The time has arrived, Peak District SEO Just hit its one year anniversary. It’s been a wild ride with both highs and lows as one might expect for a start-up SEO company.
I promised the followers of Peak District SEO that I would answer their questions via a blog and social media video.
This article will try to answersome questions about SEO and also about our first year in business.
I used social media to call for questions from people who follow our accounts on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Questions to an SEO Company…
Will Asks:
“What does Google’s latest core algorithm change mean for sites and their content?”
Well, to answer that question well I think I actually need more time. The latest Google algorithm updates the speed update and it’s not been out long enough to form any serious conclusions.
Google is planning to move the entire ranking factors from desktop computers to a mobile-first system. This makes good sense given that more and more people are using mobile devices to search for what they are looking for on Google.
In January 2018, Google announced they would be rolling out the speed update. Google informed us was only going to affect the slowest load being websites on the mobile-first search results.
Towards the end of July, we saw evidence that the speed updates have been deployed, With Webmasters and SCO professionals reporting some changes in the SERP.
Personally, I do not believe the update will cause major problems for the majority of active and well-maintained websites. I think the biggest impact is going to be on sites that have not had any attention for some time.
It is going to be more likely that those sites will not have been built with mobile devices in mind. Therefore the likelihood that they will display poorly on mobile devices is much higher.
If sites are not optimised for mobile they are likely to be ranked lower by Google.
The good news is the majority of my clients have fully mobile friendly website so I’m not expecting to encounter a huge amount of problems. To recap, Websites that can expect major issues are likely to be older sites that are hand built or built on bespoke CMS That do not focus on delivering content to mobile devices such as phones and tablets.
-Stephen Asks:
“In the last few years, I’ve noticed the rise in the use of the verb ‘Shop’ in place of ‘Browse’ or ‘Buy’. Do you think this is for SEO reasons when someone’s looking for a shop that sells a particular item or is language evolving to use this word more?”
I think that this is just an Americanism. The same way that we can now refer to the shopping process of any e-commerce website as the cart.
We do not use the term “shopping cart” in the UK, we call it a basket or a trolley. But in the online world, we say “add to cart”, This is just a cultural crossover. In many e-commerce platforms heavily developed using US English. Those in the IT industry tend to use a more ubiquitous version of English rather than one more particular to one region of the world.
So when we see the term “Shop Shirts today” I simply believe this is an extension of this US English. I’d do not expected to carry over into everyday language.
My personal preference would be that people didn’t use the term “shop”. There may be some SEO value to using the word “shop” because shoppers might use the query “local shirts shop” or “men’s clothes shop”.
Additionally, there may be some psychology being deployed in the sense that “shop shirts today” sounds more like a suggestion than an order like “buy shirts today”.
At any rate, this is either a fad that will go away, or we will see more and more of these “universal English” terms creeping into our daily online language.
– Shantelle Asks:
“Do you feel that you faced extra challenges due to your ethnicity, and are there any ways/wisdom that you could impart to other prospective black/ethnic minority entrepreneurs?”
This is a really interesting question, and probably warrants a more detailed answer than I can give here. I try to take as many steps is possible to remove the possibility where natural biases might get in the way connecting with potential customers.
Anyone who is searching for SEO services is actually looking for someone to help them overcome website problems. I try to position my business as having the solutions such problems.
By presenting a clear idea outline of technical SEO issues faced by potential customers and then offering a clear path to the solution, with affordability and support built in demonstrates why businesses should hire me.
I find this resonates well with leads encouraging them to focus on the project goals rather than people or any perceived differences.
- – Rose Asks:
“What do you feel was your biggest win/best moment of success in your first year?”
Without a doubt, the biggest win of the year is just staying in business. Milestones are a good way to gauge whether or not your service is effective.
Another big win is landing larger clients. When you first start out, you tend to attract smaller clients to only pay very small fees. When you do get that larger client feels like you’ve arrived. I always temper this relation with the knowledge that once you have landed a client that is just the beginning of the relationship. You have to keep them.
Whilst larger clients pay more, they are often more demanding and expect more detail and attention. Losing large clients can be a major blow to your cash flow and reputation.
Whenever I land a bigger client, I always review my systems and policies to ensure that they will be well served. That way they’ll be leaving positive reviews and testimonials to help me bring in similar clients.
-Keith Asks: “What were the things that motivated you this year?”
Funnily enough Keith, I always tell people to ignore the naysayers but I don’t always take my own advice. In some ways, their words do stick with you. You have to use other people’s negativity to drive you on!
When people tell me I can’t or won’t achieve something. I just love making them eat their words. A couple of things someone said to me early on were
“You have the wrong approach”
and “in your first year, you’ll be lucky to make 10 grand”
These two statements have propelled me forwards during the tough times.
I simply wasn’t prepared to let those people be proved right. I knew they were wrong at the time and by completing a year in business validates that. I’m under no illusions that it’s all plain sailing from here. The work starts all over again to achieve even more in the second year.
Thanks to all who supported Peak District SEO
I’d like to thank all the people who helped and supported me and showed a little belief, you’ll never truly know what that means to me.
Thanks for reading this article, and please share it on social media if you enjoyed it. Watch this space for more updates.
Phil is the founder of Peak District SEO. He helps businesses make more money. Using traditional Search engine Optimisation (SEO), Social Media, and paid advertising (PPC). Phil loves Real Ale & Fell Running.
