In SEO, time is money, and yet I see people everyday wasting time chasing a “high”, a “quick fix” or a “quick payout”, rather than working on developing a long term SEO strategy that creates value, builds a strong link, web and social reputation, creates a buzz, and attracts targeted traffic that can lead to conversions.

We know this, so why do we still continue playing unnecessary games?

Ignorance

The biggest reason we play games is ignorance. Would you hand over your company, product or service in the hands of a computer geek sitting in a far corner of the world? Then why are the same considerations not given to your online business.

SEO experts need an understanding of branding, marketing, content generation and technology, including understanding of search engines, best SEO practices and analyzing user behavior patterns from the past amongst other skills. Many clients have the wrong ideas and perceptions about SEO, and these wrong ideas eventually end up proving costly and a waste of time.

Expectations

We play games because we expect some ‘payout’ from playing the game. After all it’s about winning, isn’t it? Yes when you are in sports arena, winning is the goal, but wrong expectations from your SEO campaign can lead to frustration and eventual failure.

Impatience

We play games because we lack the patience to sow and reap at the right time. A farmer knows he has to sow before he can reap. Only with consistent effort can the fruits of labor be enjoyed. If you are looking for short cuts in SEO, then your online business could get cut short.

No Vision

We play games because we don’t take the time to understand the bigger picture. We find comfort in the present, by chasing mindless goals of the future. If your online goals focus on “tripling traffic” without creating any value and a strategic roadmap to reaching there, it’s time to talk to a SEO expert who can assist you in creating a realistic road map to online success. A good seo strategy makes common sense, and business sense, otherwise it’s just nonsense.

The Games People Play

1. I know better!

The search engines have given us guidelines to follow. We have heard it straight from the horse’s mouth, and yet everyday we see website owners, webmasters and even SEO professionals flouting the basic foundation principles of search engine optimization.

Google SEO Guidelines
Google Webmaster Guidelines

2. Chasing traffic instead of “creating value”

This one is a classic. When you focus on chasing traffic instead of creating real value, whatever you create (even if the rankings and traffic show dramatic increase), like a beautiful dream will fade away when the morning comes. When you focus your energies on creating something of value, that value goes on growing with each passing day.

3. Buy instead of “Earn”

Easy right! You have a wallet full of greens, and money can buy anything. True in many instances it can, but when you choose to buy rather than “earn” as the focus of your SEO strategy, be prepared to see the results drop when the money stops. That is not to say that all paid links are bad, but rather that the focus of the SEO should always be towards earning links by creating value. Search engines can identify which links are paid and which have been earned. Natural links are “earned”, and the search engines definitely prefer natural links over paid links.

4. Compete, instead of plan to Succeed

Competition brings out the best in people, the worst in people. True! I beg to differ. If your SEO strategy is focused on beating the competitors, a lot of time is focused around what your competitors are doing or not-doing. Is not success based on enhancing your brand, products, services and value offering? Don’t get bogged down with search rankings of your competitors, rather focus on what you can do differently, and enhance the value you provide every single day.

How to stop playing Games?

You can stop playing games by creating a SEO game plan. A SEO game plan is founded on principles of creating value with intent of making it visible across relevant web, user and social communities for higher search rankings, traffic and conversions on your website.

The Right SEO Strategy Ahead covers weekly and monthly strategies you need to be implementing for long term success of your online business. So stop wasting time playing games, and start work on your SEO game plan.