Before we dive into the quiz, please note we will not get into specific tactics. The questions below are designed to help you answer: “Can I do SEO on my own?” at a high level. (We did a deep dive into SEO digital marketing for lead generation here – if you’re interested.)
Can I Do SEO on My Own? 10 Questions To Evaluate if You’re Ready
1. Was your website designed with SEO in mind?
Yes
Great! Your site structure is healthy and you’re in prime position to be found with the right strategy. Move on to the next question.
No
SEO is not all about keywords. Structural site issues could prevent you from ranking – even if you have the most outstanding content ever created.
Get a website evaluation and check for structural issues that stop you from landing on page 1.
2. Have you completed SEO keyword research in the past 6 months?
Yes
SEO keyword research is invaluable insight into how your prospects search for solutions and find your company. Make sure you use the information effectively with questions 3–5.
No
Without SEO keyword research, you’re blindly throwing darts and hoping for a bull’s-eye. The research is your roadmap for every page on your site.
Do not skip this step or guess what terms people use in searches. Use a tool like one from:
- Ahrefs (Paid)
- Google Trends (Free)
- KWFinder (Paid)
- Moz (Limited free features)
- SEMrush (Paid)
3. Have you built out a content strategy?
Yes
Okay, for this we have a follow-up question – Are you sure? “Content strategy” isn’t just blogging – go on to question 4 to see why.
No
Keyword research isn’t a strategy. You need a plan on how to strategically address each phase of the Buyer’s Journey so that you capture leads at every stage.
4. Do you have solution pages for each main keyword you’re targeting?
Yes
Perfect! Now don’t forget to point back to these solution pages with internal links in blog posts and other webpages.
No
If a prospect finds you for a specific keyword, but doesn’t see a solution aligned with their query, they won’t know you have a service that can help them.
Develop pages before writing blogs about the solution.
5. Do you have team members ready to:
- Write monthly content
- Refresh old blog posts
- Update webpages for SEO keywords
- Monitor metrics and performance
Yes
You’re ready to consistently publish content that resonates with your target market! Make sure technical glitches won’t get in the way with question 6.
No
When businesses choose to outsource at least 1 content marketing activity, a whopping 84% outsource content creation. (See the full study from Content Marketing Institute here.)
It’s easy to see why. Creating SEO-friendly content comes with a long list of activities, requires specialized knowledge, and can be time-consuming.
If you want to outsource, find an agency that follows SEO best practices when developing content.
6. Is someone managing your technical SEO?
Yes
Quickly resolving technical errors really is a win-win. You stay in Google’s good graces, and proactively prevent user engagement issues that cause people to leave your site.
No
SEO isn’t “set and forget.” Sure your site was optimized on day 1, but now it’s day 100 (or heck, even day 10), and we’re willing to bet that at least one of these 27 problems has popped up.
7. Do you have an off-page SEO strategy?
Yes
Driving traffic back to your site through social media, directory listings, and earned backlinks is incredibly valuable – just don’t forget to periodically check your directory listings to make sure the information is accurate!
No
Keywords and content tend to dominate SEO conversations, but off-page activities are critical for driving traffic back to your site. Here’s a sample of what off-page SEO involves:
- Posting links to your site on social media platforms
- Getting your basic information (name, website, physical address, etc.) listed in relevant directories
- Earning links back to your site from other, high-quality websites
8. Are you regularly developing and posting assets to capture SEO leads?
Yes
Putting guides or information behind a form fill turns your anonymous web traffic into potential leads for sales to follow up with – move on to question 7.
No
Contact Us forms only work when people urgently want to address a concern.
Guides, checklists, ebooks, calculators, and videos give prospects a way to interact with you before their situation reaches a crisis point.
9. Do asset downloads trigger follow-up email campaigns?
Yes
You’re on track for bringing in new clients – but only if you answer “yes” to question 10 too.
No
Email addresses you organically acquire are far more valuable than any purchased list. You must add these contacts to targeted email campaigns that continue to hammer at their problems, ask for meetings, and showcase you as a thought leader.
10. Does someone in a sales role follow up on SEO leads?
Yes
You have a serious competitive advantage over your peers! Too many businesses let leads slip by because no one calls and talks to people who fill out web forms.
No
You won’t close new business with email alone. At some point, prospects want to talk to someone. Your goal is to intercept and start this conversation before the prospect starts calling up you and your competitors.
The earlier you get in the door, the more likely you are to win a new client.
Decoding Your Results: If you answered “Yes”….
10 times: You have this under control!
Remember SEO is only one of your digital marketing attraction strategies. Grab this free guide and get ideas for other ways you can attract leads.
5–9 times: Phone a friend
Some of your SEO can be managed in-house, but you could use a bit of help from a consultant or small project.
0–5 times: You’re not ready to take SEO in-house right now
Consider partnering with an agency that provides SEO services instead of trying to implement everything on your own.
If your gap was sales follow-up …
A person who downloads a resource isn’t going to call you up and ask you questions. Your sales team plays an important role and you should hold them accountable.
But don’t simply tell them, “Go call SEO leads,” help them start conversations. Here are 2 starting points:
1. Have your sales team read How to Effectively Follow Up With Your Inbound Leads, it tells them how to follow up with SEO leads.
2. Get tailored, virtual sales training and increase your win rate.
3 Types of SEO Services
1. Website design project
We said it before and will say it again – SEO is foundational to your website. Before you engage a company to design or refresh your website, find out how they will optimize it for SEO.
2. Consulting & Do it with you
You can keep some work in-house and then partner with SEO consultants to plug any strategic or skills gaps. Set up a call to us about what this would look like for your team: https://www.klagroup.com/contact-us/.
3. Do it for you
If most of your answers were no’s, you’re not in a position to do SEO on your own and would benefit from a fully managed, do-it-for-you solution. Here’s what that looks like.
We Have One Final Question for You: Do You WANT To Do SEO on Your Own?
When you’re getting ready to start an SEO digital marketing strategy, don’t only think about if you can do it on your own, ask if you want to take on the diverse set of responsibilities it takes to generate SEO leads.
Is it the best use of your and your team’s time to:
- Research keywords
- Tweak strategy
- Manage and maintain your website
- Create content
- Optimize webpages
- Write and send emails
- Analyze data
It’s a lot to take on, and even if you have the internal resources, expert-level guidance helps you keep everything on track.
Don’t bog your team down with too many SEO tasks
Get help from a digital marketing agency and form relationships with people searching for your services.
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