Top 8 Pitfalls When Hiring for SEO
- Avoiding Analytic Tools
- Believing False Promises & Guarantees
- Expecting it to Work Overnight
- Not Doing Your Research
- Signing Long-Term Contracts
- Opting for Black Hat SEO Companies
- Not Communicating Your Goals
- Going for the Cheapest Option
Thinking About Hiring for SEO?
If you are thinking about hiring for SEO, there is an absolute minefield of common mistakes to avoid. In a world where virtually everyone has access to search engines at their fingertips, it is vital that you get ahead of your competition through Search Engine Optimisation. But you can’t just pick any old SEO company; not everyone will be right for your business’s website.
If you want your website to start off on the right foot, read on for some insights that will prepare you for what to look out for when hiring an SEO agency or provider and the many SEO pitfalls to avoid.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring an SEO Company
Don’t fall into the trap of hiring the wrong SEO company! In order to help you navigate hiring for SEO, we have compiled a list of common pitfalls to avoid so you don’t make the same mistake that so many businesses have made previously.
Believing False Promises & Guarantees
Falling for false promises is probably one of the most common mistakes businesses make when hiring for SEO. If an SEO company tells you they can guarantee to get your website to the top of Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs), we strongly advise you not to believe them! There is no exact science or timeline for SEO, and there is never a guarantee that your website will reach the top ranking on search engines like Google, Bing or Yahoo.
Additionally, if they don’t have access to your website but you are paying for SEO services, chances are they are taking your hard-earned money and not doing anything to boost your rankings. You might even find companies that promise to get you to the top of results pages but do so by paying for Google Ads (Pay Per Click).
Even once you reach the top spot of Google or bag a featured snippet, there is no certainty that your webpage will stay there. Google’s algorithms are continuously evolving, and what works today might not work in the future.
Expecting it to Work Overnight
We cannot stress this enough: SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. So many variables can impact your rankings, and SEO takes time. While requesting indexing on Bing Webmaster Tools or Google Search Console can help speed up the time it takes for bots to crawl your website, that does not mean you will immediately reach the top of search engine results pages.
SEO is not a quick fix. This is especially apparent when there is a high level of competition for specific keywords, products, or services. While you are working on your SEO, your competitors may be doing the same.
Additionally, if your website has a low EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) rating, it may take time to build its online presence.
Not Doing Your Research
If you are considering hiring for SEO, doing your research is essential for finding the right SEO company or provider for your website. Educating yourself about SEO not only helps you understand how SEO companies work but also prevents you from being blindsided if you are unfortunate to find a company that is misleading you.
Make sure to check out their reviews on Google, Trustpilot or Facebook. This will give you a clear indication of their customer service levels, quality of work and expertise. Don’t be afraid of the occasional one-star or two-star review. Everyone is human, after all! However, it might be worth steering clear if you see numerous poor reviews followed by an influx of good ones. The good ones might have been falsified, so read the reviews rather than just look at the numbers. To learn more about SEO, check out our guides on What is SEO? and What Are the Different Types of SEO Companies or Providers? These will give you even more insights into hiring for SEO, including the types of services they may offer and the different kinds of SEO. The more you know, the better prepared you will be when you are ready to invest in your business’ growth.
Signing Long-Term Contracts
When hiring for SEO, don’t get tied into signing long-term contracts you can’t get out of! It is unfair to you or your business if SEO companies want to keep you paying for their services longer than you are happy with. Search engine algorithms are constantly evolving, and you might find they are stuck in their old ways and unwilling to change. This might lead to your website dropping off its rankings as what previously worked no longer does.
Or perhaps you would prefer to part ways due to differences or a clash of personalities. Suppose your business has had an unexpectedly high expense, and you can’t afford the monthly costs of SEO for the time being. No one can predict the future, or SEO, for that matter, and you never know how your circumstances might change.
Opting for Black Hat SEO Companies
Black hat SEO companies employ unethical methods to manipulate a website’s search engine rankings by violating search engine guidelines. They achieve this by taking advantage of vulnerabilities in algorithms.
These tactics may include purchasing low-quality backlinks, keyword stuffing, or scraping content from other websites. Additionally, they might utilise cloaking, a technique that presents different content to readers and search engines, such as hiding text using the same colour as the background or using an extremely small font size.
Even though these strategies can yield rapid improvement in search result rankings, they are often short-lived. Search engine algorithms are capable of detecting improper SEO practices, which can potentially lead to penalties or even permanent removal from search engine results pages.
