Are you facing hurdles in getting your SEO efforts off the ground? Is it harder to move up the ranks within search engine results than anticipated?
Don’t worry! It is completely normal that managing your own SEO strategies becomes cumbersome and overwhelming. But when do you know it’s time to get professional help with your SEO?
Keep reading to find out. And keep in mind that not all of these signs will apply to your business – every company is different. But if you’re seeing several of these signs, it’s definitely time to consider hiring an SEO professional or a professional SEO agency!
What is SEO?
First thing first! Let’s answer the most obvious question – what is SEO?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a way of optimizing your website for search engines so that you can rank higher in organic search results. The goal of SEO is to increase brand visibility and attract more visitors to your website by appearing on page one of search results.
There are many different tactics and marketing strategies when it comes to SEO – from keyword research, content optimization, link building, and more. It’s important to understand the basics of SEO and become familiar with what works best for your website. For some, content optimization and keyword research may be enough to get their website ranking in major search engines, while for others, it may take more effort and expertise to reach desired results, which is usually when professional help from an SEO company or consultant becomes necessary.
Based on the areas of weakness in your SEO, there are different types of approaches you might need such as:
- Technical SEO – fixing issues with the structure and hierarchy of your website
- On-Page SEO – optimizing content for target keywords
- Off-Page SEO – building links, social media marketing, and other tactics to improve rankings.
- Local SEO – optimizing for local keywords and searches
- Content SEO – developing content that targets key phrases and topics
- and many more!
Now that you have some basic understanding of what SEO is, let’s move on to the signs that indicate you might need professional help with your SEO.
11 Signs It’s Time To Seek For Help With Your SEO
Is your website not getting the desired organic rankings? Are you unable to drive more traffic and generate leads? Here are 11 signs that indicate it’s time for professional help with your SEO:
1. You’re having trouble finding yourself on Google
Having a nice website that no one can seem to find is like having a car no one is driving!
One of the key indicators of how well you are doing with SEO is how easy it is to find your website on search engine results pages (SERPs). If you type your website’s name in a search engine, and it doesn’t appear on the first few pages of results, that’s a clear sign that something is wrong with your SEO. It could be due to numerous factors such as a lack of optimization or the presence of technical errors.
However, you want to make sure that people are using your website, and the only way to do this is by appearing in search engine rankings.
2. Your website isn’t appearing in search results for most of your important keywords
Another key indicator of how well your SEO is doing is to check if you are appearing in search engine results pages (SERPs) for the keywords you are targeting.
For example, if you’re selling shoes, but your website isn’t appearing in search engine results pages for the keywords related to shoes, such as “men’s dress shoes” or “women’s boots” – then your SEO could use some help.
You can find out which keywords you are appearing for by using a tool such as Google Search Console. There, you can see which keywords are bringing people to your website, as well as what pages they’re landing on. Additionally, Google Search Console will give you an idea of what pages need optimization and which keywords you should be targeting.
3. Your website traffic is low
Once you make sure that your website is appearing in SERPs, you should also check if it is generating enough traffic.
Look at your Google Analytics dashboard to see how many people are visiting your website every day. A very low number indicates that not enough people are seeing your website on SERPs and this could be an indication that either your SEO efforts aren’t working or they need more optimization.
As you move forward, you can use tools like Google Analytics to measure the amount of organic traffic your website is receiving and identify which pages you need to pay attention to.
4. Your website traffic does not convert
You also need to measure the quality of your website traffic. If all the people who are visiting your website, leave without taking any action or spending money, then this is another sign that something is wrong with your SEO strategy. A low conversion rate could be due to multiple factors such as poor page optimization, lack of relevant content, or even technical issues that need to be addressed.
Again, use Google Analytics to identify which pages are getting the most visits and what visitors do once they land on your website. Do they visit other pages or leave right away? Gauge how many people are making it to the checkout page and how many of them are actually completing a purchase. This will give you an indication of your website’s overall performance and if any changes need to be made.
