SEO Myths: 2016 Edition

SEO MYTHS WE COME ACROSS in 2016

The world of SEO myths is a minefield. Differentiating between a good and a bad SEO agency is often difficult for new clients with no previous SEO experience or knowhow. Sadly, I too fell into this trap a few years ago with my transport and logistics business. It cost me thousands of dollars in SEO cost, tens of thousands in lost revenue and 12 months of frustration with a dodgy and dishonest SEO company who had locked me into a contract.

Learning from my own experiences, I’ve developed a strong desire to launch the Digital Squad to provide authentic and honest SEO services in Auckland NZ.

I’ve compiled a list of  SEO myths I still come across in my dealings with business owners other entrepreneurs, most of which still shock me.

1. I can pay $99 for linking building using a foreign company to achieve the same result. Like a lot of other industries and most situations in life – you get what you pay for. Spammy link building targeting low PR sites may give you short term results but you will without a doubt get blacklisted. Following the Penguin 4.0 algorithm update on 23rd September, this will now be done in “real-time”. New SEO campaigns require at least 20 hours of work per week to build traction and automated link building platforms just don’t work anymore.
2. I’ve just paid for a new website with another web agency who will include SEO. If there was a dollar for every time we’ve heard that. Web design agencies, at best, will only do very basic on-page optimisation. Elements such as keyword density, copywriting, meta-tag and schema optimisation, and over 40 other technical factors will determine whether your new website will have a respectable rank on search engines, and more importantly, bring in new leads. Don’t use generalists for SEO!
3. I can’t afford SEO. My question is, can you afford not to? I have personally experienced 300% increase in revenue after a 4 week SEO campaign and the beauty of SEO is that it never sleeps. First page ranking equates to  higher conversion rates due to creditability perception, higher average sale and more leads.
4. There is no way to measure ROI. Traditionally, the average business spent between $3500-$15,000 annually for Yellow Pages and most of them still do! How do you track ROI on that? Or billboards for that matter? The truth is that there is not honest way to measure ROI on billboards, Yellow Pages or print media. The ROI on digital advertising is 100% measurable , realtime with analytical data providing full insight into customer behaviour, conversion and bounce rates and quality critical data.
5. I get my customers from word-by-mouth or referral and don’t need SEO. Word-by-mouth is great, it can also be very slow to build real traction in sales if your product or service has a long repeat purchase. Search phrases being used are real buyers who have a 92% change of making a purchase decision based on online search results, with over 85% choosing a company from first page.

If you’re ready for your business to grow digitally and win the digital game, contact the team at Digital Squad, your SEO company Wellington. We strive to build long term relationships with our clients and we consider them our partners. When you’re ready to see your online visitors grow and convert into sales, we are here for you. We are a b2b marketing agency with expertise in SEO services, Facebook marketing Auckland, LinkedIn marketing, AdWords management agency Auckland and more.