When you consult with an SEO professional, it is important to know what your desires are so that you can help guide them towards creating a custom package for you. One of the biggest issues to tackle when you are creating an SEO strategy on a budget is whether you want on off-site blog or to submit search engine optimized articles to one of the myriad of articles databases that exist.
Although people may widely hail the benefits of these articles databases, if you have to choose one strategy or the other, always opt to have customized blogs built for you off-site. The first problem with the articles databases is a matter of aesthetics: they are simply poorly designed, unattractive, and do not have the professional feel that makes readers interested. People are more interested in reading a blog post or a professional publication-style blog made through WordPress than they are in reading something that looks cheap. And articles databases do. Ask yourself: would you read it if you found it online?
The second issue posed by these databases is that they severely hinder link-building and do not give you the same level of freedom in linking keywords back to your website that a blog permits. If the whole point is to increase your relevance in the eyes of the search engines through links, make the most of the package that you are getting by opting for the one that allows the greatest control.
Although a good strategy usually consists of both, some people simply do not have the resources necessary to pay for building multiple blogs and submission to each of the top 20 articles databases on a regular basis. To fully use the potential of both strategies, you would need to have about 30 articles and blog posts written for you each week, in addition to what you are already paying for press releases and social media strategy, which, for many small businesses, is out of their price range.
