Yes, Michael Jordan is pretty cool. But, an SEO consultant might be even cooler for your business. Photo: Flickr.
It’s fair to assume your initial reaction to that title is confusion – woah, what is an SEO consultant, and how exactly can they be cooler than Michael Jordan?
Now don’t misinterpret our intention as we are not in any way suggesting that MJ is not cool – after all, at 57 years old and long-retired he’s still considered the GOAT. He had the diligence, personality and confidence – a full package.
But, bear with us for a second as we explain what an SEOer does and why they might actually be cooler, and perhaps better, than Michael Jordan for your business.
WHAT IS SEO, OR AN SEO CONSULTANT, ANYWAY?
Simply put, SEO is an acronym for “search engine optimisation“. In theory, when done well, SEO helps your business to appear at the top of a Google search results page (SERP) when potential customers search terms which are related to your business. Hiring a good SEOer can improve your site’s user experience, your Google rankings and ultimately drive clicks and conversion.
It pays to do your research because if SEO goes badly, or is not done properly, you risk damage both to your site and brand reputation. In fact, really shoddy SEO jobs can lead to penalties from Google and even to the de-indexing of your site.
Let Google’s statistics speak for themselves – 67% of all clicks go to the top five listings in search results and 75% of people never go past page 1 of Google.
So, if you’re not appearing here, you’re hurting your business and not doing all you can for your brand awareness.
- SEO companies provide useful services for website and business owners, including:
- Reviewing site content or structure
- Technical advice on website development
- Management of online campaigns
- Keyword and search terms research
- Increasing organic traffic to your website via Google or other search engines
If you’re thinking about hiring an SEOer, doing so earlier is often better. One of the best times is actually when you’re planning a site redesign or the launch of a new site. This means the consultant who comes in can ensure your site is SEO-friendly from the get-go.
An SEO expert, however, can also come in and can help improve an existing site.
SO JUST HOW AND WHY ARE SEOERS COOLER THAN MICHAEL JORDAN?
HIRING AN SEO CONSULTANT SAVES YOU TIME AND ENERGY
Michael Jordan famously said unless you figure out the basic stuff, you won’t have a solid foundation to build upon. For him, it didn’t matter whether you shot 800 hoops a day, if you never mastered the basic shooting technique to begin with.
But, in the murky world of digital marketing, it seems difficult even to define these fundamentals.
This is where hiring an SEO expert can be pretty useful. After all, these guys literally live and breathe technical SEO strategies and can save you a heap of time spent figuring out the basics alone.
AS MICHAEL JORDAN SAYS, THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS TO SUCCESS
There are a few things Michael Jordan and a good SEO analyst have in common, and understanding there are no shortcuts to success is one of them. As he said – “if you try to shortcut the game, then the game will shortcut you”.
In the SEO world – the game shortcutting you usually comes in the form of a hefty penalty from Google.
Jordan practised everyday – just as good SEOers work constantly on improving their knowledge and best practice. SEO experts also make it their mission to stay up to date with changes as they happen.
In the world of SEO, since the introduction of algorithms like Panda and Penguin, it has become almost impossible to simply cheat the system. This doesn’t mean SEO is dead, but that it has morphed from a manipulative form of marketing to one more more about branding, content creation, IT and content promotion.
A good search engine optimisation strategy is one which is nuanced and holistic, and it’s also one which is designed from the outset to be long-term.
If an SEO firm comes in and says they will immediately be able to give you first place in Google search results – newsflash – they can’t. It takes time and energy to increase search engine rankings and organic traffic to your site.
Although it is tempting to look at paid media as an alternative, the statistics tell us that 70-80% of people actually ignore paid search results that appear in their Google searches so investing in organic search might be a smarter long-term move for your business and a better way to see the traffic results you’re after.
SEOS UNDERSTAND SOME PRETTY TECHNICAL STUFF – SOME CAN EVEN CODE, CAN MICHAEL JORDAN DO THAT?
Okay, undeniably Jordan’s basketball skills are top tier and, yes, it is pretty cool when you see he won 10 best scoring titles across his career. But, SEO consultants can do some pretty nifty things as well.
SEO specialists will look right down to the most minute of details – your website’s source code, to see whether this has been well-crafted for Google to be able to read. Can MJ do that?
Whether or not your chosen SEO analyst can code is not, of course, the be-all and end-all.
A good SEOer is someone who can understand the type of content users truly want and need as well as the inner workings of search engines and, of course, the tools and techniques necessary to optimise websites.
Would Michael Jordan understand the intricacies of Google searches?
