No One Can
Guarantee First Page Rankings
…but don’t take our
word for it. Here’s what Google has to
say:
No one can
guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.
Beware of SEOs that
claim to guarantee rankings, allege a “special relationship” with
Google, or advertise a “priority submit” to Google. There is no
priority submit for Google. In fact, the only way to submit a site to
Google directly is through our Add URL page or by submitting a Sitemap
and you can do this yourself at no cost whatsoever.
We’ll be honest with
you: SEO is about 75 percent knowledge and expertise, and 25 percent
guesstimating — and anyone who tells you otherwise isn’t being straight
with you. Google is transparent about some aspects of what they’re
looking for when ranking sites but frustratingly opaque in others.
Whenever there’s an algorithm update, SEOs spend weeks puzzling over
clues to determine the changes that were made.
No one
has insight into what launches a site to the top of the SERPs; we know
the best practices that websites need to follow and we know some pro
tips to give you a competitive edge, but there’s still some (educated)
guessing involved. It’s like hiring a trainer to help your child excel
in a sport — the trainer will improve their chances of getting a
scholarship, but can they guarantee it? Nope!
To make a long story
short, you can’t guarantee something you have no control over. SEO
agencies don’t make the rules; Google does.
What Scammy SEO
Companies Have in Common
So what’s the deal with
SEO companies that promise first-page rankings? Are they lying? Well,
they might
get you on the first page of Google results, but there’s some fine
print involved:
- They’re getting your
site to rank for obscure keywords. If you’re on the first
page of Google for a long-tail keyword that only 10 people search
a month, you’re not going to get a big return on your investment.
- They’re really
advertising with Google Ads. This isn’t the same as SEO. It will get on the
first page of Google results, but you’re paying for that spot—and
as soon as you stop paying, you won’t be on top anymore.
- They’re doing
hyper-aggressive black or gray hat SEO. This might give you a
temporary boost, but then your rankings will tumble. In fact,
Google can even de-index your site so it doesn’t show up at all.
These companies may outsource their SEO, use artificial link
building schemes, or automated SEO programs.
- They’re
artificially increasing your traffic. This could be by using
spyware, scum ware, or other sources of bot traffic.
There’s a reason we
often use the term organic search in SEO — it’s because you get the
best results when you rise to the top of the SERPs naturally by doing
all the right things. Read on to find out what that means.
What Can Help You
Rank Higher With Google
First, hire an SEO
company that doesn’t make promises they can’t keep. A qualified SEO
firm will promise deliverables like:
Keyword Research
Finding the right
keywords means striking the right balance between too broad and too
narrow. When you hire an SEO agency, they’ll do in-depth research to
identify the terms people are using to find your business, as well as
the terms they’re using to find your competitors.
Content Creation
Producing a steady flow
of new content is important, but you should never create content just
for the sake of creating content. It should be well-written and useful.
Some SEO firms churn out low-quality content, often outsourcing their
writing to the lowest bidder. At Main Street ROI, we have a team of
in-house professional writers with experience writing and editing for
some of the biggest sites on the internet. We can also work with you to
edit and optimize the blog posts you’ve written.
Site Optimization &
Technical SEO
SEO isn’t just about
keywords and links. Google is putting increasing weight on the user
experience offered by your site. How quickly does it load? Does it load
with errors? Is it easy to use on mobile? An SEO agency may also
recommend rebuilding your website on an SEO-friendly platform like
WordPress, or auditing the pages on your site to remove duplicates or
redirect pages that are no longer live.
Link Building
Link building requires
outreach; an SEO agency can’t promise you a certain number of links
each month, but they can promise you the outreach work and placement in
directories or other websites where your link simply needs to be
submitted. Many types of links, such as from guest posts, require more
editorial discretion and usually can’t be guaranteed.
Google My Business
If you have a small
business, Google My Business (GMB) is critical for getting you at the
top of local rankings. An SEO agency can help you set up your profile
and optimize it for the best results. If you don’t have time to
actively run your GMB profile, your SEO agency can do it for you by
sharing updates and replying to reviews.
A Few More
Things To Look for in an SEO Agency
Transparency
Your SEO agency you use
should be open and transparent about what they’re doing every month to
improve your rankings and what results you’re getting.
Responsiveness
When you have a
question from your SEO consultant, you should expect to get a reply
back within a reasonable timeframe (for example, same-day response or
within 1 business day.)
Training
Finally, your SEO
consultant should also be willing to provide you training if you don’t
have the budget for ongoing services. You should be able to pick up
exactly where they left off, without them leaving you in the dark.
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