5. There is no HTTPS encryption on your site
When a website uses HTTPS encryption, it ensures that all the data on the page is secure and encrypted. If your website doesn’t have an HTTPS connection, Google will mark it as “not secure” in its search engine results, which could lead to potential customers leaving the site without even entering it.
You can use a tool like SSL Checker to make sure that your site is secure and encrypted. If it isn’t, you need to talk to a professional about securing your website, or if you want to do it by yourself – you’ll need to purchase and install an SSL certificate. This certificate will ensure that all the data on your website is kept private and secure, which in turn can help to boost your SEO, as Google prefers websites that have a secure connection.
6. Your website isn’t mobile-friendly
In today’s world, having a website that isn’t optimized for mobile devices is not only inconvenient but also detrimental to your SEO performance. Is your website responsive on different devices? Do the pages load quickly and look good?
Since Google uses a mobile-first index, that means that if your website isn’t optimized for mobile devices, it won’t show up among the top search results. You can test your website and see how it looks on a mobile device by using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool. This tool will show you how your website looks on mobile devices and make suggestions for improvement if needed.
7. There are some technical issues with your website
Sometimes the technical aspect of SEO can be overlooked when optimizing a website. But it’s important to be aware of the various issues that can arise and make sure they’re being addressed.
You might have missing meta tags or duplicate pieces of content, your website could be loading slowly, or some pages might not even exist. Any one of these issues or more can hurt your SEO performance.
To identify these technical issues, you can use an SEO tool such as Ahrefs Site Audit to analyze your website and see what’s causing the problems.
Make sure all the pages can be crawled and indexed by Google, that all the links are working properly, and that there are no broken images or 404 errors. If you’re seeing any of these signs, it’s time to take action or get professional help.
8. The user experience (UX) on your site is poor
Your website’s user experience is just as important as its technical side, if not more.
Poor UX can make it difficult for visitors to navigate your website or find the information they need, which can lead to a high bounce rate and low conversion rate. That means if your website has a lot of pop-ups, intractable menus, and a low-quality layout – it could negatively affect the overall UX.
Analyze how users are interacting with your website using tools such as Google Analytics. Pay attention to the average session duration, bounce rate, and overall website performance.
If you’re seeing a lot of visitors leaving quickly or not completing the desired actions on your website, it’s time to consider hiring an SEO expert to help make improvements.
You can also use a tool like Hotjar to record user sessions on your website and see how visitors interact with it.
9. You don’t have many backlinks
Having quality backlinks from other relevant websites that link to your website will signal to Google that your website is authoritative and trustworthy, which in turn can help boost its ranking.
If your website doesn’t have many backlinks, that means that other websites aren’t linking to yours, and you’re not getting any referral traffic from them, which can, obviously, hurt your SEO performance.
In order to analyze backlinks and ensure their quality, you can use tools like Ahrefs. You can also start building them yourself by guest blogging on other websites or even reaching out to influencers in your niche and asking them to link to your content.
10. Your competitors rank on Google, but you don’t
If your competitors are showing up on the first page of search results, but you’re not even close to them – it’s a sure signal that something is wrong. To find out what your competitors are doing right and how they’re outperforming you, use an SEO tool such as SEMrush to compare their strategies and results with yours.
Are they using more relevant keywords? Are they optimizing their content or website better? Do they have higher-quality backlinks that you don’t have?
Once you understand what they’re doing better than you, it’s time to take action and start optimizing your website. But if the whole process seems overwhelming or too difficult for you, don’t hesitate to reach out for professional help.
11. Your workload has increased
This may sound too obvious, but if your workload has been increased, chances are you’re not having enough time to focus on optimizing your website.
SEO can be a time-consuming process, especially if you’re not familiar with its technical aspects. You might also face other challenges such as a limited budget or a lack of knowledge about certain SEO concepts.
If you feel like the workload has become too much for you, outsource it to a professional and focus on other aspects of your business that require more of your attention.
Using an agency or consultant will not only save you time but also ensure that the job is done correctly. Plus, they can provide valuable insights and advice on how to optimize your website better and get ahead of the competition.
