Need SEO assistance for a small online retail store that just launched. The store was built using GoDaddy Quick Shopping Cart. Website is [Removed to protect the innocent] Right now no work has been done for SEO and I would like to get the site on Google 1st page rankings in natural search for the following 8 keywords within the next month. 1. green gifts 2. green products 3. eco-friendly gifts 4. ecofriendly gifts 5. environmentally friendly gifts 6. recycled gifts 7. earth friendly gifts 8. earth friendly products Please include in your proposal techniques to be used, examples of prior work with SEO, and comments around feasibility of hitting the 1st page results in the time frame requested. No black hat or grey hat SEO.
The above request for seo services is actually fairly typical for business or website owners that don’t know much about search engine optimization. There are two big problems with this request:
- The website is new and will inevitably end up in Google’s sandbox. The sandbox is a penalty that the Google search engine algorithm applies to new websites that usually build back links too quickly out of the gate. The penalty basically removes your website from top search engine rankings. So if you were ranking #1 for something, you won’t be after the penalty is applied.
- Compounding matters is the fact that the keywords are somewhat competitive and there are multiple phrases the client wants to rank for.
- Making things damn near impossible is the fact that the client wants to rank for all of these phrases in one month and doesn’t want any black hat or grey hat seo used.
Managing Client Search Engine Optimization Expectations
One of the hardest tings about doing search engine optimization for clients is managing expectations. The first thing you have to ask yourself as a website owner is this: “Is my website as good or better then the websites already ranking on the first page of Google for my targeted keywords?”
If all the websites ranking on the first page of Google for your targeted keywords are 500 page monsters with tons of content and back links and all you have is a 5 page website with little to no content that is brand-spanking new, then you have to ask yourself if you really belong on the first page of Google?
No business owner or webmaster ever wants to hear that there website doesn’t belong on the first page of Google but just because it doesn’t belong there now doesn’t mean that you can’t make changes to make it more deserving of a top ranking.
A good seo company should be able to let you now if your website is good enough to rank for your targeted keyword phrases. Unfortunately some seo companies will take any work they can find and that’s what you as a business owner have to look out for.
See the thing with the ad up top is that if I wanted to get that website to the first page of Google I probably could. The problem is that I would run the risk of getting that website penalized or even worse banned or de-indexed from Google. That’s the risk you take when you place an ad like the one above for seo services and one of the biggest problems with the seo industry is that there are a lot of seo companies running around that don’t know what they’re doing and those are the types of folks you will attract with an ad like that. Buyer beware and be informed as always…
Generally speaking a good amount of time for a seo to make some progress with a website in the search engine rankings is about 6-12 months depending on how competitive the keywords are.
Related posts:
- Using Competitive Analysis To Build Links
- What Are Anchored Back Links And Why Are They So Important?
- Why You Should Consult With An SEO Pro Before Optimizing Your Website
- Antelope Valley SEO – Antelope Valley Search Engine Optimization
- A Los Angeles SEO Company – Los Angeles Search Engine Optimization
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Good advice, I get these sort of requests all the time. Managing clients expectations is definitely a major part of the job.