SEO FAQ – 10 Most Frequently Asked Questions about SEO

1. Why is it better to choose SEO rather than traditional advertising?

Very frequently, company owners compare SEO to traditional advertising methods and try to find out what works better for their businesses. However, usually, the choice is determined mostly by the target group. More and more users browse the net, not traditional advertisements, to find answers to their queries. That’s why an increasing number of influential brands tend to spend bigger parts of their marketing budgets on SEO.

Let’s think about it. An ad aired on the radio is much more expensive than any SEO activity and allows you to attract only these potential customers who are listening to the radio at a given time. Conducting a proper SEO process can guarantee that your site will be ranked on top positions in the search results even for many years. This solution is viable as it allows you to improve your brand recognition among all users who see your links and direct traffic to your website.

2. What are the main advantages of SEO?

Doing SEO for a given website is a process that aims at ensuring that the site reaches top positions in the organic search results.

So what are the main advantages of doing SEO?

• It increases the number of users visiting your website – a proper SEO strategy will improve the visibility of your page in the search results. This, in turn, will undoubtedly help you attract more users.
• It increases conversion rate – a thorough selection of keywords and being displayed on appropriate search queries can increase your conversion rate and thus make the site much more profitable.
• It helps to build brand recognition – being ranked high in the search results will make your brand recognizable and trustworthy. It’s a long-term objective that will help you create a positive image of your website.
• It positions you as an expert in a given field – publishing professional, top quality content will promote you and your website as real tycoons in the industry.

3. What does cooperation with an SEO agency look like?

SEO agencies offer various cooperation models and discussing them all would probably take ages. However, you shouldn’t underestimate the importance of selecting skilled specialists that approach their work professionally and are supposed to become your company’s business partners.

Pay attention to the term of the contract. If you’re dealing with a long-term contract, make sure that you’re protected by a few months’ notice period. The company you start cooperation with should provide monthly reports and have positive reviews (which can be checked on many pages). Thanks to the reports you’ll be regularly informed about the results of the cooperation.

Don’t worry, your function isn’t restricted solely to choosing the SEO agency. There are many activities you can take part in and your involvement will allow you to objectively verify the effectiveness of these activities.

4. What keywords to choose?

Try to select keywords that describe the content of your website as accurately as possible.

We can distinguish several types of keywords:

• Brand (e.g. company names such as Delante)
• General (meaning those which describe the content of the website and the scope of activities of the company such as SEO or website optimization)
• Long-tail (which consist of more than two words like quality link building)
• Local (namely those which contain names of cities or regions like SEO Detroit)

To learn more about keywords, go to one of our previous blog posts – The essentials of SEO keyword research.

5. What’s the optimal number of phrases for SEO?

As a rule of thumb – the bigger the number of phrases, the better. However, remember that everything should be tailored to the needs of a particular company. The scope of its activities determines whether it’s the most profitable to choose ten or a hundred phrases for SEO. If a company sells only one product, then it’s enough to select a few phrases related to the offer. On the other hand, in the case of an enormous online store, you’ll probably need several hundred words, a few for each product, category, and subpage.

6. What are the costs of doing SEO?

The costs of doing SEO are very diversified and depend on many factors such as the choice of the agency, the selected SEO model, any difficulties related to keywords, market rivals, or the condition of the website. That’s why it’s advisable to go for an SEO agency that conducts a website audit at the beginning of the SEO process. Thanks to it, you’ll find out what are the estimated costs of the next stages of doing SEO.

7. When should you expect the first results of the SEO process?

It’s not possible to determine the clear-cut moment when the first results of the SEO process appear. Frist effects are usually noticeable after 1-3 months: the visibility of the website and the number of impressions increase which, after 3-4 months, leads to improving organic traffic to the site.

Obviously there are methods that can speed up the whole process. However, they’re based on black hat SEO which is risky and not compliant with Google guidelines. Although achieving satisfying results thanks to an honest SEO process takes more time, the effects are definitely more durable and safer. It also needs to be taken into consideration that every website requires an individual approach, even when we’re talking about pages from the same industry that aims at attracting the same group of customers. Therefore, it’s never a good idea to compare the SEO results of two seemingly similar pages because, in reality, they’re as different as chalk and cheese.

8. Why isn’t it possible to buy a specific position in the search results for good?

Doing SEO requires time and proper preparation. The whole process is a challenging and continuous struggle to become a leader in a given industry. Obviously, it’s possible to roughly estimate the position a given site will be displayed on, however, it depends on numerous factors. The Internet is full of variables such as the environment, new market rivals, changing law systems, and many more. That’s why it’s impossible to be ranked in a specific position for good and only regular SEO activities can ensure maintaining profitable results.

9. When will SEO bring the first benefits to your website?

Doing SEO will start paying off after 4-6 months. However, it’s not synonymous with the first visible benefits. The return on investment (ROI) is usually noticeable after 9-10 months from conducting first SEO activities on the site. That’s why you shouldn’t give up too quickly. Continue doing SEO even if it seems unprofitable. ROI will increase over time. In the long run, SEO is characterized by the finest return on investment of all marketing activities as its effects are long-lasting.

10. Is it possible to start doing SEO when the website is still being developed?

A website that is still being developed doesn’t need any SEO activities. However, it’s always a good idea to consult a reliable SEO agency that will advise you on how to design your site to ensure that it’s ready for doing SEO. When planning your page, choose relevant keywords that will make the whole process much easier. Design the layout and assign each keyword to a separate subpage.

Consult a specialist and select a CMS that will work best for your website and facilitate further cooperation. Remember to ensure that your website is structured properly and that its design allows on-site SEO activities.