MICHAEL JORDAN’S PHILOSOPHY OF KEEPING IT SHORT AND SWEET MIGHT NOT HELP YOUR BUSINESS
Jordan’s 1995 return to basketball was simply announced with a two word press release which read ‘I’m back’. Yes, this is undeniably cool, but having only two words on your website probably won’t help you score highly on a Google search.
This is especially true given Google’s preference for placing longer-form articles first. To be effective, an SEO campaign must understand how consumers operate, and most people go to Google because they have a specific problem requiring a solution.
For Google, pages with little text seem unlikely to be able to do this, and so simply won’t do well.
Simply put, longer posts rank more highly.
PAST, PRESENT AND FORWARD-THINKING – UNLIKE MJ
Michael Jordan famously said he ignored both the past and future so he could truly focus on the present.
However, allowing an SEO expert to analyse your website’s past as well as current performance means your site is continually being optimised. Oftentimes, content just needs to be updated and refreshed so it can remain relevant and popular in a Google search.
Even though Jordan didn’t believe in looking back at his previous mistakes, it pays to let your SEO consultant do this for you. After all, analysing past campaigns means improving future ones.
Of course, as we said before, SEO campaigns are long-term games, so it pays to think ahead.
SEO CONSULTANTS TRULY LOVE WHAT THEY DO – MEANING YOU’VE GOT MORE TIME TO FOCUS ON THE ‘GAME’
Even though he dabbled with baseball for a while, Jordan ended up back on his beloved basketball court. An SEO specialist’s game is simply search engine optimisation – how to get more hits on your website, how to drive a higher organic search results ranking and all of the technical bits which come along with this.
If you’re a business owner, it is likely this is not your main game. So, whatever your business sells – either products or services, focus on this instead.
SEO CONSULTANTS ARE LIKELY TO COST YOU A LOT LESS THAN MICHAEL JORDAN
Michael Jordan, according to Forbes, is worth an eye-watering US $1.6 billion.
Business Insider took the time to sit down and do the maths, and worked out that in 2019 Jordan earned US $34,246 per hour.
In comparison, the average hourly cost of SEO services in Australia falls somewhere between $75 and $200 an hour (Moz.com).
Hiring an SEO analyst is clearly going to be a lot cheaper than trying to hire Michael Jordan.
Although there are plenty of choices, be wary of hiring the cheapest SEO analyst, as these services may end up hurting your reputation rather than helping your business grow. You can also be hit financially if you get a a penalty from Google from engaging in practices like keyword stuffing, link-farming or recycling/spinning already available content.
BASKETBALL SKILLS ARE COOL, BUT GREAT COMMUNICATION SKILLS WILL MAKE YOUR SEO CONSULTANT COOLER
There’s no denying that a 63-point performance against the Celtics in the 1986 NBA playoffs is cool, but having an SEO expert who can articulate how to improve your website traffic and Google search result rankings might be more beneficial to your business.
Watch out for SEO professionals who are unable to explain clearly and simply the steps they believe need to be taken to improve user experience, traffic and Google rankings. If communication is very difficult, try somebody else.
The same goes if they can only speak in highly technical language, or if they imply they cannot share their strategies because they are ‘secret’.
Good questions to ask a potential SEO analyst include:
- Can you show me examples of your previous work and share some success stories?
- What kind of results do you expect to see, and in what timeframe?
- How do you measure your success?
- What are your most important SEO techniques?
- How long have you been in business?
- How can I expect to communicate with you?
A GOOD SEO CONSULTANT WILL TRULY CARE ABOUT YOU AND YOUR BUSINESS, NO MATTER THE SIZE. (WE MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO PROMISE THE SAME ABOUT MICHAEL JORDAN)
As we said before, Michael Jordan is a billionaire, and so, unsurprisingly, partners with the world’s biggest brands. Not that this is particularly problematic nor unusual, it’s just that unless you’re already an internationally renowned brand like Nike or Gatorade, he’s probably not going to be that interested in collaborating or creating content with you – nor are you going to be able to afford him.
Good SEO agencies will care about your growth, and your business itself. If they are simply not interested or preoccupied with larger clients, they are probably not the right SEO for you.
With a technical search audit, your prospective SEO expert should be able to give you a realistic improvement strategy as well as an estimate of the number of hours of work involved.
See if the SEO analyst wants you and your business and if they’re simply not interested, find someone who is – there always some good ones out there.
Of course, if you’re looking for the Michael Jordan of the SEO agency – don’t hesitate to get in touch with Ambire today.
