When it comes to increasing the visibility of your company’s website on search engines, working with an agency that provides organic SEO services is the best way to improve your results. But finding the best local SEO agency for your needs can be incredibly tough. Dozens of companies promise great results, but how do you know if they can deliver?
Digital marketing has all but taken over as the primary means through which businesses across the world market their products.
This method of marketing comprises various strategies and approaches of which one of the most prominent and most effective is search engine optimization popularly known as SEO.
Aside from SEO, there are other methods like SEM, social media marketing, content marketing, etc. that all makeup digital marketing.
We will, however, be focusing only on SEO and how it affects your ranking on search engines. But before anything else, let’s first discuss what Search Engine Optimization is and how it affects the performance of your site.
What SEO Really Is
Most people who are yet to truly understand what a digital marketing strategy is, often make the assumption that it revolves around social media presence alone. When in reality, having a visible presence on search engines is another platform that plays an important role in modern marketing strategies.
A Search Engine Optimization or SEO strategy is the process of optimizing your site and all of its content to get organic traffic from the results page of search engines like Google. See, while it’s true that social media is one of those must-have platforms for businesses, search engines remain to thrive. Platforms like Google remain to be the go-to of most consumers whenever they look for new products or new ecommerce shops.
Hence, it only makes sense that businesses like you put as much effort into their site as much as they do on their respective social media accounts. SEO ensures that people see your site. The strategy’s main goal is to increase brand awareness, increase lead generation and hopefully, increase conversion.
Besides content, SEO also involves optimizing your web design. Whether your site is an ecommerce site or just a normal site, you need to have web design capable enough to be optimized. If your site is not updated enough, all of your hard work on optimizing your content will be for nothing.
Now, it’s pretty obvious that a lot of work is put into developing and implementing an SEO strategy. If you’re a newbie to the game, things can become overwhelming and confusing. That’s why most companies call on their local SEO agency for help. And believe it or not, it’s easy to weed out the bad SEO agencies from the good. Watch for these qualities when you start your search.
What to look for in an SEO marketing agency?
Here’s one truth you should know; like we’ve mentioned earlier, there is a lot involved in SEO. In fact, the top search engine, Google, is said to implement about 500 changes to its algorithm yearly.
This is a process in which you must be very tactile, responding to whatever changes that may come your way. Aside from the learning curve, you may not be able to pay full attention to your company while also paying full attention to SEO. To this end, one of the best things you can do is to call on experts and allow them to handle this for you.
You, however, need to be careful about how you make this choice. Thanks to the growing importance of SEO, there are many self-acclaimed experts who know next to nothing about SEO. You should ensure you choose the right SEO agency by looking for the following qualities.
A Passion for Research
SEO is all about the research phase. If a local SEO agency doesn’t understand your brand and who your competitors are, they can’t and will never be able to create a solid strategy. The best companies will have a thorough discovery phase or similar services that allow them to understand how they can lead your company to thrive.
During this process, they’ll get to learn about your mission and will customize a strategy for your company. When you speak with them, it should feel like an interview, never a sales pitch. They should be asking questions related to your goals and should ignite the problem solver in you during the said phase.
They Share Results
Every SEO agency worth their salt keeps track of their results. This means tracking the success of marketing campaigns, no matter how big or small. And they should be willing to share their results with you.
If they don’t or claim they don’t track results, run—don’t walk—away. The best local SEO company will share their results. Why? For one, they must be willing to learn with you as your strategy is being implemented. After all, it’s what shows they’re great at what they do! Secondly, the evaluation phase of your strategy is detrimental to figuring out which worked and which didn’t for your site. If your partner refuses to share and evaluate results, you should definitely make a run for it.
Pricing For Services is Fair, But Not Cheap
With SEO services, you get what you pay for. Going with the lowest cost option often means you’ll work with non-native English speakers or inexperienced marketing “specialists.” Though it’s important to ask about the agency’s pricing, you should be prepared to pay up.
The best local SEO agency will charge fairly for their services. It won’t be cheap, but their services are high-quality and their experts have trained themselves to learn the greatest SEO strategies there is. Their services will ensure that your site is well-taken cared of—regardless of whether it’s a normal site or an ecommerce one!
SEO Companies are Honest
False promises, like low priced agencies, are incredibly common. When looking for a great local SEO company, pay attention to their claims. If they seem too good to be true, they probably are and you’ll want to steer clear.
Increasing your search engine rankings takes time. There’s no guarantee that your strategy will produce immediate results. This is because at its core, SEO is a long-term strategy— and the best agencies should always explain this to you clearly.
Things you need to know about Search Engine Optimization
1. SEO can generate free, targeted traffic
There is no denying the fact that there are many ways to generate traffic. For example, you can use PPC advertising to drive and increase traffic to your website. Along with this, social media is all the rage in today’s world.
However, there is nothing better than organic traffic from search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.).
The good thing about SEO is that it is an inbound marketing strategy. Inbound strategies are all about being found naturally rather than aggressively pursuing leads through in-your-face tactics. Unlike traditional marketing which involves reaching out to consumers whether they want to hear from you or not, inbound methods are concerned with making it easy for your target audience to find you when they want information through content.
With this, you don’t have to spend any money. Instead, your website continues to generate targeted traffic, all without you spending a dime. Sure, you have to put resources into your SEO strategy to keep it on track, but it’s well worth it once the free traffic begins to roll in.
