SEO Q&A: We answer your most-searched SEO questions!

For a lot of businesses, SEO seems to present more questions than answers. From the very basics to more specific B2B-oriented inquiries, we collected some of the most searched SEO questions into one handy Q&A page. Have a question we didn’t answer? Connect with us today for SEO consultation, SEO management, or content strategy services!

How much does SEO cost?

SEO is a significant marketing investment on the same level as a digital advertising campaign or trade show exhibition. Expect to invest a significant percentage of your overall marketing budget each year if you wish to maximize your SEO.

SEO involves user experience and design, technical website performance, link-building, strategy, and content production. Performing all these services well takes time and expertise. Companies promising to boost your SEO for a few hundred dollars will take your money and run, leaving you with minimal gains. Consider SEO a full-spectrum marketing tactic that builds up and improves other digital campaigns. What’s good for your SEO is often good for overall user experience!

Does Squarespace built-in SEO work?

Squarespace built-in SEO tools work well enough, though other options may work better. More and more companies choose to use managed website platforms like Squarespace and Wix to host their websites. These platforms offer a consistent and secure experience to content editors and users alike. This comes at a cost, as Squarespace websites are less configurable than custom websites. In some cases, Squarespace’s platform will limit your ability to optimize or adjust web pages for maximum SEO performance.

For a point of comparison, think of a high performance race car versus a reliable family sedan. Both can get you where you need to go, but the race car has much more power. However, the race car may be harder to drive and more prone to failure. Squarespace is like that reliable family sedan: limited in some ways, but easier to work with and less likely to break down than some custom websites.

How to find good keywords for SEO?

There are many free and paid tools that can help you find good keywords for SEO. One of the best free tools is Google’s Keyword Planner. Since the data comes straight from Google itself, it’s one of the most accurate tools on the market, though its features are limited. SpyFu and SEMRush are two paid tools worth considering.

To find good SEO keywords, you must understand what makes a keyword good for SEO. There are two main factors that make for a good SEO keyword: intent and volume. Good keywords have high purchasing intent, meaning people searching for them want or need your products and are planning to make a decision soon. They also have high enough search volume to deliver traffic to your website. Keyword competition is also important. Keywords with very high competition may be expensive or difficult to rank for.

How long should a blog post be for SEO?

Content length is not a direct ranking factor, though very short pages usually do not have enough information to rank well. More than ever, Google rewards content that accurately answers questions for users. Focus on the acronym “EAT”: Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Ensure your content is unique and useful to your users rather than chasing a specific word count!

Does SEO work?

Yes! SEO done properly will increase your rankings on Google and deliver valuable traffic to your business. Doing SEO right means frequently developing high quality content. An “SEO strategy” that doesn’t involve content production will not be effective.

Is SEO dead?

SEO is not dead. For as long as search engines exist, SEO will matter. What works best for SEO is always evolving. SEO in five years may look completely different than it does now, but it will still matter as long as users search for information online.

Is SEO more important on the homepage?

No — in fact, the opposite is often true! Users often search for a specific product or service. A homepage may be too general to rank well for their query. Often, the most valuable SEO page on your website is a product page or blog post. That’s why it’s important to also optimize your website for conversions. You want customers to be able to easily take action from wherever they land on your website.

How does Google prevent users from “cheating” at SEO?

Because Google’s search rankings rely on an automated system, it is sometimes possible to “cheat” at SEO using what are called “black hat” techniques. The name black hat comes from the old Spy vs. Spy comics, where two spies — one in a black hat, one in white — try to outsmart each other. Black hat SEOs are search marketers who find exploits and workarounds to make their websites rank best. These strategies are very risky. Google is constantly analyzing and fixing exploits. If they are able to tell your website used underhanded tactics to rank, they may penalize the website in a future update. This can damage your SEO for years to come! In short, cheating at SEO is possible in the short-term but dangerous in the long-term.

How long does it take SEO to work?

SEO performance increases must be measured in months rather than days or weeks. Businesses should not expect positive ROI on SEO for 6 months or more. In order to improve SEO, content must be produced consistently over a long period of time. New content may take days to become indexed by Google, and weeks or months to climb the search rankings. On the other hand, SEO provides long-term value for money. SEO is an up-front investment that may pay dividends for years to come.

Is SEO free?

SEO doesn’t need to cost money, but it will always take time. There are many free resources online to learn SEO theory. To properly implement SEO, some basic web development skills are required. Strong writing skills are also essential. It may be impractical for business owners or in-house marketing managers to complete their duties while also supporting a time-consuming SEO strategy. This is why SEO is often outsourced to a professional or agency.

Does search advertising (PPC) help SEO?

Search advertising is different from SEO. The two are opposite sides of the search marketing coin. While PPC can provide the benefits of SEO by paying to rank first overall for target keywords, it does not affect your organic search rankings in any way.

Does page speed affect SEO?

Yes! Since Google’s move to mobile-first search indexing, Core Web Vitals (CWV) are a ranking signal for SEO. Core Web Vitals are measurements Google takes to analyze your website technical performance. You can use Google’s Pagespeed test to analyze your website’s CWVs. A low score may be impacting your search performance.

What is my “SEO score”?

Many SEO companies offer some kind of analysis tool that will give you a score, ranking, or grade for your SEO performance. In reality, no single score can accurately express your search performance. Such scoring systems are usually marketing tools to persuade you to purchase an SEO tool or service. The only “SEO score” that matters is your search rankings! A tool like Google Search Console can help you monitor rankings over time.

Does SEO work on drag-and-drop websites?

Good content and a strong strategy will allow SEO to work for almost any website on almost any website platform. Drag-and-drop website builders may struggle with technical performance and limited SEO features. However, they are fully capable of ranking first overall for your most important keywords.

How to use SEO for lead generation?

Turning SEO traffic into business can be tricky, especially for B2B companies like our clients. A good SEO strategy will prioritize content with high purchasing intent rather than broad informational searches. As an example, a plumbing company would not want to produce content for a keyword like “DIY sink repair” because, while informational and relevant to plumbing, the searcher wants to avoid paying for their services! Ranking for this term would deliver low value traffic.

Optimizing your website for conversions is critical to maximizing SEO performance. Ensure that your top SEO pages feature calls to action that encourage users to engage with your business. By focusing on business intent and conversion rate optimization, we can maximize SEO’s ROI.

Want to learn more about SEO? Check out our SEO explainer article for B2B manufacturers!