Ah, those SEO blues.
More and more people are complaining to me these days about SEO (search engine optimization) efforts gone bad. As Google has continued to refine and update the way its search engine works, more and more of the work of so-called SEO “experts” has proven to be essentially worthless.
And the real shame is that a huge number – probably a majority – of these business customers don’t even know if the SEO work they have shelled out good money for is even working!
Let me say here and now, I am not now nor have ever claimed to be an authority on search engine marketing. I generally work with a small number of highly skilled, highly ethical consultants who I have over the years come to trust, and from them I have learned a good deal about the basics of effective SEO.
So while I cannot give you details on how to make your SEO the best ever, I can help you know if yours is working. Here are a few pointers:
What to look for under the hood
There are a few key metrics that you need to look at to get a good view whether your SEO is working you or against you.
- Getting search visitors? – One key factor is whether or not you’re getting a significant portion of your traffic from the search engines. And not just for your company name. You need to be acquiring visitors for key search terms as well.
- Is your site converting? – Even if you are getting a healthy number of visitors to your site, if they aren’t the right visitors – meaning people who are predisposed to have an interest in your products or services – then you are wasting time and money. Low conversion rates often indicate that you may be using the wrong search phrases.
- Are your pages ranking? – Of course, your pages need to rank well for your chosen keywords, and a sure sign your SEO is weak is when you are unable to find your pages anywhere even after optimization.
Tools that are helpful
It’s not always easy to find the data you need to make determinations of this sort. Fortunately, there are many tools available to help, some free and others paid, that do a bang-up job of giving you more data than you can safely digest. Here are a few that can be a big help:
- Google Analytics – Free or paid, lots of raw data
- SproutSocial – An awesome free option to get you started
- Raven Tools – Great tools and a comprehensive view of SEO
- MajesticSEO – A well-rounded tool good for backlinks
- Positionly – Easy to use and understand
Of course, getting the data is one thing; acting upon it is the next step in making sure you are getting your money’s worth when it comes to SEO!