You know that your blog requires search optimization. You realize that a little SEO could yield some decent traffic to your blog/landing page. You blog on the side. You really don’t want to spend hours reading about the exciting world of SEO (believe me, I purchased a Search Engine Optimization textbook from school and it took me a few months to go over it). The question now becomes, should you pay for search engine optimization services?
First of all– SEO depends on your business/blog monetization model.
If you are attempting to sell a product on your website or if you want to strictly monetize your blog with Google Adsense then you may need to improve the SEO on your blog. Whether you pay for it or work on improving your SEO on your own is your prerogative. If you feel that working on your own SEO would be too time consuming, then consider the following information before you pay for SEO services:
How much are you willing to spend?
There are SEO consultants and service providers that can provide extensive SEO– but you will pay some heavy coin for this. It’s not a matter of being tight with your money, but how much is SEO really worth on your tiny blog or new business site? Sure it could help. The problem is that you need to decide if SEO services are really the best way to invest money into your online business.
What’s the reason for the SEO services?
Are you planning on releasing a product? Perhaps you’re looking to spread the word about your new business or blog? Either way there should be a reason for you feeling that you need to pay for SEO services. I’ve personally considered it myself. The deciding factor for me has always been that I don’t want Google Adsense to be my number 1 bread winner. That plus the fact that I don’t sell anything on my blog.
However, if you do plan on releasing a new product or running a blog that earns money strictly off Google Adsense, then an investment in SEO services could be the best thing for your business model.
Remember: the Search engine optimization consultant must show quantitative value. You need to know how they will justify their cost and provide you with a solid ROI.
Can you spread the word in other ways?
I would love to spend a few hundred dollars on SEO services and then watch my blog traffic/income skyrocket. Unfortunately, this isn’t what happens. For me there is no guarantee that an increase in on-blog post search engine optimization will bring in more income. It could bring in more traffic in theory, but not the kind of traffic that I would like to have. I would rather build a community of link minded folks that want to discuss and heatedly debate personal finance topics.
There are also many other ways that one can spread the word about their blog or new product for free:
1. Guest posting. Absolutely free. The catch is that you’re going to have to build relationships with key people in your niche. Once you do, hopefully they allow you to guest post on their blogs (assuming that the post is worth it).
2. Social media. Twitter, Facebook, Digg, etc. have been known to bring a small blog infront of a large audience. Twitter provides the potential to get in touch with key people (and really busy people) in your niche. Facebook allows you to amass a following of like-minded people that share interests with you. Then sites like Digg and StumbleUpon allow you to promote your best content to the rest of the internet.
For the sake of this post I’ve simplified the above options. In application, they could either be a lot easier or perhaps more difficult for you to implement. However, both are viable options to consider for promotion before you pay someone to boost your SEO rankings.
SEO tips from other bloggers:
SEO Doesn’t Matter @ The Simple Dollar
Optimize a Single Post on your Blog @ Pro Blogger
8 First Step Tips for Beginner Bloggers @ Pro Blogger