FORT COLLINS SEO SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION SPECIALISTS
Allow us to take you on a journey. Imagine you’re trembling with fear in front of a sign that says, “Danger. Mine Field Ahead.” Then, across the mine field, you see a man approaching, carefully stepping side to side. He makes his way to you and offers you a map showing where the mines are located. But what if, rather than handing you a map, he offered to personally guide you through that field, saying, “Hold my hand. I’ve crossed this mine field thousands of times myself. I’ll take you across, showing you where to step, and where to not step.”
Search engine optimization (or SEO) can be frightening if you’re unfamiliar with the territory. Many business owners have discovered this the hard way, attempting to go it alone. Some have unknowingly stepped into dangerous areas that have devastated their rankings. Fortunately, we’ve been navigating this field since the late 1990s and we’d like to do more than just hand you a map and wish you well. We’d like to extend our hand to you, and help you avoid the treacherous mine field of SEO campaigns. To discover how we use defensive SEO, rather than just running ahead recklessly, read more below.
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We know that search engine optimization is a frustrating topic for many, because it’s often confused with what appears to be smoke and mirrors. Business owners reach out to us all the time, complaining that the SEO company they hired is doing something every month, but they just don’t know what’s going on. Knowing that this is a top concern for many people, we approach SEO very differently. We sit down first and explain how Google works and what it takes to move your site to the top of their search results. No smoke. No mirrors. Just common sense.
While nearly every other SEO company approaches SEO from an offensive perspective, we start with defensive SEO. That means that we don’t bother with blogging or social media tactics until all of the potential punishments from Google have been eliminated. Look at it this way…Think of search engine optimization like an elevator in a 5-star hotel. The elevator can go all the way to the top floor, but if you don’t have the key to unlock the penthouse, then the elevator will only go so high. The same is true with SEO. If your site is being punished for breaking any of Google’s 561 Rules, then they’ll place limits on how high your website can rank in their search results. For instance, if your site has duplicate content (explained below) you might see a drop of, let’s say, 5 positions. Add that to the handful of other punishments that you may be experiencing for rule-breaking and you might find that the highest your site will ever rank is the top of page 2. That’s like an elevator that only goes as high as the second-highest floor of the building.
Here’s the good news. Once those punishments have been removed, your site will be free to move up to the top…and that’s when offensive SEO tactics can begin to help move your site up. However, if you worked really hard on your offensive SEO tactics with the limits still in place, you’d be spinning your wheels trying to get to page 1. Google is unwilling to let your site move up while the punishments are still in place.
Duplicate content is highly punishable, yet it’s more common than you’d think. Consider that Google is in the business of looking at content and determining which page should rank above the others. When they encounter two pages that are the same, how can they decide which one to rank higher? They can’t if the pages are identical so they’ll likely just toss out both of the pages and put someone else’s page in what should have been your spot.
How do you avoid the duplicate content punishment? Well, the answer is simple. Quit copying content, whether it’s from your site or from someone else’s site. We see it all the time. Think about what happened when you set up your Facebook page. The first thing they asked for was some content that described your company. Did you go to your “about us” page and copy those paragraphs and paste them into your new Facebook page? That’s duplicate content and once you did that, you were in violation of one of Google’s rules.
Or, did you know that repeating the same phrase too many times on a page is a violation of their rules? Or, did you know that formatting your mailing address incorrectly can cause your site to be pushed down in the rankings? Those are just three of the 561 factors (complete list below) that Google is using to determine where your site will rank.
What You’ll Find on This Page
POSITIVE RESULTS GALLERY
THE SEO CHALLENGE
To achieve top rankings in the search results, Red Rocket uses only “white hat” or ethical page optimization techniques. While there are many SEO tactics that can yield faster results, the SEO Best Practices that we use rarely change and are never subject to penalties imposed by search engines. Companies that risk it and use “black hat” techniques often see dramatic results in a short period of time. However, when caught for cheating, their clients’ websites are blacklisted and are sometimes permanently removed from Google’s search results.
If you’ve been burned by your last SEO company, it’s understandable that you’d be skeptical. That’s why we offer our Red Rocket SEO Challenge. We’ll actually optimize your site for one phrase at no cost. Since we only use ethical tactics, you’ll have to be patient. It typically takes about 90 days for Google to take note and begin moving your site higher. Why would we do this for free? Because we know that you’ll be so impressed that you’ll tell all of your friends. It’s a win-win. Ready to use our Fort Collins SEO services? Give as a call.
What is SEO?
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the process of increasing quantity and quality of organic traffic to your website through the search engine results page (SERP). SEO is a digital marketing strategy that focuses on website ranking with keywords that are relevant to your business.
When you type in keywords related to your business, where do you rank? If you aren’t on the first two pages, there may be several reasons why:
- Your competitors have better content.
- Your keywords aren’t strong enough.
- You need better link building practices.
- The speeds in which your webpages load are too slow
- Your website may have poor user experience (UX)
To increase a website’s rankings on search engine results pages, it’s vital to understand how search engines work. Let’s start by discussing the different kinds of SEO and some techniques that can help improve rankings.
On-Page SEO
On-page SEO involves optimizing website elements in order to improve rankings. The first important focus for on-page SEO is keyword research. Before you create content for your website or contract an agency to write blogs, it’s important to understand what keywords your website needs to rank for online. An SEO agency like Red Rocket can help you conduct your keyword research and choose the primary and secondary keywords for your content creation.
When deciding on keywords, it’s highly important to take into consideration the primary components for keyword research. These include search volume, competition, and relevancy. At Red Rocket, we use a variety of tools to help our clients find the keywords that are most relevant for their businesses. Once we have those keywords established, we can begin the process of optimizing your website.
