Beware of empty SEO promises!

Yesterday, I saw a commercial on TV for a “publishing company” that will publish authors’ books and handle all copyright issues for them. I thought, “What copyright issues”? When you put pen to paper, your creative work is automatically covered by copyright law.

These companies are basically charging writers high fees to do tasks that are not even necessary. If writers do chose to register, they can do it on their own for much less than those companies are charging. Much like these sneaky "publishing companies," some "Search Engine Optimization" (SEO) experts claim to be able to put your company's website at the top of the Google search screen, when all you really need is good content.

First of all, no one can guarantee you a #1 spot on Google. Google's algorithms are updated constantly, and so many factors go into rankings -- website load time, key words, content, links and back links -- that it would be like herding cats to be able to control them all!

Secondly, while page rank is important in terms of website visibility, the goal is really to get more people reading and staying on your website. One factor you DO have control over is the written content of your website. While the debate rages on about whether key words have much effect on rankings, the old method of stuffing articles with as many keywords as possible is definitely out! Not only could Google move your site down in the rankings; no one will want to read your articles.

Well-written and researched articles with useful content will attract more views, and that in itself will help boost your website's ranking. Great articles address topics your clients care about and answer questions they have related to your industry. Strong content automatically includes the key words and search terms your clients use when looking for help. In other words, provide high-quality content, and they will come!

While page rankings matter, what you really want is more traffic to your website. And valuable content is a proven way to attract and keep visitors.

So, don’t get suckered by promises of "key words" and "first page rankings" and "SEO" magic tricks! Contact Louisa at louisajdang@gmail.com to get help with your web content today.