Tuesday 26 July 2011

Can You Do Your Own SEO? Do You Really Want To?


With the entire buzz around Search Engine Optimization (SEO) lately you may be wondering if you have what it takes to do your own. And if you don't already, can you learn? You probably already know that having a website isn't enough. If no one finds you, having the best website in the world won't matter. You just threw your money away. In this article, I will help answer that question. Once you have read every word you will know for sure. At least you will have an idea of where to start the decision process. You will be a step closer to getting the traffic that you need and deserve.

I will get back to that in a moment, but first... You need to ask yourself what you already know about the Internet. And how it works. Do you understand concepts like link popularity, back links, article marketing, site structure, etc.? Do you want to? Sit down right now and imagine yourself authoring new articles, regularly. Are you fired up? Or do you shake in fear at the thought? Do you like writing and responding to emails of potential partners? Or would you rather be doing just about anything else?

Search Engine Optimization, or as it is better known SEO is simple. But... It is forever changing. In order to keep on top of the latest technology, you need to be constantly learning. I subscribe to close to 100 newsletters, and I read them all. I spend over half my day doing it.

Also, there are many, many organizations you need to be a part of. Certifications and courses are also important in order to stay up to date. When deciding if you should do your own SEO, you need to ask yourself:


Are you passionate about how search engines work?
Do you like writing articles?
And submitting them?
Do you know where?
Are you willing to learn?
Do you mind the task of directory submissions?
Building link partners?
Do you have the time to learn, and stay current on the latest SEO tools? Techniques?
Can your time be spent better on other areas of your business?
Does your company have the resources to hire, train and hold onto SEO experts internally?
Can you justify the cost and learning curves of the latest SEO tools, just for your website or websites?

If you decide you are up for the challenge, your first action step is to subscribe to as many SEO newsletters and groups as you can find. Plan to spend several hours per day reading, experimenting and trying what you learn. Because you know how important SEO is to your business, you should do this anyway. You also need to signup for a course on SEO / SEM (Search engine marketing). WebCEO offers 2 top rate programs. One free and one paid. You can learn how to get started in site optimization, link building, article marketing etc.

Once you have the skills you need... Well, at least you have started to learn, you can begin your work.

Remember when I mentioned earlier that SEO was simple? It is. Because you will have a set process, a set of tasks that you will do every day. Simple, but it's not easy. You will begin by checking you site quality. You will research keywords for new content pages. Then you will progress to creating new articles and following up with link partners. You may end with some social networking updates. Plan to spend anywhere from several hours per week, to more than eight hours per day. This will depend on your site and your goals.

So to answer my earlier question "Do you have what it takes to do your own SEO?" YES, you do. But... Do you want to learn? Do you have the time? These are questions only you can answer. Answers need to be based on your desires, budget and time.

For most business owners, SEO is better left to experts. This can be your own SEO person or department. Or it can be an SEO Consultant. Outsourcing this work is the most popular option. It simply costs less. It is expensive to hire, train and keep staff.

SEO companies have many different options available. From basic affordable SEO contracts, right up to one or more professionals dedicated only to you.

SEO and SEM are time consuming and often frustrating. But can also be very satisfying, and crucial. It seems simple, but can be difficult to do. You will never know it all, and learning never ends. The only thing certain is that now, more than ever, it is necessary. Whether you decide to do your own Search Engine Optimization or hire it out, you must learn all you can. You can drive traffic and sales through your site with the best SEO available. Start your SEO campaign today.




Glen has been involved with the internet since the early 90's when he started the first ISP in his home town. He then went on to spent 9 years as an Engineer at Microsoft working on the Internet tools in Microsoft Visual Studio.

Since then, he has discovered his true passions, which are SEO and Internet Marketing. At SEO For Less, he helps others get the best results for their websites through white hat ethical SEO, web copywriting and internet marketing consulting.

Feel free to copy this article as long as you do not change the text in any way and keep the author resource box including the link to SEO For Less.





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