving and changing.
You should therefore know exactly what you are doing!
The result will be a deterioration in the result lists if used incorrectly .
Our tip is to get really good information in advance or let a professional do it.
2. Does my business need an SEO agency?
This question can be answered relatively easily from an economic point of view!
If you have free time and are willing to train yourself or an employee with the knowledge and know-how, then a so-called “IN-House-SEO” is conceivable. In most companies, however, knowledge also goes with the employee.
Do you have the time resources to learn the knowledge and know -how or the financial means to buy it? If this possibility does not exist, we are of the opinion “Yes” you need an SEO agency .
Without the necessary background knowledge, your website only has a greatly reduced chance of ranking well in the SERPs (search result lists) with the important (high-traffic) keywords and of attracting the attention of potential customers!
As a rule, every company needs a professional and SEO-optimized website !
Larger companies often have their own SEO departments (so-called in-house SEO) , medium-sized and small companies often hire an SEO agency for cost reasons !
One of the most important work of an SEO begins before the actual website creation . Good planning and a well-developed strategy help to achieve long-term and lasting success. With existing websites , a review of what is available is also extremely important.
2.1 Why is planning and strategy so important?
Here is an example with a customer on the subject of “strategy”:
In the summer of 2018, we advised a large American company that is also based in Germany and employs a good 20,000 people. Of course, this company operates a website. The individual CMS used is good in terms of programming, but not the concept behind it.
The link structure is sub-optimal , the complete content or the articles are designed without a clue and are not really interesting for the user. A lot of resources have been wasted here so far , because the visitor to this website expects something completely different.
The customer was of the opinion that he had optimized his content so far , but unfortunately in the wrong direction .
No persona was created, the target groups were not worked out in order to create the content in a targeted manner !
Even the simplest things were not done: meta description, canonical tag, texts that were too short, etc.! We’re talking about a large company with 20,000 employees, which is a global player in its area and whose website only has 50,000 visitors per month . Even our “small” websites have twice as many visitors .
We analyzed the website, the website has potential for millions of visitors. We even worked out a content strategy for the German management of the company, wrote a really great article, which has not yet been put online to this day! (Status: 1/2020)
The SEO topic is often dismissed as HUMBUG and not really taken seriously, but it is and is becoming increasingly important for companies . Because those who continue to live in the Internet past will lose customers and thus sales in difficult times.
“We would be happy to talk about your project in a personal consultation and provide targeted advice.”
2.2 Reasons for an SEO service provider!
Depending on the company, there are numerous reasons that speak for an SEO agency . In addition to the time factor, lack of know-how and the required tools, there are the following reasons:
- Analysis: If you want to be competitive
these days, you need data and facts ! A good analysis of the competitors brings exactly this! Your company must also be analyzed in order to identify strengths and weaknesses . Thus, if necessary, the goals of your company are redefined by the analysis. With the collected data of the competition or competitors and your own , different strategies can be developed ! - Strategy and conception:
A successful company needs a good strategy , which not only affects the design, performance and usability of the website, but also starts with the target group analysis . The right choice of the CMS system , building the website structure , defining categories and topic selection of the articles, etc. are just a few valuable points! Only a good strategy can lead to success! - Article creation:
Google’s algorithm is so good today that it includes user signals . In the past, an article decorated with the right keywords and a few backlinks was enough to rank well. However, those days are over now! Above all, an article has to do one thing: offer the reader exactly what he is looking for in terms of information . Among other things, it needs short meaningful titles and paragraphs that are easy to read and loosened up with meaningful pictures ! Even skimming and flying over the text should convey a certain amount of information and is therefore included in the design. - Monitoring:
Even when the individual pages are finished and online, they have to be monitored . In addition to keyword ranking and visibility , user behavior (length of stay, page views per user, bounce rate) is an extremely important factor .
The resulting result will be further analyzed and the content may be revised ! If, for example, the bounce rate is too high, this is often due to the keywords used in relation to the topic of the article .
Another reason may be that the article does not provide all the facts , is difficult to read, or is confusingly structuredis.
The user will therefore call up another page to pursue his intention. Such a signal to the search engine naturally has a negative effect on the ranking of the website! - Link popularity – backing structure:
Depending on whether your company operates internationally, nationally or locally, it needs a link building strategy that is tailored to the company .
