Tired of hearing about SEO everywhere and having to pretend you know what it is? Well, no more faking, time to make it. Just keep reading to discover the meaning and power of SEO, and how a search engine optimization agency can help your take your business to the next level.
What does an SEO Agency do?
First things first: what does an SEO company actually do? No doubt it is an essential part of any successful business strategy, but which part, exactly?
SEO is a branch of marketing that increases visibility in organic search engine results across devices and audiences, ultimately powering sales. Whenever a potential client is looking for services or products online, you want to make sure that your company website is the first one to pop out and catch the eye. Only then will your company stand a real chance to encounter a prospect and convert it into a customer. And that’s where an internet marketing company comes into place.
An amazing perk of SEO services is that they offer more durability in the increase in visibility than other marketing techniques. Other initiatives are far more dependent on your advertisement budget, and need a constant boost of money. On the contrary, by hiring the right SEO services you will position your brand online for the long term, with a much more economic maintenance fee than other marketing resources.
Popular SEO services offered by Agencies
Here is a top 10 SEO services offered by agencies that you had no idea could change your brand´s game so much for the better.
As any service that a company hires should do, a good SEO agency communicates with you in order to understand your business difficulties and help it reach its goals and full potential. After this initial and personalized assessment, there are multiple things that a SEO agency can do to make your business grow.
A very important thing that a SEO company can do for you is to audit your site. But what does this mean, and why is it relevant?
Making sure that your site works at the fastest speed and as efficiently as possible is a vital part of the onboarding process. The more technical problems your site has, the more likely it is to lose user interaction, and less users will become clients. A detailed audit lays the foundation for an affective SEO campaign.
Once this is done, an SEO agency will give you a copy of their plan for your business, breaking down strategies and objectives. This will allow you to always be on the loop, and monitor the campaign implementation and results according to the deadlines given.
Another service included in the best SEO services offered by agencies is the research of keywords. This user-oriented task can make or break a strategy: understanding what words people search when looking to engage with a company like yours will largely engross your possibilities to encounter new clients.
A good internet marketing company will also protect your site from penalties that search engines may implement if your site violates certain guidelines or uses SEO techniques considered out of date. Conforming to the rules from the get go will certainly save you a lot of unnecessary waste of time, resources and money. But search engines guidelines are not the only ones your site should follow: the guidelines of an expert in building sites should also be taken into account. Sites that are not intuitive and friendly for the user’s lose engagement, so a SEO company will make sure that the structure of your page is inviting, easy to navigate and ultimately, an enjoyable experience for anyone visiting.
A friendly site is the perfect place to display fresh and compelling content. We most definitely are in the era of content, as there´s never been so much information just one click away. So, if your site´s content is not relevant and useful to the reader it´s time to step up your game. By hiring an SEO agency, you make sure that you are communicating with potential clients in the right way. However, this doesn’t mean that your current content should necessarily be discarded, as the copies or blog entrances you already have can be optimized by SEO experts so that they give your brand more visibility online.
As you can see, not all SEO content is made from scratch. What is more, another of the best SEO services offered by agencies is link building. This means identifying opportunities to acquire links from relevant industry sites and generate traffic from these sources. This is achieved by making sure the link will hold value to the reader, as it is related with the initial search and amplifies the content of the original site. In order to tackle this successfully, SEO companies will previously do outreach to discover which sites can be related to yours in an organic and coherent way.
Last but not least, SEO experts will monitor results to ensure that everything is progressing as planned, and to make the required modifications if needed. As Google updates its algorithms constantly, for your site to stay on top of its game (and its competitors) as far as visibility is concerned, an expert needs to frequently assess that the SEO strategy is properly optimized.
Ok, now you know all about the best SEO services offered by agencies. But it won´t do much good unless you choose a SEO company that aligns with your business needs and objectives. Keep on reading to learn how to choose the company that can deliver the best results for you.
How to Choose the Best SEO Company for your Business Needs
There is not such a thing as the best search engine optimization company in the world. On the contrary, what is the best match for a business could be the wrong one for another, as it all depends on the needs of each one.
Before choosing the best SEO company for you, you need to ask yourself some questions about what you want to achieve by hiring a SEO company. Do you aim to increase conversion? Would you like to have more high-quality online traffic? Maybe get a better ranking? When it comes to hiring the best search engine optimization company it all comes down to knowing what you want and making your research.
Yes, nailing the perfect SEO company will require some previous work on your part. Although this may sound tedious, it will save a lot of time and money in the long term, as money spent in a company that can´t deliver is just a waste of resources.
