The world of search engine optimization is quite competitive. For a search engine optimization company to be successful, it is important to develop a strong, well-respected online presence. Here are five ways that are guaranteed to keep your SEO company from gaining respect:
- A poorly designed web site nothing says “amateur” like a poorly designed website. If your website looks like it was created by an eleven-year-old with Microsoft FrontPage, you are going to have an extremely hard time convincing people to hire you. Even though you may be an SEO and not a web designer, people still expect your website to have a professional appearance. Showing your potential clients you’re unattractive website is like showing up to a job interview in shorts and a t-shirt. If you don’t have an eye for web design, do yourself a favor and hire a web designer to create a professional-looking website for your company.
- Ranking poorly for your company’s name if you really want to ensure that no one hires you for your search engine optimization services, make sure that your company website ranks poorly in Google for its own name. Better yet, make sure it doesn’t even get indexed! If you cannot even get your company’s website to rank well for its own name, chances are search engine optimization is not the field for you. You don’t have to rank on the first page of Google for search engine optimization or search engine marketing (although it is very useful if you do), but at least rank number one for your company’s name.
- Spamming Unless you are David Naylor, spamming is not going to attract any potential clients. Whether you are trying to spam your company to the front page of Digg or just posting tons of useless threads on forums to build up your backlinks, spamming is frowned upon by most of the general population.
- Bad spelling and grammar may seem like a minor detail, but bad spelling and grammar can have the same effect as a poorly designed website. Whether it’s ten typos on your home page or poorly written forum posts, bad spelling and grammar make you and your company look much less professional. This is something that can easily be avoided by proofreading what you type before you post or submit it. If you really have a hard time putting together coherent sentences, invest in a copy of The Elements of Style.
- Taking on jobs that you can’t handle if you take on a client and promise them that their website will rank on the first page of Google for Viagra, chances are that the relationship is going to end badly. It is extremely important to not only be realistic with your clients about their expectations but also not to ever take on a job that you know you won’t be able to accomplish. Taking someone’s money and not delivering results is a guaranteed way to drag your company’s name and reputation through the mud!
