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Even if you’re skeptical about potential results, it’s hard to ignore the allure of search engine optimization (SEO). You know that most people in developed countries use search engines several times per day. You also know that reaching the top of search results can lead to a huge spike in traffic to your website.
The problem is already there if you do a search for the products and services you are currently selling. In a split second, you will be confronted with thousands, if not millions, of different businesses that do what you do. And all of them have spent more time on SEO than you have.
Fierce competition. SEO is getting harder. There is a learning curve to go through.
Is it too late to enter the SEO game as a new competitor?
The early days of SEO
Modern SEO is a completely different animal than early SEO. In the early days of Google, it was rather easy to exploit the search engine algorithm. Not many other businesses can compete. The path to higher rankings is quite easy; Stuffing your site with keywords and backlink spamming is enough to support you.
Today, SEO is much more difficult — and for a number of reasons.
Related: SEO Trends That Will Affect Every Industry
Modern problems for new competitors
These are some of the biggest modern problems for new competitors trying to enter the game:
Related: 10 Basics to Understanding SEO
Why it’s not too late: how to compete in SEO
Reviewing these potential challenges, you may feel discouraged. But it’s definitely not too late to get into the SEO game. Here are some of the most important things to do if you want to be competitive:
SEO will remain a cost-effective and potentially valuable marketing strategy for years, and possibly decades, to come. Therefore, it is never too late to officially take advantage of this tactic. The best time to start an SEO strategy was probably a few years ago — but the second best time to start is today.
Related: 7 Reasons Why SEO Is Important for Every Startup
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