We all want to see results instantly, but it is rarely that fast. Search engine optimization is the service category that helps with website search engine rank, but results take time. How much time has many factors.
Results from backlinking usually takes weeks to months and 1 link will have little impact in most cases.
If you need results right away, then ads would give you the ability to get faster feedback. The downside is that ads are pay to play, so depending on the competition of your industry, it can get expensive. More about that in another post.
You may also consider Social Media to try and start converstions with prospective customers in real time. The good news is that the cost for social media is your time. Unless you choose to boost posts or do ads, but if your follower size is large enough, you can probably prevent the need for these options.
Enough with the sidebars, back to link building. So you want to rank fast for…? When we talk to people about search results, the statement heard is, “I want to be on page 1 of Google.” What most forget to think about is search terms, or as we call them “keyword phrases.” Different combinations of words for different products or services can have completely different search engine results.
You may rank on page 1 for “deck builder springfield oregon”, but not for “deck construction eugene oregon” or “deck repair eugene oregon.” These days, if you are looking for a local service, based on your IP address or your GPS being on, you don’t even have to add the Eugene Oregon part. Although you will want to, if you are looking for a provider in Springfield or Junction City. Each of these variations need to be addressed in your SEO strategy.
The fun for many service providers like deck builders, is that they tend to have competition with similar industries like fence builders, landscapers and concrete work. Guess what, they are all trying to be the top search result for their service as well.
Backlinking needs to have links that have natural language that is relevant to your product/service so it helps you with your goal of improved search rank. Backlinking is not easy, you need a website and content worth linking to. You can also create articles that have links to your website that you try and get others to post, but if the article is not worthwhile, they will not post your article. Additionally, is the site you are trying to get your article on relevant or have enough authority to be worth your time? Many times people decide to hire a company like ours to provide SEO and link building services, so they don’t have to waste the time to handle all of these issues.
You can try “Black Hat” methods like buying links, but Google is very very good at figuring out link manipulation schemes are penalize or at least ignore links from these sources. Making any money or time spent on these methods a total waste.
So, you spent the time and got that to work for you, now just repeat that dozens of times on a regular basis, while you also try to grow your business with all the other tasks and responsibilities you have.
Time is one of the biggest obstacle for most small businesses, the other is money. We can’t always get done all the things we want, but with good planning and budgeting, you can have good long term success.