The most crucial time for marketing a non-fiction book is just before and right after it is released. You don’t get a do-over! It’s wise, therefore, to bring in an SEO specialist several months in advance of the release so they
can create a digital marketing strategy for your new book. In Part I of this series, you learned why SEO is important for non-fiction authors. In Part II, you learned some of the most important tricks and traps of using SEO to promote your book.
Below are 7 tips for finding the right SEO specialist to help you generate media attention for your book, which could translate into book sales; radio, TV, and print interviews; speaking gigs; and new clients and business opportunities.
Look for someone with experience.
Google updates their algorithm over 365 times per year! An SEO specialist needs to keep up with everything going on in the world of the search engines. While some SEO specialists may have studied marketing in college, that’s rare. That may change in the future, but right now, most of what they’ve learned is from hands-on work, their own daily research, and interacting with the SEO community. Two to three years of professional experience is considered a solid foundational background.
Vet your SEO pro well.
Before you hire an SEO person, ask if they’ve looked at your website and what their initial thoughts are. See what they’re promising you. The best SEO specialist won’t overpromise–there are too many factors involved, and no one is in control of Google except for Google. They should be clear that their work will follow the best current SEO practices, and that diligent and creative ideas will be incorporated. SEO is a slow and steady process. It is investing in your business, and the success achieved will remain with you and your website as equity.
Know what search engine optimization goals are reasonable to expect.
Have a conversation with your SEO specialist about what’s reasonable to expect given your budget of time and money. But there are other factors. If the website is in bad shape SEO-wise, there would be much to improve before any results were visible. Additionally, the results you get depend a lot on how well you follow the SEO specialist’s recommendations. So, if you only have a minimal budget, your website has no content, many issues are showing up on Google Webmaster tools and other evaluators, and you only want to incorporate a portion of what’s recommended, then don’t expect amazing results. You also need to factor in your competition. If your competitors are more established and are blowing you out of the water with their traditional and digital marketing campaigns, then don’t expect your SEO specialist to win that race on a small monthly budget. They can, however, get you to a better place than you are at now.
Find someone who works well with your web developer.
Often the web developer has very little knowledge of SEO. They also might have their own way of doing things, or have designed and built your website in a way that does not have the flexibility to easily incorporate the desired SEO changes and additions. They may push back on recommendations because they either don’t want to do them, or don’t know how. In the best-case scenario, professional collaboration will take place with each discussing their desires and concerns. Generally speaking, the SEO specialist should be the architect and the web developer/manager should be the general contractor. Every change on a website should be discussed with the SEO person, and if a new website is to be created, the author, web developer, and SEO person should coordinate from the ground up.
You get what you pay for.
Always keep in mind that there is no credibility to someone who says they will do SEO for peanuts. There are no quick fixes, and good SEO people are busy and in demand and unable to work too cheaply. SEO agencies charge from $150 to $250 per hour. An individual or a smaller agency might be around $100 per hour. The hourly rate, however, is just one component. SEO today now involves content creation and social media, brand development and coordination with all other marketing efforts. There are a lot of items to address. Many agencies will not even take on a new client for under $1,000 per month ongoing fee.
Make a “digital marketing commitment.”
As an author, if you want to get your book out into the world, and position yourself as an expert, then expect to make a monthly digital marketing commitment. You have a choice between hiring an individual as an independent contractor, an agency, or bringing in someone full-time on your payroll. There are pluses and minuses to each approach. If you hire an SEO specialist on a small monthly budget, keep in mind that they will only be able accomplish a limited amount each month and it will take longer to see results. They will have to accomplish things over a longer period of time, so the sooner you get going on it – the better.
Social Media incorporation
Today, a good SEO person will also have input into your social media campaign. Google and the other search engines now make social media signals a big part of their ‘evaluation’ algorithm. Activity on your social platforms that results in interaction and engagement with your audience is desired.
There’s no quick fix.
One last thing: all these quick and easy SEO pitches are scams. They are like some quack telling you they’ll heal your physical ailments with some miracle supplement. Many unscrupulous “SEO” people have gotten their clients in big messes of Google penalties where their site doesn’t even show up in the search results anymore! You do get what you pay for.