One of the most common questions asked online with regards to search engine optimization is “Can I do my own SEO?” The answer is “yes” as long as you have the time and dedication to learn the process and do the work. The process of SEO itself is not challenging, and instead the real difficulty with doing SEO is learning the process and continually holding yourself to doing the work involved without taking short cuts. In the past, SEO was performed by enacting a specific set of practices onto your website in order to fool Google into moving you higher in the rankings, and this process could be engineered by anyone willing to do some online research into how it all works together. In 2020 (and for about the past 10 years) the process of SEO is not about cheating methods that will cause you to outrank competitors, and instead involves crafting a website that presents you as the authority on a subject (whatever you are selling.) Only through this process are you able to gain higher rankings, as Google has gone to great lengths to change the algorithm in order to make the old tricks no longer work. As a matter of fact, using the old tricks can now get you penalized and ultimately pushed down in rankings, the exact opposite of what you are trying to accomplish.
While SEO as a process used to involve analyzing web pages for specific cues that Google was looking for, like the word or phrase you are trying to rank for being in the title of the page, or used a specific number of times in the content, it is now a process of creating authority that causes rankings. Attempting to use phrases in specific proportions makes content seem mechanical and difficult to read, so Google began using a system of comparative phrasing in order to understand how to rank of website based on the content. Essentially it works in a way that you almost never have to use the specific phrase you are trying to rank for, or create links with that exact phrase as the hotlink. Google can understand your content and is looking for the value you can provide to people in order to decide how to position your site on rankings. If it answers questions or provides valuable information that potential customers are seeking, then you will rank higher. The practice of using phrases in titles and in natural places can still help Google to understand the point of the web page, but it will not improve rankings on it’s own any more. This is why we say that you can do your own SEO if you have the dedication to understanding how the process works and avoid the pitfalls of “old-school” SEO tactics, as they will work against you in 2021. You need to be able to dedicate enough of your time to writing exhaustive and in-depth information about your topic in a way that is not overly sales oriented, but still provides a mechanism that people can use to find you or buy from you. This is the nuance of SEO in the modern world, and ultimately if you have the dedication to write articles like this one every day you can succeed at SEO on your own. You will need to post new information to your website at a minimum of every week, each article being at least 500 words and completely unique. You will also need to to the same for outside websites and link back to your website as the best source of expanded information.
If you have the ability to dedicate enough time and effort into performing these tasks for your website every week without fail, you have a chance of being successful at your own SEO. If your business is within a competitive industry, you may have to dedicate significantly more time and energy into the process. SEO can be done by anyone, but only those with the dedication to the process necessary will succeed.
