If you have a local business in Tampa, you have likely attempted to either “do” SEO or you have paid for SEO. I’m guessing your SEO journey disappointed you, leading you to utter the phrases “SEO doesn’t work”, or “It’s all an SEO ripoff”.
For you, I have to just say sorry. As a professional SEO guy in Tampa, I see it all the time and want to take a rubber mallet to the folks who promise “first-page” rankings and “visibility”.
These are even some big names, offering services for a couple hundred dollars a month. However, they still disappoint.
The Real SEO Game for Tampa Domination
Good SEO is like cake. It’s a mix of ingredients that when they come together, create something awesome! However, the ingredients alone don’t make for good cake (SEO).
Many sales reps promise that their solution will revolutionize what you are doing and there is one SEO solution for everyone and every goal that’s all the same.
The truth is SEO is different for every business in Tampa Bay. It is based on goals; more customers, more profits, more of something to sell the business, etc.
SEO can help your Tampa business maximize the “what” you want to happen. Most SEO firms, even many of the big ones are lazy and will maximize the easiest keywords. However, if an SEO firm maximizes your site for your lowest profit products or services, you are going to have a hard time creating positive ROI.
We hate to see the companies that blindly email people with the “we took a look at your website and we noticed that you can get more, blah, blah, blah”. These companies have no idea whether you actually should even care about that element of your site or keywords. If you have REALLY deep pockets, you can go after ALL the keywords in your space. However, if you are smart and actually like your money, you can go after the keywords that matter and actually make your company money.
Here are some of the SEO elements that really matter today:
Links – Links are critical to SEO dominance. These are not the links you can buy on Fiverr. These are the links that real humans have to help get. They take time, money, or both to get. Links can be local or category specific.
Business Signals – Your titles on your site, the keywords you use on the site, where your business is physically located, and categories of other places you are listed in. These are all small but important elements of local ranking in Tampa.
Citation Signals – Is your business listed in all the local directories and areas? Is all your information right?
Reviews – Yes, testimonials on your site are great, but in today’s Florida market, you need online reviews and good ones. If you are not actively involved in helping get great reviews, you are at great risk when a bad one comes through. Over 65% of consumers (yes BtoB as well), will base some of their decision to do business with you on your reviews and website.
Activity – Google makes really good mental notes on how popular your site is to put you into the maps section of the searches for keywords, so you need to be doing the things that get people to your site, like providing real information.
There is even more that goes into the SEO mix for success. If you would like to learn more contact us and we can offer a free SEO strategy session. We’re local in Tampa, so we can come see you or just talk on the phone.