The One Simple Thing You Need To Understand About SEO

The real benefit of hiring an SEO provider is that you can pay somebody else to manage the tedious tasks and you don’t have to worry about it. You can just continue focusing on what you do best, and keep up with the growth of your business.

Most website owners know enough to recognize the value of search engine optimization and it can all be summarized with one question:

What would it mean for my business if it were on the front page of Google?

Think about it. There are potential customers using Google, and they are looking for your product or service! Of course you want to reach those leads… but how?

Search Engine Optimization is not as complicated as you might think– but it is also not that simple either because the strategies are always changing. With that being said, the one simple thing you do need to understand is…

The Difference in Strategies and How They Affect Your Business

You don’t have to dig too deep into the topic to learn about “black hat vs. white hat” SEO (and let’s not neglect “silver hat” or “grey hat” strategies for the sake of the conversation) but it’s the root of this debate that matters more than anything.

To put it in the simplest possible terms, black hat SEO exists because it works. Kind of. (Past tense ‘worked’ may be more appropriate but to go into detail would take away from the point.) This is a very aggressive approach to SEO with the primary goal of getting on the front page of Google search results.

The alternative (white hat SEO) requires more patience and doing things “right”.

Okay, but why?

If you haven’t asked this question yet, you should!

Deceptive (black hat) SEO strategies are designed for a very specific type of website. It could be a micro site designed to amp up the PR for a primary site. It could be a disposable site built for affiliate marketing or other spammy purposes. In any case, the goal (of getting on the front page of Google) is the #1 priority and it won’t matter when that site is blacklisted or blocked from displaying in search results.

In other words, these strategies are not right for businesses that value their reputation.

I get it! What can I do?

Before you hire an SEO provider, ask the right questions. Ask about their experience, and ask for proof. Look at the types of websites or clients they have worked with in the past. It’s not just about the results they promise, it is about the methods they intend to use in order to achieve those results.

Check your own perspective too. SEO is still a thing– a critical goal with a big payout at the end—but it should never take priority over the more important elements of your business.

A marketing specialist who offers SEO services is more likely to protect the credibility of your brand as opposed to an SEO provider who focuses more on Page Rank, backlinks, and other aggressive methods.