Most business owners I talk to fully understand the value of search engine optimization (SEO). They know every day more and more of their prospects are turning to search engines like Google to find their products and services. Very few people will thumb through a heavy, dirty and dusty Yellowpages book when Siri will give you an answer in a matter of seconds.
And studies show that consumers will “Google” businesses even after viewing traditional offline advertising like TV, radio, and print. So even if you’re not actively marketing online, chances are good your prospects are actively searching for you. And they are making quick decisions based on what they see, or in many cases don’t see.
Again, I know I don’t have to explain the value of ranking in Google when a prospect is searching for your solution. Everyone “gets it” at this point. That’s not the problem.
The problem is HOW. How do you get your business to rank in Google? This should be an easy question, but when you take a close look at all the options, then it’s easy to get frustrated and overwhelmed. In fact, I’d argue the main reason businesses ignore SEO is because they are paralyzed by the options for how to get ranked in Google.
Let’s first take a look at the most obvious option: hire an SEO company. That’s a simple task right? Well… if you’re like most business owners I’ve talked to, then you’ve been burned by a shady SEO company in the past. I won’t name any companies, but several big firms look more like aggressive, over-promising sales “Boiler Rooms” and less like consultants, or service providers.
As you know, SEO is a fairly new field, and there’s no such thing as a certified professional SEO consultants. So this brings us to the first reason businesses tend to ignore SEO: TRUST. It’s not easy to find a trusted SEO provider.
But they do exist. In fact, Main Street ROI partners with some of the best, most reputable firms and we’ll introduce you for free. That doesn’t mean the SEO services are free :) Nope, high-quality SEO services are not cheap, and that’s the second reason businesses put SEO on the back-burner.
Unfortunately, low cost SEO is extremely risky because if the consultant isn’t careful, then she can get your business banned from Google. That could be a deathblow to your business.
So if you can’t afford a trusted SEO company, then you’re left with your final option: learn and implement SEO in-house. Not a bad idea if you ask me :)
Only problem is there’s too much conflicting SEO information online. And that’s reason number three for why SEO remains on the “to do” list. None of the information online connects all the dots into a cohesive strategy. So you tend to end up with a bunch of random tactics and tools that don’t seem to make a dent on your Google rankings.
This is one of the main reasons we started Main Street ROI. And this is exactly why we created SEO Jumpstart. If you’ve been ignoring SEO because you can’t find a company you can trust, or you can’t afford one of the reputable consultants in our network, or you can’t piece together the free information online into a solid framework, then I encourage you to enroll in our upcoming SEO Jumpstart class. Click here to learn more and see if you qualify.
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