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Frequently Asked Questions

(Quite Frequently, Actually)

answers to the most commonly asked
questions I get from clients

Table of Contents

"My daughter's boyfriend's sister says [insert uninformed opinion about websites & seo here]"

This is probably one of my all-time favourites.

Free advice from people who don’t actually do this for a living is usually worth what you paid for it.

If you have any questions relating to websites, SEO, costs or anything else, please consult a professional.

"What if I don't need website design and only want SEO?"

That’s fine.

A lot of people who come to me already have websites they are happy with and just want to improve their SEO.

"If you do my SEO, will you make a lot of changes to my website? I love my website!"

This question comes up a lot.

Liking your website doesn’t mean that it is performing the way you would like it to and change is sometimes necessary.

That aside, and If you like the structural layout and colours of your website, they should be able to remain in place as I typically make changes to content, images, video, etc.

Schedule a 30 minute telephone consult and let’s discuss it.

Do I Really Need A Website Audit?

In my opinion, EVERY website should be audited several times a year.

It’s important to know where your website stands and what your competitors are up to at all times.

But, not all audits are created equal.

There are tons of free online resources available that will scan your website and make basic recommendations, however they won’t tell you how competitive your specific industry is and what you’re up against.

My SEO & website audits are essentially consultations where you learn what you really have to do in order to compete.

Consider the time spent as an investment in your business.

"How long does it take to get good rankings?"

Another popular question with a not-so-popular answer: It depends on the website.

Not the answer you’re looking for, I know, but it really is true.

If you’re trying to rank for “sock puppets for puppies Scarborough”, I can get that ranked in a couple of months for a small investment.

If you’re in the Trades – like HVAC or Home Contracting – it can take a lot longer and cost quite a bit.

The real answer to time and cost depends on how competitive your industry is.

If it isn’t very competitive, ranking is easier.

If your industry is very competitive, ranking is more difficult and takes more work and time.

Allowing me to do an audit on your website would give us a clear picture as to what you would need to do in order to compete.

"I can get a website on Fiverr for $300.00. Why do you charge so much?"

You can get a car for $1,000.00, too, but we all know what it will look like and how well it will perform.

I completely understand people being confused about the discrepancy in pricing for what seems like an equal product.

The problem is, they are not equal products.

The cheap websites almost always consist of stock themes with thin, spammy content, inappropriate visuals and little valid SEO (if any at all).

When a person comes to me with such a website, I usually have to strip it down and start from scratch, anyway.

When compared to my competitors, I offer website design that includes the initial on-page SEO for very reasonable prices.

"I know I need SEO but I don't want to spend a lot on it."

No one does, and depending on what you mean by “a lot”, you might not need to.

Every situation is different and some businesses – depending on how competitive their industry or ‘niche’ is – don’t require a huge investment to see some results.

Hiring me to perform an audit on your website is a good start and we’ll know a lot more about where you stand once it’s complete.

"How much is SEO per month?"

The amount and cost of your SEO will depend on what you need and your budget.

Some people need a LOT of work done and can afford to spend $2,000.00 per month for several months.

Others can’t.

My personal minimum is $500.00 for any given month.

Please see my SEO & website design pricing page to get a better idea about costs.

"Can you do SEO on my Squarespace (or Wix or Weebly) website?"

I can, and will, but there’s a bit of a catch.

Those systems do offer simple functionality for users, and some of the websites do look pretty good.

The potential challenge is that the ‘DIY’ systems are very proprietary and do not allow me all of the designing and/or structural freedom I need to do my best work.

Please get in touch with me and we can arrange a call to talk about it.

"I spent a lot of money on my website and now I have to spend even more on SEO?"

I run into this all the time and I really do feel for the website owners.

The problem is that a lot of websites are designed with zero (or bad) SEO in mind when it should have been the other way around.

This typically happens for one of two reasons:

  1. The business owner decides to save money and do it his or her self.
  2. The business owner decides to save money by hiring an inexperienced (or cheap, or incompetent) agency.


