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Establishing Realistic Ranking Goals and Expectations When It Comes to SEO

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This blog post comes out of one of the most frequently asked questions by prospective clients:

“What should my expectations be … can I expect 1st page listings?”

There is nothing wrong establishing expectations before entering a project or making an investment. After all you would never buy a mutual fund without knowing its expected return.

Here are three realist viewpoints that can help you form realistic ranking expectations for your SEO campaign:

  1. There is only ever one “1st place”
  2. One thing is not always everything
  3. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is

Remember There Is Only One 1st Place

If 50 other companies selling the same product or service as you invested equal amounts of money (or more) in SEO not all 50 companies can end up in a #1 position. There is only room for one site at the top. SEO is an ongoing competition for who is has the most relevant website.

The web operates 24/7 and Google never sleeps! Whether or not you achieve that coveted first place listing or not remember … a first place ranking today may not be a first place ranking tomorrow.

Rankings Are Not Always Everything

SEO is a form of advertising; it’s all about getting your website out there and seen by potential customers.

Rankings determine how many people may see and click on your site in search results. Based on the number of searches for a particular keyword phrase and industry averages for the percentage of clicks each position gets we can calculate the estimated traffic of a #1 or #2 spot.

However, even though we may think the goal is to get rankings it rarely ever is unless you are just concerned about traffic. Rather, results need to be measured based on rankings and conversions.

Most website owners are happy when we help them achieve a 1st place ranking but soon ask the question … So What? What does this get for me?

We need to look at goal conversions:

  • How many people call your company?
  • How many people request a quote?
  • How many people download your brochure?
  • How many people create an account ?
  • How many people make a purchase?

Sounds Too Good to Be True?

You would never trust a commercial for diet pills that help you lost weight while you sleep … it’s just too good to be true. So why would you believe an SEO promise of instant #1 rankings?

Promises of guaranteed first place listings are too good to be true. Consider the following logic:

If it was that easy wouldn’t all your competitors already be doing it?

Furthermore, promises of cheap first place listings are also too good to be true. Consider the following:

If it was cheap wouldn’t the big brands be spending a lot less each month and switch to low-cost providers?

When setting realistic goals and expectations in your SEO campaign remember to ask yourself if it sounds too good to be true.

Let Us Help You Set Realistic SEO Expectations

Realistic SEO expectations must be based on measurable and controllable goals or conversions.

Reaching your goals can take hard work and a long term commitment but with realistic expectations you will be well positioned to succeed.

For more information about what you can expect from our SEO Company contact 1st on the List directly at 888-262-6687.

Carissa Krause

Carissa Krause is a Digital Marketing and Project Specialist at 1st on the List. Over the last 12+ years she has worked in our Abbotsford office with clients on a wide range of projects that include areas like local SEO, project reporting, backlink profile review, content development, strategic planning, and more. Whatever the project may be Carissa focuses on achieving greater efficiencies and putting plans into action. When away from her desk you’ll likely find her drinking all the coffee while sitting on the floor driving cars with her two young boys. Learn more about Carissa.
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