Recently, one of my clients came to me with a question. He had been approached by someone that offered to get his company onto the first page of Google for their keywords within a month. My client wouldnt have to pay unless they succeeded.
My clients question, which was a valid one, was “Why shouldnt I give it a try”
After all, cant hurt to try, right
Unfortunately, if they dont get paid until they perform, they will do anything, and I really do mean anything, to succeed.
My client is already coming up on the first page for many of his keywords on Google and other search engines, from the work weve done for him. We have just started our marketing plan for the site, and have a plan in place to continue to improve his rankings so he will get, and keep, more page 1 search engine listings.
Remember, you cant just hit Page 1 in the search engines, you have to stay there if you want to be successful.
There are a few different methods to use if you want to get to the first page, but that is another discussion. Just know that the basics involve keyword focused content, and building high-quality, relevant in-bound links. These two often go hand in hand.
One effective strategy is publishing articles to article directories and Web 2.0 sites. There are three reasons this is effective. First, you receive direct traffic from these sites as members read the articles they are interested in, and follow the link. Second, youre using keyword-rich content in your articles, so you give the search engines more ways to find your content, and you end up with more listings on the first page. Third, over time, you will begin to see the quality, keyword relevant incoming links coming in from the hundreds of sites that syndicate these articles.
The problem is, though, you cant build these links too fast. If you do, you give Google and the other search engines a flag that youre not building your links naturally. And when the search engines flag your site, their response is to “Sandbox” or de-index your site which means they remove it from their search results, and dont add it back in for a ceratain period of time or until you can show youre on the up-and-up. Good luck with that
This is a good method for improving your listings in the search engine rankings. Google knows it, and theyre okay with it. They wont penalize you for using tools such as article directories, or other Web 2.0 sites. But if they think youre using these tools to “spam” the sites, and your only intent is to get incoming links, well, they dont like that. They will penalize you, quick, when they realize what youre doing, and then its into the Sandbox with you
This is why I feel business owners need to be very cautious of anyone that says “I can get you first page listings in Google in a month or its free.” He probably can, but what will it cost in terms of your online reputation, longevity, and your bottom line
And, traffic is only one piece of the puzzle. You also have to have conversion. If you have lots of traffic, but arent generating leads, customers and die-hard fans, that traffic doesnt mean much. Will he stick around to make sure your traffic is converting Will he help you analyze your traffic, and suggest improvements
Once he gets paid for landing your site on the first page of Google, hes gone. And unfortunately, you usually dont have any long-term customers, or lots of sales, to show for it.
If you value your internet reputation, think long and hard before you put your online reputation in the hands of someone without a long term plan for your business. Or go with the better option - a company that really does watch out for your online reputation, and has a long-term strategy that will keep you at the top.
About the Author
Barry Wayne is an online business consultant and project manager with 13 years experience in web development and Internet marketing.
Please visit his blog, 1Cat.biz, for more tips on how to build a successful online busness.