Get professional help with your SEO
In case you notice some of the things we mentioned in your website’s performance, and you think you’re able to solve them yourself – that’s great, just go for it! There are some articles in our blog section that can help you get started, such as:
However, if any of these signs feel like a challenge to you, and you need help – don’t hesitate to reach out to a professional. They can certainly come in many forms – from marketing advisors and marketing consultants to SEO agencies, depending on your needs. A qualified and experienced professional can provide valuable insights and advice on how to optimize your website for better results. It usually comes in a form of an audit, which will provide you with a detailed report on how to improve your website’s performance and rank higher.
At LFDM, our team of experts is well-versed in SEO and can help you get the most out of your website. From website audits to content optimization, keyword research, link building, lead generation, and more – we can help you build a strong, successful SEO strategy that will ensure your business reaches its full potential. Our professional SEO audit services are what we usually advise for clients in need of a jump-start, so feel free to drop us a line and learn more about it.
We hope this blog post was useful to you. If you have any questions – drop us a comment below.
FAQ
What are user behavior metrics?
User behavior metrics are data that measure how users interact with your website. Examples of these metrics include page views, click-through rates, time spent on a page, and more. This data can be used to gain insights into user preferences and behaviors, as well as to help optimize your website for improved user experience.
What are the SEO ranking factors?
There are many SEO ranking factors that contribute to a website’s performance on search engine results pages (SERPs). These include things like keyword use, site structure, meta tags, content quality, backlinks, mobile-friendliness, and more. For example, pages with higher word counts (between 3000 and 10000 words) will earn more shares, which can help you attract valuable links to your content.
It is important to have a good understanding of these factors in order to effectively optimize your website and achieve better results.
How do I improve the usability of my website?
There are a few things you can do to make sure your website is easy to use and provides a great user experience.
- Make sure your website is mobile-friendly – as more and more people use their phones to access the internet.
- Check for broken links and content that is out of date.
- Provide clear navigation menus, so users can find what they need quickly.
- Make sure you have high-quality content that is well-written, relevant, and comprehensive – this will help the search algorithm understand your website better and rank it higher in the SERPs.
- Make sure you have a clear, easy-to-navigate structure – users should be able to find what they’re looking for quickly and easily.
- Optimize page loading times by compressing images, caching pages, and reducing redirects.
How do I know if my website is fast enough?
You can use various online tools to measure the speed of your website. Some popular options include Google PageSpeed Insights, Pingdom Tools, and GTmetrix. These will provide you with detailed reports on how quickly your pages load and highlight areas that need improvement.
What is Link Building?
This term refers to increasing the number of high-value links that direct to your content from other websites. This can be done through various link-building strategies, such as guest posting, social media outreach, and more.
How do I know if my SEO is working?
You can track various metrics to determine whether or not your SEO tactics are working. This includes tracking organic traffic to your website, monitoring search rankings for targeted keywords, and keeping an eye on user behavior metrics such as click-through rates, time spent on page, etc. However, if you recognize your websites in some of the issues we mentioned above, it’s probably time to reach out for professional help.
What is Google’s penalty?
Google penalties refer to the adverse effects that occur when a website violates Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. Penalties can range from minor changes in search engine visibility to complete deindexing of the website. Common penalty types include content-based penalties, link-based penalties, and manual penalties.
What is a bounce rate?
A bounce rate is the percentage of people who leave a website after viewing only one page. Generally speaking, a higher bounce rate indicates that your website isn’t providing visitors with an enjoyable user experience or helpful content, which can lead to decreased engagement and conversions.
How Long Does SEO Take?
The answer to this question depends on various factors, including the age of your website and the competitiveness of your niche. Generally speaking, it takes around 6-12 months to see results that are visible in the SERPs. Yet, some websites may be able to achieve quicker results due to their unique circumstances.
How much does SEO cost?
The cost of SEO can vary widely depending on the size and scope of your project. Some SEO services may charge a flat fee while others charge by the hour. If you’re considering working with an SEO agency, be sure to get an estimate in writing so that all expectations are clear before work begins. As for us, we don’t hide our pricing, and we charge 3495 monthly with an aim to double your activity YoY. However, there are other options and prices depending on the kind of help you might need.
