One of the most effective ways of attracting visitors to your website is by appearing at the top of Google (or other search engines) for terms that are relevant to your website.
For example, if you’re running an Italian restaurant in Seattle, and your site appears at the top of Google when someone searches ‘Italian restaurant Seattle’, you’ll be doing extremely well.
On the other hand, if your website comes up on Page 2 of Google for a search, it may as well not exist. Does anyone look at Page 2 anymore?
What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is the practice of increasing the number of visitors to your website by getting it to appear as high up in the search engine rankings as possible for your chosen keywords. It’s difficult to nail down because Google changes their search algorithms multiple times every day. What gets you to the top today may not even get you on the first page tomorrow.
There are specialist SEO agencies and practitioners who can help you with your website’s SEO. However, some web hosts also offer SEO packages when you purchase hosting with them.
3 Examples of Website Hosting SEO Packages:
1 – HostGator
One of the web hosting companies that offer SEO Services is the extremely popular HostGator.
The HostGator SEO package begins with keyword research. Their SEO team will work out what keywords you can rank for, which will bring in the kind of web traffic you need. HostGator do this by analyzing your competitors and the kind of keywords they are ranking for.
HostGator’s primary method of raising the profile of your site is by creating content. This is currently the most effective way of rising up the Google rankings. When you produce content that your target audience likes to read and share, Google rewards you with a better ranking.
HostGator’s SEO team will also go through the back end of your site, making sure all your pages are optimized for SEO. This includes tweaking your page titles, meta descriptions and header tags, to make sure Google can easily spot them.
With HostGator, you get a dedicated Marketing Project Coordinator to help you with your SEO. You can also track your progress on your personal SEO portal.
2 – GoDaddy
Another hosting giant offering SEO services, GoDaddy say their SEO experts can help your site get noticed.
When you purchase SEO services from GoDaddy, the first step will be a site review. They will assess your SEO situation and see where you need help. They perform keyword research to work out what keywords you can feasibly rank for.
GoDaddy will tweak the back end of your site to ensure it’s easy for Google to spot. They will also install tools such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console which helps them monitor your site in real-time.
GoDaddy will ensure your site has been submitted correctly to Google, Yahoo! and Bing. They will also ensure you’re visible in Google’s local search results. GoDaddy will also submit your site’s details to relevant directories, creating links that point back to your site.
The SEO team at GoDaddy will make original content for your site, for extra SEO impact. They create short two-paragraph articles, loaded with keywords, which will show Google that your site is functioning well and hyper-targeted.
3 – 1&1
Our final SEO package from a web host is from 1&1. It’s a little different from the others we have looked at so far, in that 1&1 will help you to help yourself.
When you take out an SEO package from 1&1, you join the ‘rankingCoach’ programme. Once 1&1 has analyzed your site, you are sent videos and articles tailored to you, that help you perform your own SEO optimization.
You’ll get help with local SEO, on-page, setting up backlinks and leveraging social media for SEO. Your rankingCoach will also send you updates on how you’re progressing, and how you measure up against your competitors.
Is it Worth it?
The big question is, are these packages any good? How do they compare to using a specialist SEO agency?
None of these web hosts offers guarantees relating to how effective their SEO services are. SEO isn’t an exact science, but with an SEO agency, they will be more realistic about what is possible for you.
All the web host packages have their disadvantages. In 2018, two-paragraph articles loaded with keywords aren’t effective with Google anymore. Google prefers longer content that provides readers with value. With the 1&1 package, you’re basically doing it all yourself. You could get similar value for free by watching YouTube videos.
While these packages are better than doing nothing at all, if you’re serious about your website’s search engine optimization, you should use an SEO specialist to help you drive traffic.
How Web Hosts Can Help With SEO
That’s not to say your choice of web host has no effect on SEO. Here’s an article on that very subject.
Google uses how fast your site loads as a factor in determining your search ranking. Therefore, you need to be with a host that gives you optimum speed. Uptime also makes a difference.
Have you ever purchased an SEO package from your web host? How did it go for you? Was it worth it? Please let us know in the comments.
