I often wonder why my job as a search engine marketer even exists. I do this stuff day in and day out. I don’t find it particularly difficult. I can teach someone with little knowledge of search engines about the best practices of on page SEO in about 30 minutes. If I find myself wondering these on a regular basis, I can only imagine what professionals outside of my industry think about it.
- If the search engines are so smart, why don’t they already know that my website should rank first for everything related to my business?
- Search engines have been around for a long time? Google has it figured out.
- I have a website, I’ve been around longer than the guy down the street… why are they showing up in search when I’m not?
- I’ve set up a Google + and Facebook page. That’s all I need right?
Ch…Ch…Ch Changes!
These are typical questions that a client might be asking themselves about online marketing – and rightfully so. The truth is, search engines do a great job of making you think that they are smarter than they really are. They are far from perfect and are constantly making updates to their services and products. Their search algorithms are no different. Don’t believe me? Take a moment to browse Search Engine Land. This is one of many news resources solely dedicated to everything search engines.
Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better
My profession is just like any other trade. Renovating your kitchen isn’t terribly difficult… if you know the codes and regulations…If you have a general knowledge of how things come apart and go back together…If you have the right tools. Let’s not forget about time – What takes you a week to complete, a professional contractor could do in a couple of hours. I believe that all of my clients have the ability to do what I do. Eventually.
This is why my job exists. You don’t have time to collect, review, learn and use the latest and greatest tools for monitoring and assessing success within the search engines. You don’t have the patience to wade through the thousands of blogs that are posted up about how Yahoo Local is now using Yelp Reviews for their local listings. You are a doctor, a lawyer, a restaurant owner AND you have a life outside of these professions. Don’t install a subwoofer in your brand new BMW 328xi. Take it to a professional and let them cuss out German engineers. Hire a reputable, transparent online marketer or marketing agency and you will be far better off than if you tackled this project on your own.
For those who are interested: Google still leads the search industry with 67.5% of the market share (source: comscore.com) as of February 2014. Bing (Microsoft) continues to slowly gain market share and sits at 18.4%.
