Business owners are swarmed with offers from SEO companies that can make them number 1 in Google. They also hear from companies that can build them the greatest site ever made for short money and really quick. But the truth of matter is: They can’t in either case.
The SEO companies that send out millions of spam emails promising the moon, are 99.9% bogus. They haven’t even reviewed your site, yet promise number one in days. Google uses an algorithm that no one can reverse engineer. Plus, Google is always updating their algorithm to get around the SEO tricks. Have you ever wondered (and you’ve heard me say this before) why emails from these SEO companies come from some nondescript GMail account? Simple, because if it came from their domain you would quickly do a search and find out they are not in the top 100 for SEO. If they can’t help themselves, they can’t help you. Look, we tell people all the time, we can improve your search rankings by old-fashioned work and quality content. Nothing beats quality content, period.
As for the companies who promised to build you the greatest website ever, and get it done really quickly and really cheaply. Well, you get what you pay for. You get a crappy template that they have used hundreds, and in some cases thousands of times. They plug in text, and your site is done. But it’s not original, doesn’t look good, and it’s not quality technology. Chances are you will be looking for new site within a year.
For example: I just had a client that we’ve done a lot of work for contact me. We have maintained a great relationship, but when time came to do over one of their sites, they chose a company promising speed, price and that the owner wouldn’t have to raise a finger. They sent me a link to look at the new site in development. I could not believe my eyes. They were using technology, that not only is outdated, the company that owns it is actually about to retire it and has been dead for years. I won’t mention the technology I’m talking about, I don’t want to embarrass the person, although you would get a good laugh out of it. This development firm has their own niche within a given industry. They do hundreds of these types of sites, very cookie cutter and nothing special from a UI standpoint. Unknowing site owners typically won’t look and see the technology, so it sounds good. Quick, cheap, and little effort. Again, within a year they will be looking for a new solution.
While it is an old expression, the title of this post holds true today. In fact, it is probably truer today then the day it was first uttered. Nothing beats hard work. Companies may make crazy promises, but use your common sense when entering into a new project. And be careful of any email from companies out of the blue, chances are they are spammers, or fly by night outfits.
If you need help with Web Development, or SEO, contact us today, we are glad to help.
There is nothing worse than going to someone’s page to learn more about their business and find instead political rantings. Even if you agree with that person’s viewpoint, it probably isn’t going to encourage you to do business. And isn’t that why you are investing time and resources on social media?
A word about Personal Pages
When I am on a friend’s personal page, and they are constantly pushing their business, it is annoying. I have one friend who feels Facebook is a place to brag about his success in his chosen field. “Look at me, I am great”. Business pages are where you can crow about your success. On your personal pages, you are just obnoxious. Facebook is a great place to share what you are doing, talk about your children, etc. But do remember everything you put out there is out there forever. Facebook posts are stopping people from getting jobs, stopping kids from getting into college, and other damage. So before you post that off color joke, think about it. And customers do see your personal page as well. I had 2 referrals this week that came through my personal Facebook page. Luckily, I heed my own advice and try to keep my page appropriate.
Now, people will ask me, if I don’t have a business page, what do I do? Easy, setting up a business page, takes all of 5 minutes. If you aren’t sure how or need assistance with social media, contact us.