So, don´t be shy about any inquiries you may have. Ask the company if they offer the basics: on- page optimization; off-page optimization; Google my business optimization; article submissions; blog posting; social book marking; regular reporting. If they don´t carry one of the services just mentioned, there is your sign that you are dealing with amateurs and should keep looking elsewhere.
But, of course, every company is going to tell you that they are the finest, so don´t just take their word for it. In order to find the top search engines optimization companies, you can check the reviews of prospect hires. Asking for references, if possible, is also really helpful.
There is also a great trick you can apply. If the search engine results appear on the first page of the search engine, that is good news! The fact that they are ranking is not something to sneeze at: if they can do it for themselves, they can certainly do it for you!
Common Mistakes made by Businesses Seeking an SEO Agency
Here is all the information you need to know to avoid making common mistakes when seeking an SEO Agency. Better safe than sorry, right?
The first mistake that you need to avoid is thinking that all SEO agencies that rank well are the same. Is not only a matter of spotting the top companies and then basing your decision on your budget and your impressions in an initial interview.
As you can imagine, all these are important factors that you shouldn´t dismiss. But SEO works a little different than other industries. The principles remain the same, but an SEO strategy for an e-commerce will look very different than SEO from, say, a franchise or any other kind of business that operates differently.
Therefore, it is important that you check that the company you are going to hire caters to your type of business: it would be ideal if you find a positive review from a business that is similar to yours.
Another common mistake is to just based your decisions on reviews, without checking the SEO company portfolio. Of course, reviews are great sources of information. But being able to see a case study of success is also very revealing and reassuring. If they refuse to give you a link to a client´s website, there is definitely a good (or should we say bad?) reason for that, and the agency should be avoided.
Also, make sure that, when asked, they can accurately and clearly explain how they will rank your site. If they don´t sound very articulated and assertive, that is not the agency for you. Neither it is if the experts seem to be bothered by your inquiries or become impatient when asked to repeat explanations: that is not the kind of attitude you want from people you will be communicating with on a regular basis.
On the topic of communication, you better hire a company that has customer support on various platforms. This will make everything run smoothly. The more you communicate, the more you will be aware of the whole process, meaning you will keep peace of mind and keep them accountable too.
Oh, and one last mistake to avoid: always make suree that the SEO company is licensed. This proves they are a legitimate business, which is obviously very important.
Questions you Should Ask a Potential SEO Partner Before Signing Them Up
Let´s imagine you´ve already chosen the perfect SEO company for you. How can you lay a foundation for a great partnership relationship, with no surprises and more ups than downs?
First of all, the terms of your contract should be extremely clear from the get go. What is included in the written agreement and what is not. What kind of compensation is offered to or asked from you in case of an abrupt ending or bridge of the contract, when does the contract end, and the terms in case of a renovation.
Of course, all this information should be in black and white and they should provide you with a copy for future consultation.
The prices both parties agreed on also need to be set in a very clear way, and you should have a full understanding of where your money is going and for what purposes. If you have a budget limit, let them know, so they work only around that.
How often and via what channels will both parts communicate with each other? This is also important to set early on. This way, everybody knows what to expect from their exchanges, and invasive or inappropriate ways of communication that can wear down your business relationship can be prevented.
And, naturally, what are their professional qualifications, their experience in the field, and what guarantees they offer you that the results you want will be reached. Of course, things not always go as planned, no matter how many guaranties a company offers you. But it is always good to have a deep understanding on how the company operates, and that they also have a clear understanding of your needs and how they can help you.
Sure, it is a lot to discuss. It may be a long meeting, but it will ultimately save you a lot of time and headaches in the long run. So, don´t hold back, and make sure you ask absolutely everything you need to know before giving them the thumps up.
Conclusion
We hope that, by reading this article, you´ve gained some valuable information about SEO and all the great things that an SEO agency can do for your business. SEO is a branch of marketing that increases your visibility online by applying a multiplicity of techniques. The services offered by this companies include the research of keywords that make your business rank highly in search engines, the creation and curation of content and the constant optimization of the SEO strategy in order to help reach your goals.
Before you hire a SEO company, it is important that you spot the perfect one for you. You can achieve this by making sure the company caters to your kind of business, checking their own site ranks highly, reading online reviews and asking for references if possible.
Once you´ve chosen a company, ask them about their qualifications and experience, whether they specialize in delivering for the kind of business you own, and make sure they are a legitimate business. Lay the foundation of a good business relationship by setting a clear contract and agreeing on rules about communication.
But, most importantly, know what you want out of this service and express it in a clear way. Only then will you be able to hire the right fit, and start making the most of all that an SEO company can do to level up your business.