A company that is based locally and also offers its product or service locally needs a completely different backlink profile than a company that operates throughout Germany! A distinction is made here between “organic” and “local” Seo ! - Keep an eye on trends:
SEO is constantly changing, so it is essential that necessary changes are recognized quickly and implemented if necessary .
Seo experts, like us, have to constantly educate themselves in order to notice important trends and changes (e.g. in the Google algorithm)and to react to them in a timely manner!
If such changes are neglected or ignored , this can be an advantage for the competition . If the competitor has that in mind, he will pass!
2.3 Find a good SEO agency!
What does a good SEO agency need? The necessary know-how and experience! A real SEO has many years of experience in dealing with websites and the search engines .
This does not mean creating websites, because thanks to modular systems and CMS, this has become very easy. There are numerous SEO agencies that create a visually very good website.
Even here in Schweinfurt, some website agencies also offer “search engine optimization”. But in order to recognize a good SEO agency , you need some basic knowledge of what SEO actually means!
You as an entrepreneur must ultimately be able to decide whether the agency is competent enough ! Many promises are made to you!
Danger!!! Do not act hastily! Before you go to an agency and invest your hard-earned money, get advice!
A competent SEO agency will be happy to advise you , not for nothing, because analyzing your website and your company takes time and effort. But a well-prepared agency will present you with a strategy .
2.4 rip-off – charlatans also in the SEO area
There are numerous SEO service providers , and there are also numerous agencies in the Schweinfurt area that have committed themselves to SEO .
But not every agency is competent enough, charlatans and rip-offs can be found everywhere , even with the alleged SEO service providers! How do I tell the difference between a capable SEO agency and a rip-off?
SEO rip-off – you should pay attention to this! As a layman, it is not easy to distinguish a competent company from a less competent one. But the following statements should ring alarm bells:
- We make your keywords number 1
Here you should sit up and take notice! Do n’t be fooled by such statements ! 1st place Nobody can and should make promises to you, that’s dubious !
A real SEO service provider will not make such statements, he knows that too many factors are important! - We are Google Partners – We have a Google seal or certificate!
Customers are often written to by an SEO agency that has lost their website in the ranking with important keywords. These companies advertise with
“… we can look back on a long-standing partnership with Google …” or something like that! This is misleading and not correct ! There are no partnerships with Google , nor any seal regarding SEO services! *1) - We are a big agency!
The bigger the agency, the better they understand their craft! No , you can’t say that in general ! You don’t know how this company got so big, maybe the core business is in other areas !Because many companies that program websites or are active in web design, marketing, etc.
also like to take up the cause of SEO services . In fact, they may only edit the meta description, set titles and keywords in the texts, maybe build a few backlinks and then call it SEO! - We have hundreds of references!
References are good but not really meaningful! Companies often boast with 300 or more references, which sounds good at first and the customer thinks: “Yes …. they have experience!” But beware, were the websites only created or was SEO actually used? It’s actually not that difficult to determine! Just look at the references . This is not about the technology or the design, the link profile is much more important .With a simple tool: “
link:http://www.domain.com ” you can view the link profile of the website in Google .Take a close look at the backlinks: Too many
Links from comments , forums or spam links (links from networks – websites that were only built for link building) are not evidence of quality but quantity.
2.5 How do I recognize a good SEO agency?
But how do I recognize a good SEO agency? It is best if you acquire a certain basic knowledge yourself ! If this is not possible for you for reasons of time, then simply call the customers from the references of the said company, ask whether they were satisfied , whether the price was reasonable and whether an increase in the number of visitors was actually recorded!
Recommendations from customers of an SEO agency are worth more than any statements a company can make about itself!
An example of a consultation with a customer. That particular customer was a retailer who had hired an SEO agency to optimize their website!
The customer was disappointed, they didn’t like the site, the site’s traffic had n’t improved much, and the price was way over the top ! The “new” website was analyzed and the customer was right.
There was no proper planning , the company’s weaknesses and strengths were not analyzed, no target groups were worked out, there was no real strategy !
Only a WordPress CMS system was installed, the texts were simply taken over from the old site , the title changed a bit, the meta description edited and that’s it! The customer had one Shop for spare parts , the items were not integrated into the new website via API interface , but simply integrated via iFrame ! And the customer paid way too much for it!
“Use the experience of experts and make an appointment with us.”