Most website platforms these days provide some in-built SEO options, but what does that mean? And is it possible for someone with no SEO experience to use them to build a website that ranks highly on search engines?
Unfortunately, with SEO as with many other things in business, there’s no true ‘one size fits all’ option.
Are the built-in SEO features on my web platform enough to enable me to rank highly?
It’s unlikely, although in some ways this does depend on your business model and your competition.
Let’s say you’re running the only poodle beauty parlor in your state that specializes in painting poodle’s nails. You’ll probably have no problem ranking highly even with the out-of-the-box SEO tools provided by your web platform. When customers search for your services, if you’re the only one providing those services then you could reach the first page of results with minimal effort.
If, however, you’re a plumber, accountant, law firm or any business with local competitors, you’ll be one of dozens of businesses vying for the first page of the search results. In these circumstances, the out-of-the-box SEO tools built-in to your web platform are unlikely to give you the results you need.
Can I use my web platform’s SEO tools without having expert knowledge?
The search engine optimization features provided by website platforms are designed to be easy for a beginner to use. However, this also means that they’re not comprehensive. For example, the ability to set SEO tags and fields are limited and are only a subset of the entire range of SEO ranking factors.
Plus, in order for them to be useful at all, you’ll need to have robust keyword and competitor research ready.
At a minimum, you’ll need to know:
How easy or difficult it is to rank for your keywords
The volume of searches on those keywords
Which keywords your competitors currently rank for
Related keywords that are moderate-high volume but easy to rank for
If you already have all of this information, you can go ahead and use your in-built SEO tools to apply keywords to your tags and fields. However, without sight of the background coding, you won’t be able to identify if there are any hidden bugs and issues.
The kind of issues we’ve seen with clients who’ve previously relied purely on in-built SEO tools are:
Incompatible plugins slowing down the website
Rogue lines of code in meta tags that are hurting their SEO rankings
Themes that don’t meet Google’s guidelines
These issues don’t happen to everyone–but if you don’t know they’re happening, or what to look for, you won’t understand why your SEO strategy is failing.
SEO is not a ‘set and forget’ strategy
Once you've set your website up, whether you used in-built tools or an expert SEO service, that’s not the end of the hard work. You can’t plug your keywords into your website, set up your meta tags, and then kick back and forget it.
A good search engine optimization strategy incorporates:
Regular website audits to identify problems that can hurt your SEO ranking, like:
Broken links
Thin content
Poor URL structure
Regular blogs and content marketing makes sure you stand out in a crowded market by:
Setting you apart as a thought leader
Providing value to your audience
Giving you the ability to create content for specific keywords that your customers are searching
Regular link profiling helps you to:
Understand the quality of links back to your site
See any links that might be hurting your SEO rather than helping
Understand which links are driving traffic so you can seek out similar sites to place links
Regular analysis helps you:
Understand which keywords are driving your traffic.
Find new keywords that customers are using and optimize your site for them.
Spot when your performance on a keyword dips and quickly troubleshoot.
Your search engine optimization is best handled by experts
There is no web platform or plugin available that can cover all of your SEO needs. Not only is SEO complex and involving many parts, but it’s also constantly changing. Our review of the SEO Periodic Table 2019 covers the current key factors.
The built-in SEO tools on your web platform are better than nothing. However, relying on them is unlikely to net you much organic traffic. Plus, they certainly aren’t a substitute for a long-term SEO strategy that involves regular audits, blogging, and analysis. The more competitive your industry is, the more this applies.
If you decide to bring in professional help, it’s important to choose your SEO agency carefully. Look for an agency with Google Partner status to ensure that they’re following approved best practices. If you’re a local business targeting customers in your area, look for an agency that specializes in local SEO.
Your SEO strategy is important, don’t leave it to chance.