Not Communicating Your Goals
If you don’t know your target audience or fail to effectively communicate which services, products or keywords you want to prioritise on your website, the company you are hiring for SEO won’t know either.
Do you have a list of services or products prioritised according to importance? It might not be feasible to focus on all of your key services or products at once if they exceed your budget within the short-term timeline. Therefore, it is important to manage your expectations. Remember, SEO takes time, and it is rewarding for those who are patient yet consistent.
Going for the Cheapest Option
When hiring for SEO, don’t just go for the cheapest option. While you might save money on your monthly SEO costs, cheaper options have potential downfalls, and you tend to get what you pay for.
Additionally, don’t go for the most expansive option either. Just because an SEO agency or provider charges “an arm and a leg” doesn’t mean it’s worth it! SEO costs vary widely based on a variety of factors. If you want to learn more, feel free to check out our article on How Much Does SEO Cost in the UK?
In addition, stopping SEO is another common mistake made when hiring for SEO. It is not something that you can just stop and start. Make sure you allocate a budget, so you don’t get left behind and lose valuable organic traffic and leads.
Avoiding Analytic Tools
Monitoring and analysing your website is vital for understanding the effectiveness of your efforts. If the company you are hiring for SEO doesn’t keep track of your traffic and rankings, they won’t know what they need to focus on or change to help improve your website’s visibility. They might as well have their heads in the sand!
Tools such as Google Analytics, Agency Analytics, and Ahrefs offer valuable insights into your website, including organic traffic, clicks, impressions, active users, key conversions and events, and search engine rankings, as well as any fluctuations.
Biggest SEO Mistakes to Avoid for Your Website
If you are hiring an agency or freelancer for your SEO, you won’t have to worry too much about mistakes to avoid for your website, as they will be doing it for you. And (hopefully!) they’ll know what they are doing. Either way, we will walk you through a few things to look out for (just in case!).
Keyword Stuffing
Overloading your website’s content with too many keywords can negatively impact its ranking, as search engines will think you are trying to trick their algorithms.
Not Researching for Keywords
Thorough keyword research is an absolute must for developing an effective SEO strategy. SEO is not complete without keywords. In addition, focusing on wrong or irrelevant keywords can result in low-quality traffic and missed opportunities.
Not Mobile-Friendly
In today’s mobile-obsessed world, a website not designed with mobiles in mind can lead to a poor user experience, resulting in lower search rankings. In addition, a website must be easy to use on all devices.
Ignoring User Experience
Prioritising user experience (UX) is crucial for SEO success. If your website isn’t user-friendly, potential customers won’t stay for very long or turn into leads.
Poor-Quality Backlinks
Poor-quality backlinks, especially if they have been paid for, can harm your website’s authority and credibility.
Forgetting About Local SEO
Whilst you might want to be found across the whole of the UK or even overseas, ignoring local SEO efforts can cause you to miss out on valuable local traffic and potential customers.
Not Optimising Your Pages or Images
Neglecting to optimise your pages and images can affect your site’s overall SEO performance. This includes alt text, meta descriptions, SEO titles, geotagging images, and more. When it comes to SEO, every little helps get search engines to rank you at the top of SERPs.
Not Using Internal or External Links
Internal linking enhances the user experience by making your website easier to navigate while helping search engines understand its structure and hierarchy. On the other hand, external links indicate your website’s relevance and credibility while also improving the user experience.
Poor-Quality Content
Last but not least, low-quality or irrelevant content can harm your site’s search engine ranking. Creating high-quality, relevant content is essential for engaging your audience and improving SEO. Additionally, duplicate content can hinder your site’s search ranking and credibility. Each page must be unique, engaging, and informative of your services or products.
Need an SEO Agency or Provider?
If you are considering hiring for SEO, Web Design and SEO Company are here to help you with your needs. We specialise in offering SEO Services and creating New Websites for trades and service providers. However, please note that we only provide SEO services for sites we have built ourselves, as we will integrate SEO from the start and taking over an existing website for SEO can be complex.
Get in Touch
If you are interested in our SEO-optimised Websites and SEO Services, head to our Online Shop for Websites for Small Businesses and Tradesmen. Alternatively, if you have unique functionality and/or styling requirements, Book a Call with us for a Bespoke Website Design.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to explore our Knowledge Hub, where you’ll find FAQs and useful resources, such as Blogs, Videos, and even eBooks on choosing the right website design company and SEO agency for your Trades or Small Business.
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