January 18, 2018

Considering making search engine optimization a part of your 2018 digital marketing strategy but have questions? Over the past year, I’ve compiled a list of common SEO related questions I’ve been asked by clients, presentation attendees and workshop attendees and have put together a list of answers to those questions.

Some of these questions may apply to you and some may not. If you have an SEO question that isn’t answered here, feel free to send me an email with your question and I’ll be happy to add it to the list.

Q: Which of the free WordPress SEO plugins is the best?

A: There are several SEO plugins available within WordPress, the two most common being All-In-One SEO and Yoast SEO. Both are quality plugins which easily allow you to optimize the “title” and “META description” of each page of your website, verify Webmaster Tools and auto-generate tags. I personally have always gone with All-In-One SEO because I like the simplicity of it. I find that Yoast has a few too many unnecessary bells and whistles that distract from what really matters. Both are good options but if you like easy, go with All-In-One SEO.

Q: How many keywords should I focus on?

A: The answer to this question really depends on the type of website you’ve created. An e-commerce website can set its sights on anywhere from 25-150 keywords due to the number of product pages which need optimization. A simple 5-10 page B2B (Business to Business) website would want to narrow its focus down to 3-5 keywords at the most. For example, outside of my blogs, my website has no more than 10 pages. Because of that I’ve zeroed in on what I’ve determined to be my 5 most beneficial keywords and focused all of my pages on only those keywords. So far, so good.

Q: How long will it be before I see results?

A: Results can mean one of two things when it comes to SEO. Results could mean an increase in overall organic traffic or success could mean having your website appear on the first page of results. There is no set timeline for either. The success of an SEO campaign is determined by many factors including: competition, aggressiveness, location, industry, type of website etc. In most cases, a client can expect to see positive results within 3-9 months. It’s a marketing method that would be categorized as a marathon, not a sprint.

Q: Does social media have anything to do with SEO?

A: In short, the answer is “we have no idea”. Search Engine Journal does a great job reviewing how social media helps SEO here, but no one really knows whether the search engines use social signals as a ranking factor. Social media does help with SEO in the sense of helping spread the word about your content, which in turn could lead to additional backlinks, which would most definitely helps search engine optimization.

Q: Is it important for me to have a Google My Business listing?

A: Yes! If you haven’t already verified your Google My Business listing, you should. Google My Business allows a business to have complete control over their Google Map, Google business reviews and posts. It is believed that Google does count reviews in its ranking algorithm and I’ve seen examples in my own research that confirms this fact. The better your Google review, the higher your business appears in local search results.

Q: What is the cost of an SEO strategy? Are there monthly fees?

A: Similar to the question about the number of keywords to focus on, the answer to this question really depends on the type of website you have. Generally speaking, one of my SEO strategies, which includes keyword research, competitor research, implementation etc. can cost anywhere from $750.00-$2,500.00. I do typically recommend a small monthly management fee to review progress, provide detailed reports, update/tweak keywords and META information and update blogs and products.