Explaining SEO is complicated—Google’s search engine algorithms change all the time which makes it a tough thing to define. After working with a number of clients to improve their website’s search engine optimization, I’ve learned that SEO is very similar to investing your money. Personally, I love learning about finance so I thought this was a great comparison and something that most people are familiar with.
Just like investing your money in mutual funds, investing your time and effort improving your website (or hiring an SEO professional) pays off over the long run. It’s a commitment—there are ups, there are downs, but over time, you start to see the fruits of your labor (as in improved website traffic in SEO or dividends in investing). You don’t stop when times get tough, you just keep on going—just like you wouldn’t pull your money out when the market dips! Let’s get into some of the other similarities of SEO and investing.
SEO consultant vs. investing advisor
Why should I hire someone to manage my investments, can’t I manage my own money? Why would I hire someone to help with SEO, can’t I do all this myself? Sure, you can do everything yourself but it doesn’t mean it’s a smart decision. There are some major drawbacks to doing these things yourself. SEO consultants, much like investment advisors are immersed in their field—day in and day out. They know the in’s, the out’s and all the latest best practices to drive positive results. SEO consultants don’t control Google—just like investment advisors do not control the stock market. They are here to guide you, to teach you and to help make the right recommendations to move you and your business to a better future.
Start early
What personal finance advice would you give a 20-year-old college graduate? I’d bet one tip would be to get started investing ASAP. You have time on your side, meaning compound interest will really have a huge impact. The same advice goes with SEO. The sooner you start and stay consistent with your efforts, the better off you’ll be over the course of time. Just like investing, big SEO results don’t happen overnight. It can take months or even years before you begin to see a payoff, but there is no doubt that it will be well worth it.
Set goals
Most of us have some type of money goal. Whether it’s making a certain income every year, becoming debt free, saving a percentage in an emergency fund or building up a nest egg large enough to eventually retire—setting goals allows you to work towards a bigger purpose. Setting SEO goals that you can track such as organic visitor traffic, conversion rates or valuable keyword placement are all metrics you can use to make progress in your business. SEO ties right into digital marketing and should be used to increase your bottom line. I guess you could also say that SEO helps to diversify your “portfolio” of digital marketing efforts. See what I did there? ?
SEO strategy
Google’s mission is “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” The best SEO tactics are focused on the visitor and making their experience the best when they land on your page.
We’ve all heard the story of the Tortoise and the Hare—slow and steady wins the race, right? Stick to best-practice SEO strategies that will improve your site’s visibility over time. While there are a number of risky tricks you can do to your site to get immediate results, this will ultimately hurt you. The last thing you want to do is get blacklisted by Google for not following the rules. Just like I wouldn’t recommend that you put your entire savings into one stock and start day trading—it’s not worth losing it all!
What are best practice SEO strategies?
- Regularly publish valuable information for your audience on your site
- Use focused keywords throughout your site—front end and backend
- Swap links with your business partners so you can all link to each other
- Use social media to drive traffic to your website
- Create a fast and user-friendly website
My SEO packages are focused on driving higher (and BETTER) organic search visibility and improving the visitor experience on your site. I offer SEO blog writing, on-page optimization and regular reporting so you can track how much progress you’re making! Ready to get started?