Another key aspect of on-page SEO is the title tags of your pages. A title tag is the heading title element which displays a summary of your website’s content in search results. This is the aspect of SEO which has the most influence over whether a person will click on your website from the options in their search results. Displayed under your title tag is the meta description. This is a brief description that summarizes what is on your website and also plays an important role in helping searchers understand what your page is about and whether or not it satisfies their search query.
Off-page SEO
Off-page SEO is another SEO strategy used to improve your rank on the SERP. Off-page SEO tactics help to build domain authority and strengthen the credibility of your website. The most common form of off-page SEO is link building, which means other websites are linking back to yours. One important key to link building is having high-quality content and continuously adding new content.
Why Do I Need SEO?
Now that you understand what SEO is, you might be wondering, why is it so important? The most important answer to why SEO is so important is that the higher you rank organically in search results, the more likely a person will see your website and choose to click on it. More traffic to your website could ultimately mean more conversions.
When you search for something on Google, you may notice that the first few results are pay per click (PPC) ads. Google will let you know if a search result is an ad in the upper left corner of the result.
It might surprise you to find out that only 18% of people click on the paid ad listings, 80% click on organic listings within the first two pages, and the final 2% click on listings from page three and beyond. So, what does this mean? It means that organic search plays a huge role in your website’s performance. Therefore, it is a critical element of the buyer funnel.
SEO is essential for more reasons. One of the most practical reasons is that being able to find your website easily establishes credibility and trust. When your website shows up on the first page of search results, it leads people to believe that your website is legitimate. When a person needs to search harder for your website, they may feel that your site is not credible.
How Much Does SEO Cost?
You might think that you can cheat the system by paying for an ad that places you in the top three listings rather than choosing to invest in SEO. Keep in mind, however, that far less people are likely to click on ads over organic listings in the results. It’s also a costly way only to reach 18% of people searching for a website just like yours.
It can be hard to put a firm price on how much SEO costs because it can vary dramatically depending on factors such as your website’s existing copy, competitors, and the industry you are in. How much you want to spend depends on the goals of your business. For example, if you want faster results, to target popular keywords, or beat the competition, you will need to pay more.
Bear in mind that you will be bombarded with “fast and cheap” SEO offers that promise quick results and number one rankings at a low cost. Of course, any offer to save money is tempting. However, many times those offering cheap SEO are making promises they can’t keep or they’re using SEO techniques that violate search engine guidelines. They may improve your website rankings quickly, but you could end up being penalized by Google for using unethical practices.
According to Search Engine Journal, the cost of hiring a top level SEO agency for a local SEO campaign may mean around $500+ per month. For SEO campaigns with a national or international reach, you may be looking at more like $2,500 to $5,000 each month.
To get an exact cost estimate for your SEO goals, set up a consultation with a company you can trust. For a Fort Collins company, consider calling Red Rocket Web Specialists for a free initial consultation.
How Soon Will I See Results?
Like all good things, SEO takes time. You won’t see results overnight. There are so many variables that go into SEO, and the algorithm is changing all the time.
No one can guarantee an exact timeline or guarantee a number one position. However, based on what some companies have been able to achieve, let’s break down a rough idea of a timeline to understand how much time it could take to see results:
- Your first month
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- During the first month, a company may focus on keyword research, completing a website audit, and beginning strategic planning. They might be able to start implementing changes right away; otherwise, it may take up to a month for an agency to complete a full audit and SEO strategy. Again, remember this will vary with your specific project and the company that you choose.
- Second month
- Our SEO specialists may spend the second month making changes based on the audit and begin aligning content with your strategy. If your website needs a complete overhaul, this can increase the amount of time you need to spend fixing your site. If you do need a complete overhaul, don’t expect your changes to have an immediate impact. These things take time.
- Third and fourth month
- By now, your SEO expert may be focusing on content creation that aligns with your SEO strategy. If your budget allows it, this step may have started once your strategy was built, although, it can take a backseat to more critical on-page SEO fixes. If you started focusing on content in your first month, then you may have noticed a small increase in traffic by now.
- Fifth month
- At this point, you’ll likely be seeing an increase in traffic coming from SEO. The team of experts handling your project will likely continue content creation on your website, while also focusing on off-page SEO strategies like link building.
- Sixth month
- By month six, depending on your budget and a number of other factors, you’ll likely be seeing continued, noticeable improvements in your rankings.
Keep in mind once again that the above timeline is not guaranteed. Talk with your SEO specialists to learn about a possible timeline for your specific project and budget.
Also, it’s important to highlight here that SEO is not a one time fix. Because of the constant updates to Google’s algorithm and the competition every business is sure to face, SEO should be an ongoing investment. Even if you’re sitting in the first several positions in Google search results, don’t think you’ve reached the end of needing SEO. Because SEO continues to evolve, failing to continue budgeting to improve your rankings would ultimately mean seeing your rankings drop.
Some companies are tempted to give up on Search Engine Optimization services after a few weeks or months because results are not always as fast as they would like. When investing in SEO, remember that it takes TIME. Talk with your company and ask as many questions as you need to so that you can have realistic expectations.
Want to make the first step towards better SEO for your business?
If you’re ready to make the first step towards better SEO for your business, contact Red Rocket Web Specialists for an obligation-free conversation. We only use industry-proven techniques that have long-lasting results. Some SEO ‘specialists’ use “black hat” techniques which will work for a short time but are not sustainable. We recognize that this might make you skeptical, which is why we offer our Red Rocket SEO challenge. At Red Rocket, we strive to use only white hat techniques, doing our best to follow search engine guidelines so that your rankings are sustainable.
Are you ready to increase your web traffic?
