What is SEO (or Search Engine Optimization)? SEO is simply the improvement of your blog or website to help it appear more often and more visibly in Google and other organic search engine results. For instance, it is because of SEO that Little Blue Deer always appears in the top 3 results when someone searches “custom blog design.”
Do you offer SEO services? No. Search Engine Optimization is a specialized service unrelated to website and blog design. In fact, contrary to popular belief, most SEO is actually not done on the blog or website at all, but through backlinking. What is backlinking? Backlinking is, in short, a link that is directed to your website or blog. Google gives more credit to a blog or website with a number of quality backlinks, and therefore it ranks higher in search results. You can think of it like this. Quality backlinks tell Google that many people are interested in your blog or website, and therefore, of course they are more likely to direct users your way. It’s sort of like going to a restaurant with a long line out the door vs. an empty one. Of course you’re going to want to eat at the busy one, a long line says “We’re worth it!”. Same with backlinking. Backlinks are key.
Since you do not offer SEO, do you offer any referrals? Yes. These have not all been tried and tested by me, and results are in no way guaranteed. However, here is a list of some known providers of SEO services:
I have physically spoken to and considered using Generation Web. It is a U.S.-based company with very solid customer service. You can most likely expect to pay upwards of $700 per month for SEO services. If you contact them, it will most likely be a very pleasant chat without a high-pressure sales pitch, if you want to make an investment, these are probably both worth looking into. 180 Fusion is a very popular national SEO firm, I am unsure of their pricing structure however, they have a very strong web presence. Their reviews here are mostly positive, feel free to check for yourself. If you want the reassurance of large, national company this is probably an excellent choice.
Finally, because I have some basic understanding of SEO, I have generally outsourced my own backlinking over the years through sites like Odesk and Upwork. I am currently working with a contractor at Fiverr.com. He is extremely knowledgeable with excellent communication and results but no-frills, so once again, if you are looking for more of a hand-holding experience, I strongly recommend that you look into one of the larger firms (where you can expect to pay around $1000+ per month). If you are interested in a backlinking package, where backlinks are added off-site along with basic on-page optimization, I can assist you in coordinating this (for a small additional fee) as a monthly package starting at $185 per month. You will need up to 5 keywords you want to rank for to use this package.
SEO services are not inexpensive. You can reasonably expect to pay well upwards of $300 per month for white hat, or legal, trackable results. SEO is fiercely competitive and you simply can’t cut corners.
What if am not able to afford a professional SEO service. What can I do on my own to improve my SEO rankings? There are many options for DIY SEO available to site owners and bloggers. Here are a few of my favorites:
Be realistic. Back to the restaurant analogy. A long-established business is generally more reassuring to patrons and more consistently popular than a brand-new one. Google knows how long your domain has been registered and your SEO results display accordingly. You simply cannot start a brand-new blog or site with a brand-new domain, and expect to have it come up first (or even necessarily on the first or second page) of Google search results. Not possible. Have patience, and follow the steps above, and your ranking will rise in no time!
A blog or website designed by Little Blue Deer will be search engine optimized by default, meaning that we use WordPress and the Genesis theme which includes the latest in light, clean code. It will also be mobile-optimized which is extremely important in SEO. However, as stated above Little Blue Deer is not an SEO firm nor do we provide SEO services. The links above are only references and my own personal experience, and we are not in any way responsible for any loss in page ranking due to use of any above-listed vendor.
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