2. SEO is good for branding
What do people see when they search for your particular service or product? Are they coming across your website, social platforms, and publications that discuss your company? Or are they being presented with information on competitors?
If your website appears on the first page of a search engine, this naturally builds credibility and trust in the minds of people who search for your keyword which is very good for your company.
With the right approach to SEO, you can improve your brand online, while also boosting visibility. It may not result in immediate sales, but building your brand will pay huge dividends in the long run.
3. SEO shows that you’re credible
In today’s day and age, there are entirely too many “fly by night” operations. In other words, a company is here today and gone tomorrow. This can make it very difficult for a consumer to make an informed and confident buying decision.
Another benefit of SEO is that it promotes your company every time even when you are not there. Your rankings on search engines do not randomly disappear. So once you have a high ranking in search engines, be rest assured that your company is going to be promoted at all times.
With the right SEO strategy, you can build credibility for your business. At first, consumers may not take notice of your company. However, as they continue to see your website in the search engine rankings, they’ll subconsciously realize that you have a lot to offer.
4. SEO saves you money
Many people don’t see it this way. Instead, they see SEO as nothing more than a “money pit.” This isn’t true.
Yes, you need to put in a lot of time and some (maybe) money upfront. This is necessary if you want to build a solid foundation, such as by designing an SEO friendly website and creating industry-leading content.
Once you have the “bones” in place and your SEO efforts begin to pay off, you’ll realize that you’re actually saving money. You never have to pay for advertising. Instead, you can continue to work your plan, all the while watching organic traffic roll in, day after day.
Benefits of hiring an SEO marketing company
The Services Saves Time and Allows Your Business to Focus on What You Do Best
If you attempt to manage your own SEO campaign, it certainly takes up a lot of time, especially if you don’t know much about it. If you work with a professional SEO company, you and your employees will be able to focus on doing what you do best: running your company. SEO experts will take care of the rest. Always keep in mind that the majority of successful companies outsource SEO tasks to professionals to save time that could be spent on other issues.
It is More Cost-Effective than Handling It Yourself
While you may think that you know how to manage an SEO campaign, if you don’t know what you’re doing, you could end up overspending and wasting money. You will most likely spend an absorbent amount of time and money trying to optimize SEO, your web designs, your link building and your website.
If you are not sure what you are doing and you make mistakes, the consequences may result in decreased traffic, fewer sales and more time and money spent to correct the errors that you made. SEO cannot be a cost-effective process unless it’s consistent and an experienced SEO company is highly skilled in using accurate and consistent SEO tactics.
They have Proven and Diversified Experience
A professional SEO company has the knowledge and experience necessary to make smart decisions for your site that will result in increases in your ranking and visibility. An experienced SEO company should have experience working with a variety of clients in different industries, allowing them to appropriately handle your unique ranking situation, needs, and expectations.
They Allow Your Site to Thrive
Let’s face it, this should be the main reason that you partner with an experienced search engine optimization company. A professional SEO organization will be able to evaluate your website, your business goals, and your industry competitors to build a comprehensive plan to increase your visibility in the top search engines. They will track your progress and adjust their plans to ensure that your company is on the right path to achieving the best results, no matter how long it takes.
Better Rankings Help Build Brand Awareness
Brand awareness is a terrific bonus of a successful SEO strategy. As your company moves up in rankings on different search engines, your exposure grows. This is beneficial to your business because consumers are more likely to trust a brand that appears in the top positions as opposed to those towards the bottom of the results list.
Investing in SEO is beneficial for small and medium enterprises as it helps to build brand awareness. Potential customers tend to trust brands that appear on the first page of Google search engine pages. Search engines play a major role in building a brand, which is one of the major reasons to hire an SEO expert.
An SEO company can help you implement the methods that are crucial for improving your visibility in searches, improving your chances for reaching potential customers, while reducing the amount of money you need to spend on marketing.
Improves Your Website, Whether Ecommerce or Not
An expert SEO agency works on improving your website by conducting an audit to identify aspects that hinder website optimization. Search engine optimization includes different techniques in addition to the correct placement of keywords. A professional SEO knows exactly how to infuse the right keywords in website content so that it is ranked high on search engine pages.
Websites become user-friendly when an expert optimizes it using the right techniques, thereby increasing page views.
They Have the Experience
SEO professionals have years of experience and expertise as they have provided services to a wide range of companies. Therefore, they have a clear understanding of the different techniques that need to be used in different industries. It is beneficial to hire the services of a company with years of experience as it ensures better results in due course of time. Professional companies with an experience of five years or more are considered the best choice while picking SEO services.
They Have Wide Range of Services
In addition to SEO services, the best SEO and digital marketing company provide several other additional services, such as email marketing, website design, and so forth. One of the best benefits of choosing a local SEO marketing company is that it caters to all your digital marketing requirements so that you can focus on other aspects of your business without any hassles.
Schedule a Consultation & Ignite Success!
So, there you have it. If you’ve struggled to understand how SEO works and why SEO is so important, this should no longer be the case. Instead, you can now take a different stance with the idea that this will bring your company many benefits in the weeks, months, and years to come.
The best way to know if a digital SEO marketing company is worth working with for the long-term is to schedule a consultation. Get to know them, understand their services, and make sure you’re comfortable working with them before ever signing a contract. Creatitive offers local SEO services and is trusted by businesses nationwide. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation.
