Frequently Asked SEO Questions

We get asked a lot of questions from SEO clients each month, and we’re more than happy to respond honestly and openly. After all, we place a great deal of emphasis on customer service here and communication is at the heart of it.

There are some questions that get asked more than others. One of the most popular questions is, “If I start using Facebook [or social media in general], will my SEO improve?” Another one is, “Can I transfer all of my website reviews to Google to help my SEO?”

While the simple answers are “yes” and “no” respectively, there is much more to the answers along with a number of caveats. This is true with any question. So in order to further the communication between us and you, the clients, we have put together a brief “question and answer” section that covers some of the more popular SEO matters. We hope you find it helpful.

Question: I’ve been doing SEO for a while now. Why aren’t my rankings higher?

 
Answer: Many things can affect rankings. If you are in a region with a lot of competition, you can bet that your competitors are utilizing SEO. The age of the website can play a role, too. Older websites are more established and have had a chance to “mature.” If your website isn’t “mobile-friendly”, that can have an effect, especially now since Google is placing emphasis on mobile-friendly sites and sending warning notices to sites that are not. The lack of “social signals” is a big factor, too. If you are not utilizing social media, or not using it effectively, your SEO is sure to suffer. Not having a blog, or not utilizing your existing blog correctly, is much like the social media effect. That goes for reviews and testimonials as well. Also, no “fresh” or updated content on your website tells Google that it isn’t all that relevant.

While none of these reasons are complete in and of themselves, there may be multiple reasons for lower than expected rankings and even reasons not covered here. For the most part, though, the lack of social signals and the poor utilization of social marketing are usually the biggest factors, and these are so easy to remedy.

Question: Why can’t you get me to number one with all of my keywords?

 
Answer: While we have had great success with a number of clients who’ve reached the top spots with all of their keywords, not all clients can enjoy the same success. Why? Well, there are a few reasons. Assuming that you are doing everything correctly as outlined in the first answer above, a number of factors can come into play. First of all, Google’s algorithms (the programming that Google uses to rank websites based on what people search for) are constantly changing. These changes are now on a monthly basis (sometimes more frequent) and can cause major fluctuations in the rankings.

Secondly, depending on the keywords used in the search, Google may present local or professional directories ahead of local businesses. For example, Health Grades and Yellow Pages are frequently at the top when conducting searches. Also, in high-competition areas Google will place more importance on websites that fulfill their algorithms better than others (see the answer above for further clarification).

Question: Another company said that they could guarantee top placement for my keywords, and do it cheaper. Why can’t you?

 
Answer: No one can guarantee top placement, period. Those that make such a guarantee are not being truthful with you. Some of these companies use “black hat” or “gray hat” SEO techniques that appear to bring SEO success to your site, but it’s a short-term solution. If these techniques are used on your website then there is a very good chance that Google will ban your website from their search results as soon as they discover what’s been done.

Another trick these companies use is selecting non-common or obscure keywords, or keywords not commonly associated with your industry. They do this so that the rankings appear higher, but they are not keywords normally used by people searching for you.

And remember…if a company tells you that they are affiliated with Google, or have the “inside track” on Google’s search methods, don’t trust them. No SEO company is “affiliated” with Google because Google does not allow that. Nor do these companies have any “special knowledge” regarding Google.

Question: What exactly do you do each month for the fee you charge?

 
Answer: Most of you have heard us say that SEO is an ongoing service, and that stopping SEO can ultimately have a negative impact in the search rankings. Even though this is very true, a few clients wonder what it is we do for them each month.

Much of the work we do involves these tasks:

• The weekly (and sometimes daily) monitoring of keyword rankings in order to make adjustments based on current search trends (what your clients are searching for).
• Keeping abreast of the frequent changes in Google’s algorithms and making adjustments accordingly. This could include the addition of keyword content throughout the site, adjusting the various on-site factors (meta tags, titles, etc), or improving the quantity and quality of the content.
• Looking for new sources of inbound links, and selecting the sources based on quality and relevant factors.
• Analyzing internal SEO reports in order to determine the short-term and long-term SEO strategy.
• Gathering information for monthly client reports.
• Monitoring and reporting any adverse elements that affect SEO, along with making recommendations for improvements.

These are just a few of the tasks we perform each month. There is a lot of “behind-the-scenes” work that goes on in order to provide great SEO results, so if at any time you have questions or concerns about any of this, please do not hesitate to contact us.