A new client came to me saying she was having her site designed and wanted me to optimize it for search. She had already done her due diligence on the company and although she liked the graphic designs she knew they were lousy at SEO.

She searched all the keywords she could muster looking for the sites they claimed to have built for clients. None showed up on page 1…or 2…or even 3. She kept scrolling through the pages and gave up after hitting the 20th page. Now consider that there are 10 organic listings per page a few top sponsor ads and 6-7 local listings. That’s roughly 20 spots per page.

So she plowed through 400 listings multiple times in her quest to justify her reasoning why she needed a true SEO expert.

The web designer didn’t want to grant access to her or me and insisted they would take care of it. After 8 weeks of waiting on this web designer to finish the build, it still lacked elements necessary to have an effective web presence.

No blog. No SEO. No site map. No social proof.

My client sent an email requesting a blog feature be installed and she was surprised by the response she received.

Here’s the actual email my client received from this unprofessional hack.

You have been misinformed about blogs and subdomains.

In all actuality, stepping aside from professional protocol, and somewhat off the record …
We are the best at what we do. More specifically, I am extremely good at what I do. I’m not only a professional in my industry, I am also an authority. You pay us (me) to manage your web presence. I would like to personally reassure you that my team and I are taking care of you and your website and we’re doing it better than anyone else.

Your son, the “SEO” guy, etc. do not have the knowledge or experience that I alone have – not to mention the combined team that I have personally had a hand in assembling. You pay us to manage your web presence. You shouldn’t be concerning yourself with ‘Themes’, ‘blogs’, ‘subdomains’, etc. Taking care of these things is my job. You should trust that I have you and your websites best interests in mind and I will readily communicate and advise you on anything that needs your involvement.

I assure you, things are in fact up and running. You should not feel impatient and/or frustrated. Like anything and if it’s worth it, good things take time. Websites take time, lots and lots of time. And like anything, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. So getting you to the number one spot on Google in less than a week is possible but it is a terrifically epic mistake – it absolutely will not generate quality leads in the long run because the faster you get to the top, the faster you will be absolutely decimated by competition. On average, it takes a minimum of 6 months to establish a foothold in search results – Anyone who says they can do it faster is taking you for a ride and will get your site blacklisted faster than you can say “sim-sim salabim”. A website is a living breathing organism (figuratively speaking of course). It needs to be incubated, cared for, nurtured, fostered. There are no legit ‘quick-fixes’.

Trends come and go … and sometimes come back again. Blogs fall under this ‘trend’ category especially pertaining to your industry. Millions of people are searching for ‘breaking news’ on Apple’s iPhone7. Millions of people are not searching for ‘breaking news’ on the restoration industry. I’m not saying a blog shouldn’t exist, however, in my professional opinion, I advise you that your time and energy maintaining a blog for your specific industry has little or no effect on your revenue. You could better spend the time focusing on more effective platforms. So instead of us worrying about setting up, training you, and managing your blog (which isn’t effective), we could spend that time on an AdWords campaign, which is highly effective, will make your phone ring, and directly effects your bottom line.

Well, let’s break this down…

Blogging is by far the simplest tool you can use to build a following with your website. And it tells the search engines you have an active site worth indexing.

Pay per click may be fast…but it’s also fleeting. Once you stop paying for ads…your placement is gone.

Now lets address the issue this designer brings up regarding fast inclusion on Page 1 of the search engines. He states it’s a terrifically epic mistake. I call BS on all his advice especially that one. You see I have consistently gotten clients fast-tracked on page 1 of Google using “white hat” techniques (thats industry term for following protocols) that got their website seen and their phones to ring.

And once the site is on page 1 of Google, blogging at least once a month is what will help keep it there. What is terrifically epic is when web designers are so arrogant that they hold on to the ideals of the past and don’t understand how to use the tools that are available to them.

Here’s a few tips to avoid picking the wrong web designer…

1) Ask for references. (Can they be verified?)

2) Ask if the site is yours to do as you please or if they require all changes go through them. (If all changes need to go through them, then you are basically renting a site.)

3) Will your site contain a blog, social features and email-opt-in forms. (These help build authority and bring people into your funnel.)

4) How is the site built? (Certain proprietary coding will prevent you from moving the site or making changes. If the code was written for your soul purpose make sure you own it.)

5) Where will the site be hosted? (If on your internal servers or a hosting company you pay for…great, if not…then they retain control and have all the leverage.)

6) What frequency will they insure your site is being submitted or indexed to the search engines. (The answer needs to be “Monthly” and spelled out in detailed…otherwise run.)

7) What research do they do in selecting your keywords? (If it’s relying on you, then they have no clue…a true SEO expert uses a mix of industry specific terms and consumer searched phrases.)
So why do I share this great information?

I share it because most likely you or someone you know is having problems with their website or web designer and are looking for improvements. Maybe you have questions or just don’t agree with what they are telling you. Maybe you are like my client who is frustrated at being held captive by her web designer. Well, if you have questions, this is something I do everyday…I’d be glad to answer those questions and guide you in the right direction.

-Rob

Rob Anspach

Anspach Media | Website | + posts

Rob is affectionately known as “Mr. Sarcasm” to his friends - to everyone else he’s a Certified Digital Marketing Strategist, a Foremost Expert On Specialized SEO, a Best Selling Author, Podcaster, Speaker and Authority Broadcaster who can help amplify YOU to your audience.

Rob has authored, coauthored or produced over 40 books covering social media, search engine optimization, podcasting, copywriting, personal injury law, weight loss, military law, life lessons, scams, sarcasm, customer service and more. His book clients include lawyers, speakers, doctors, real estate professionals and more.

Rob is also host of The E-Heroes Interview Series available on Apple, Amazon, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify & many other podcast channels. Rob works inside corporations across the globe, helping companies generate new revenue and capture online business.

Rob is also available to share talks and give interviews. To learn more and to get started visit www.AnspachMedia.com or call Anspach Media at (412)267-7224 today.

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