The world is changing. You are changing. I know that you are just itching to get out of this mundane life. Forget nine-to-five’s; forget unpaid overtime hours. Forget bosses. You want to start something for yourself. You are dying to meet the person you are destined to become. Conveniently, you know just the thing that can help you break off the chains that are holding you down.
You Know SEO
Search Engine Optimization or SEO is a revolutionary marketing strategy that has only assumed the spotlight in recent years. With the rise of technology and the birth of the internet, businesses have sought more efficient ways to bring their products and services to the world. The creation of search engines became the trigger for SEO to be born in the marketing industry. It was SEO’s McGuffin.
By helping businesses rank higher in search engines, SEO increases the chances of any business to make it big in its respective industry. This makes SEO a valuable strategy for any company – and a profitable service for those who know it. If you happen to be an expert at SEO, then you’re probably thinking about founding your own company. You’re supposing that it just might be something that can save you from this mundane world; your ultimate escape from the dreaded 9 to 5’s.
Well, you are right. SEO promises to give you that future, maybe even more, but only if you’re up to it. Like any success story, you have to knead the dough to come out tough. The same will go for your SEO journey. In this article, I want you to fully understand the realities that come with establishing your own SEO Company. Take it as valuable input from a friend you haven’t met yet.
P.S. Make sure to read till the very last sentence.
You Will Fail
That’s right. You will fail for failure is inevitable in the practice of SEO. No matter how much you know, no matter how much you learn, you can never perfect SEO. That is precisely why it is called a “practice.” You can have all the tools in the world; you can have the smartest people. But you can never make your business fail-proof. You should anticipate this fact and go forward whilst understanding it fully. The moment you learn and accept that failure is part of the package; that is your moment of triumph. Failing is never a choice but gathering yourself and holding your head up high failure after failure is. Embrace failure in your methodologies and rise above the challenge.
You Will Feel Like Giving Up
There will be a point where you will get tired. Some clients will never be satisfied with your work no matter how much you do and others simply won’t see eye to eye with you. It’s normal to be frustrated. It’s normal to be down in the slumps especially when you’ve experienced some rough cuts with clients. But do not give up. I have been there and I have been through it. I can assure you that the greener pasture does exist. You just have to go through some real challenges to get there. People will question your methods; they will tell you that your service is not getting the job done. Remain confident in what you do. Re-assess your process and when you find that there is most DEFINITELY nothing wrong with it, trust your decision and push through the odds. SEO is not an overnight miracle but most people don’t understand that. So persevere until they do.
You Will Need Help
Sure, you will start out as one man (or woman) who’ll work your SEO business up the ladder. But take note, you will “start” but not come out as a single person. Your business will need people, especially when you’re growing. Allow new talents into your business. You cannot survive the jungle of SEO companies you’ll find online by being a lone island. You need manpower; you need new sets of skills. You will get busier as time goes by and when you reach a point where the demand overwhelms you, don’t hesitate to outsource some work. You can’t burden yourself with everything. Else, you’re going to run yourself dry.
You Will Experience Disappointment
Everyone on a daily basis experience disappointment to some extent. Some become disappointed because their exam results are unfavorable despite studying really hard. Others feel disappointed because someone they hold dear had let them down or stood them up. Disappointment is a part of life as much as it is a part of your growing career in SEO. Clients will let you down. Some will turn tail; others will criticize your work in an offensive rather than a constructive manner. Many problems will arise, no doubt. Just, never lose heart.
You Will Learn Some Lessons The Hard Way
Thing is, no matter how much we educate ourselves and how much we simulate possible outcomes, there are times when we have to go down the difficult path in order to learn something important. In our practice, fellow experts will warn us not to do this and not to do that but you know what they say, smart people are often stubborn ones. So, you will probably do exactly what you are told to avoid. You’ll probably try a couple of gray hat methods despite being warned – maybe even black hats just because you’re curious. Being adventurous and allowing yourself to explore the very depths of SEO is good and all but always make sure you can take the blow for your actions.
You Will Get In Touch With Reality
This is a very important lesson I learned in my own journey towards SEO success. I’ve been slapped with reality one too many times than I can keep my fingers on but each time I learned something very valuable so I guess I’d call it even. Taxes, for example, are some things you should pay much mind to. Just because you’re doing business online doesn’t excuse you from paying your dues to the state. If you don’t want to find out later on that you owe the government thousands of dollars gross, better read on the legalities of your newly-founded business. Don’t think that just because you set up shop in cyberspace you are exempt from your offline duties. Taxes are taxes. Make sure to pay up.
You Will Never Stop Learning
You can be crowned, medalled, or elected as the expert of experts when it comes to SEO and yet, there will always be room for improvement. Every year, month, or a week, a new trend pops into the open and an old one fades into the background. That’s the reality all SEO professionals must face and deal with. What proves to be effective today may not at all be useful tomorrow – and vice versa. So if you think that SEO is the industry you are destined for, you must be ready to embrace a future of learning and innovation.
You Will Keep Growing
The professional you are today is not the same one you were yesterday. Do you agree? As you continue to learn and open new and unfamiliar doors, something different grows in you. You may not be able to keep tabs on it but there is definitely something churning and turning inside your head. You’ll become better, wiser, and more creative. Remain humble though.
You Will Change With The Times
You will change with the times as much as you change with the tides. SEO is ever-evolving. You, too, will keep on evolving. To be precise, it is necessary for you to evolve. It’s either you keep your mind closed off from a myriad of possibilities or embrace it all entirely. I really suggest you go with the latter. Google, along with other search engines like Yahoo and Bing, will continue to update and upgrade their algorithms. Indexers will get better at what they do. Bots will become better at finding errors. In order to overcome such changes, you need to be versatile and willing. You have to welcome change as if it’s something that’s not out of the ordinary.
You Will Get There
Finally, you will achieve whatever future you envision with SEO so keep the faith. Founding your company is a long and winding process but take note: Nobody got anywhere by quitting. Tread every challenge, dive into every opportunity, and embrace the challenge. You may hit rock bottom but know that everyone does. Whether you do something about it is your call to make.
So, how about it? Will you sink or swim?