SEO Training: Do it Yourself or Leave it to Professionals?

Author: April Hall

Internet Copywriter

By now, everyone knows the importance of using proper SEO techniques to increase your website readership; usually this is done by moving your site up on the Search Engine Results Page. But, what if you don’t actually know how to do this? What if you are a small business owner who wants to become familiar with SEO techniques but have no idea where to begin?

If you are a good writer who is interested in transitioning from print media to the world of the internet, rest assured that you can learn smart copywriting strategies without an overabundance of effort. Even if you are not a writer by trade, there are ways to learn how to create web content that sells. As you begin your foray into SEO writing, you have, in essence, three choices:

1. Trial, Error and Mimicry. There is a lot to be said for simply diving in and learning successful SEO tactics the same way many people learn about other aspects of business: By practice. Of course, SEO is a strange little beast and you may find that you have to work awfully hard in order to nail it down. Perusing SEO blogs and paying attention to other websites can give you an idea of what good SEO copy looks like; however, be careful to mimic the high quality sites rather than the sites of amateurs! This method of learning SEO admittedly takes some time and could result in a lot of frustration.
2. Participate in a Formal SEO Class. If you are interested in a more organized method for learning good search engine optimization strategies, a formal class may be in order. Many web development companies offer SEO classes (most of them free!) that provide foundational instruction for how the internet works, how search engines crawl sites and how your business can create a real internet presence. You can take these courses online or through email correspondence, which means they are convenient for busy professionals. Although I haven’t researched these types of courses especially thoroughly, I suspect they are quite good. Have any of you taken one? Care to share your opinion of their benefits?
3. Leave it to the Professionals. Whether you are too busy, too uninspired or just too intimidated to learn proper SEO strategies, you can always get the results you want by leaving it to professional web development companies, who usually employ a team of internet copywriters. These writers may give you some insight as to how search engines work and how they choose effective keywords, but they won’t bog you down with the details. For some businesses, outsourcing their internet marketing activities just makes good sense.

Regardless of whether you choose to perfect your own SEO writing or leave it to those who do it best, modern businesses need an internet copywriter on their side in order to be successful. There are many companies out there who claim to be able to quickly move your website to the top of the search engine results page; but be careful. The web is full of false claims for SEO success that are difficult, if not impossible to prove. You may find that your best SEO advocate turns out to be someone you trust implicitly: yourself!