7 Reasons Why Expert SEO Services Are Worth the Cost

For any company that does business online or otherwise has any online presence, search engine optimization, or SEO, is a crucial part of an effective digital strategy. SEO is how your audience is able to see your site and its content in the first place. But far too many small business today are foregoing SEO in their marketing plans. In fact, the most recent data available indicates that less than a quarter of small-business owners plan to invest in SEO.

For many of them, there’s little doubt that what’s stopping them from investing in SEO is cost. Good, long-term SEO is not cheap. But it’s also not something you can skip. If you were building a new office, you wouldn’t skip installing a sign out front, right?

It’s true that some SEO services can seem quite expensive when considering all costs your company has. But, like with any specialty service, it will probably do more harm than good in the long run to cheap out on SEO.

Here are a few reasons why expert SEO services will be well worth the cost in the long run.

 

1. Building an Audience Takes Time

While a few technical aspects to SEO can be found and fixed quickly by even an entry-level SEO professional, developing and growing a thought leadership presence or dedicated online audience takes time. An experienced SEO professional will be able, over time, to get your content in front of people who can then amplify your messaging and get your words and brand to an even wider audience. But much like building a personal credit score, the longer you do smart, consistent SEO practices, the better your SEO will be because you’ll be building up credibility within your industry.

 

2. Experience Is Valuable

There’s a reason why your first job out of college is probably the lowest-paying one you’ve ever had. At that point in your life, you had little to no real experience, and your employer wasn’t willing to make the same investment they’d make in a proven entity. Entry-level employees need more guidance and management and they will make more mistakes. So the question of whether you can afford an expensive, experienced SEO service really comes down to whether you want to spend your time correcting mistakes or worrying whether things are being done with modern best practices in mind.

 

3. You Want Thoughtful Analysis

There’s a sea of low-cost SEO companies out there who promise crazy results almost overnight. What they don’t tell you is that almost everything they do is fully automated. They are using AI and other automation tools to create a report that they then sell to you as custom, and, of course, they’re selling their ongoing services, which are also almost always automated. A senior SEO expert is expensive because they’re going to do a thoughtful, creative analysis of your site and content strategy. They’re not going to treat your website and company as if you’re simply a cog on an assembly line.

 

4. Traffic Pays Off

Each company’s needs and goals are unique, but for most companies embarking on SEO projects, one of their biggest goals is increasing traffic. You’ll almost certainly have more goals after that, such as increased conversions or product demos, but getting more eyes on the site is almost always the first step. Much like a retail facelift will increase your foot traffic at your physical location, a smart SEO plan helps shine a new light on your brand and your content, and the ripple effects of that will pay dividends.

 

5. Ethical Tactics Make a Difference

Most of the cut-rate SEO companies out there aren’t outright frauds, but some of them are. It’s an unfortunate reality that many of their customers aren’t able to see through because they simply don’t have the experience that allows them to notice the warning signs. Some cheap SEO companies, especially the ones that promise overnight results, may actually get results. But they probably won’t be the ones you want, as in order to get those overnight results, these companies engage in unethical, black-hat tactics that search engines will actually penalize you for. These cheap-and-easy tactics will do the opposite of what you want — you’ll hurt traffic and could even impact the business.

 

6. SEO Never Ends

Google makes near-constant tweaks to its algorithm. Though these changes aren’t exactly publicly broadcast, a skilled SEO expert can examine metrics and results and make a very educated recommendation about how to change tactics if necessary. Tons and tons of new data comes online every single day, but someone with a long history of success in SEO can draw upon their institutional memory to help ensure that your company’s SEO practices keep your content ahead of the changes Google makes.

 

7. Content Is Everything

Producing really great content, whether you handle this yourself or leave up to your SEO expert, is expensive. Google’s algorithm changes in recent years have generously rewarded companies that are obviously investing in great content that’s well-researched and written by subject matter experts. Remember that what search engine algorithms are really trying to do is emulate the kind of judgment that readers use to determine what information is most valuable. So if your content solves a problem, your site will be rewarded for it. Knowing what content can help you do that and making sure that content is smart, well-written and effective means hiring only the best people for the job.

 

Conclusion

You wouldn’t hire the very cheapest bidder to remodel your kitchen. You might not choose the most expensive one, either, but a smart homeowner sees the value in hiring an expert who has seen and done it all.

What you are able to spend on SEO should be tied to what your expectations are for how effective SEO can be. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to SEO or what you should spend. But when you consider that SEO is a central plank in your overall marketing strategy, it’s clear that you shouldn’t just choose the cheapest bid. Consider what you are hoping to get out of better SEO. It’s likely that you’re hoping to increase traffic and conversions and boost sales, which is the lifeblood of most companies. Doing something so important could never be cheap or easy.

Please take a look at our case study on SEO and YouTube Video Optimization and contact us to schedule a meeting.

 

Additional Resources

Small Biz Trends.com, Small Business Owners Skip Web Optimization, New Study Finds/ (2017.) Retrieved from https://smallbiztrends.com/2017/02/2017-small-business-digital-trends-report.html