SEO can be great for business. Can be really, really great for business. We’ve personally seen quite a few companies make million-dollar differences to their bottom line, in as little as 12 months. These aren’t the steps to getting to your goal (the number one rankings, the traffic, etc). This IS the goal! But unfortunately, there are a lot of ways you can waste money with ineffective SEO techniques. Today we look at some of the biggest cash leeches in an SEO campaign – they are all give and no take.

Internet marketing

1. You’re paying for ads on the Google content network that are not highly targeted

For starters, we are firm believers in the idea that organic SEO has a huge range of benefits over and above pay per click, which is the way the Google Content network is designed. Click on the image above to view it at full size, and tell me if you think the advertisers in question were actively trying to target ‘travel insurance’. If your ads are displayed like this, there is a far lower chance of getting clicks, and of getting conversions from clicks that you pay for.

2. Not using analytics

I love John Wanamaker’s quote – “Half of the money I spend on advertising is completely wasted. I just have no idea which half”. John Wanamaker was the inventor of the price tag and a department store owner himself, and obviously lived in the time before Google Analytics! Ask your SEO company about setting up analytics, if it all seems a bit too much like hard work.

3. Designing, building and writing content for the company, not the customer

You can have the prettiest website and the most grammatically correct content in the world. But if it doesn’t speak in the same language as your customers do, or appeal to them visually, then it is terrible. Why? Because it isn’t achieving its goals.

4. You are paying to get traffic to an old, non-functional or poorly designed site

Without an attractive, usable website at the other end of the click-journey, you’ll be paying for SEO that is driving up not much more than you bounce rate. In fact, many SEO companies can help you with your  web design as well. You may not need to switch companies for this little cash leech – just ask about additional services.

Getting to the top of Google is not a license to print money, unfortunately. There are plenty of other SEO-related factors you need to keep an eye on in order to make money in the long term. Talk to an expert SEO strategist if you want any pointers for your own site!