The problem is, you’re really not saving anything and it will cost you more in the end.

I encourage owners to treat their websites as important investments in their businesses, as those sorts of tactics will definitely come back to haunt you at some point.

Hiring someone competent who does both SEO and website design is critical.

Schedule a free, 30 minute telephone consult with me and I’ll be happy to go through all of this in greater detail for you.

"Are you an SEO company or a website design company?"

I’m both, although I began primarily as an SEO company and added my website design services not too long after.

I was finding that too many people were coming to me with websites that were under-developed and I would spend quite a bit of time revamping them.

I decided to promote my web design services so that people could save time and money by getting it done right the first time.

"I was expecting (hoping for) cheaper rates."

When it comes to SEO & website design, the terms “cheap” and “more affordable” really aren’t interchangeable.

I am successful with my work because I have the required knowledge, skills and ability to apply to your project.

My rates are also often less than half of what the larger agencies charge.

The truly “cheap” SEO and web design companies tend to use a seriously outdated and one-size-fits-all approach and good results are rarely achieved.

We all know that ‘you get what you pay for’ and this industry is no different.

As with my website audits, I look at these costs as investments in your business.

Getting a website in a fairly competitive industry to rank for just a few hundred dollars just isn’t going to happen (no matter who you hire).

"Do I even need a website? Can't I just use something like Facebook for free?"

You can, but I’d definitely recommend (at least) having a one-page website as well.

A lot of smaller and more local businesses do the majority of their promoting and marketing through Social Media.

If it works, it works.

The reason I recommend having a small website as well is for scaling in the future.

Newer domain names and websites take time to index (and gain trust) in the search engines, so the sooner you have something up, the better.

It also looks more professional if you have an actual website.

 

"I want to be number one on Google but I don't have much money."

Sorry, but without an appropriate budget you won’t be able to hire anyone that is competent.

If your budget is low, I would also strongly suggest that you stay away from the cheap overseas companies that make a ton of promises.

I’ve had far too many people who went that route contact me  because they had spent their budgets and received zero results.

 

"Will I need backlinks for my website? How many? And how expensive are they to get?"

Almost every website needs backlinks, however the quality and amount of backlinks will depend on how strong the backlinking profiles of your competitors are.

The good news is that a properly structured website with strong on-page SEO can make-up for a weaker backlink profile.

The not-so-good news is that website structure and on-page SEO can only take you so far and we would need to take a look at your situation to really know what you’ll need.

The cost for acquiring backlinks is determined by the number of backlinks you need and the quality of the websites we would be using to backlink from.

My SEO website audits will tell you exactly where you stand and what you will be needing.

Order yours now or schedule a free, 30 minute telephone consultation with me today.

 

"How do I know you'll be able to do a good job on my website & SEO?"

That’s a really fair question.

With a lot of local agencies calling themselves the “#1 Best SEO In Toronto”, who are you supposed to believe? They can’t ALL be “#1”, right?

If you want to see examples of who I have helped and what I have done for them, I encourage you to view my Project Portfolio.

You are also welcome to contact any of them and speak with them directly.

I’ve had a lot of success and I stand behind my work.

"What kind of SEO Packages do you offer?"

I don’t, or at least I don’t in the traditional sense.

“SEO Packages” became a popular term and seems to have stuck. The problem is, on its own it doesn’t really mean much.

I offer SEO services and put together a monthly plan based on what you need most at any given time.

The amount of monthly hours I spend on it will depend on your budget.

Please see my pricing page to get a better idea about the costs involved.

"I'm mainly a local business. Can you help with with my Google My Business listing & local SEO?"

I can definitely help with your local visibility, no problem.

Check out my Local SEO Services or contact me to discuss your options.

"I have a large project that needs development, customization, etc. Can you help with that?"

Yep, I can definitely help with that.

I work closely with trusted, third-party agencies in the Toronto area that specialize in project development and I can connect you with one that meets your requirements easily enough.

This includes e-Commerce, database development, photography, videography, graphic design & more.

Reach out to me and we can talk about it.

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