There’s a reason get-rich-quick schemes are called “schemes.” They sound good at first, but they never work out. The old saying is true—there is no such thing as a free lunch.

Creating value

When you think of a really rich person, who comes to mind? Bill Gates? Steve Jobs? Mark Zuckerburg? What do they have in common? They all added a lot of value to a lot of people’s lives. If you’re using a personal computer or a mobile device to read this, or if you’ve used Facebook to stay in touch with family and reconnect with old friends, these pioneers have created value for you.

So if you want to get rich, you have to do so by creating more value than you take. Help people achieve their goals, and they’ll be happy to pay you for your help.

My point is that you don’t get something for nothing, and something that seems too good to be true probably is. And it’s the same way with SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

The allure of “one simple trick!”

If you’re like many business owners I know, your mailboxes (virtual and physical) get stuffed with ads like this one:

• Unbelievable , but I just found software which can do all hard work promoting your dynamicts.com website on complete autopilot – building backlinks and getting your website on top of Google and other search engines 1st pages, so your site finally can get laser targeted qualified traffic, and so you can get lot more visitors  for your website. YEP, that’s right, there’s this little known website which shows you how to get to the top 10 of Google and other search engines guaranteed. …

Now, most of the people that read this blog are pretty smart, so I don’t expect you got fooled by this. But people go for stuff like this all the time, and the results are never pretty.

Sure, you might get a momentary boost. Your ranking might skyrocket to the top of Google overnight, and your phone suddenly starts ringing with new business.

But what’s the problem? You haven’t really added any value. And as soon as Google starts checking around, they realize they’ve been tricked. A very clever person figured out how to fool Google into ranking you higher, but you didn’t really do anything to deserve it. So Google reacts and you’re back where you started.

Or, if it was particularly egregious, they may blacklist you and make your site virtually unreachable. Uh-oh.

SEO Basics: Google rewards value

See, Google’s goal is to present the best, most relevant, most helpful, most popular, most credible content there is. So, if you’re searching for “how to change a flat tire,” Google wants to help you figure that out. They don’t care if it is Michelin or some retired tire shop mechanic who runs a blog for fun. They just want to find the best, most relevant, most helpful answer.

And it’s the same way when somebody searches for “homes for sale in Greenville, SC,” or “organic dog treats,” or “how to lose weight.”

So when a self-proclaimed SEO expert says he will guarantee you first page ranking for a search term relevant to your business, ask him how he plans to make your website more helpful, more relevant, and more credible. If he gives you a blank look, it’s time to move on.

And so …

Much like the path to lasting wealth, SEO is a slow and steady climb to the top. As you create valuable content that is well-organized and easy to use, as you add value to your customers and prospective customers, as you develop a reputation for excellence, Google will reward you. And the resulting rank will be one you can be proud of.

Want to learn more? Call me, and we’ll talk about it.

Tim Joiner, CEO
3Fold
864.761.4141