The internet is a strange and unpredictable place. With the frequent algorithm changes, Google updates and endless information on what to and what not to do, it can become seriously confusing. Not to mention those calls and emails from companies telling you they’ll get you on page 1 of Google.
Here we take a look at some of the intricacies of SEO, what it can mean for your business growth and the benefits of using an agency to manage your online presence.
What is SEO?
Search engine optimization, or SEO for short, increases web exposure and drives more traffic to your site, improving the chance of you being seen for the products and services you provide. It’s an important part of the online marketer’s strategy but it doesn’t happen by chance; instead you have to invest time, budget and effort in order for it to work properly.
Do I need SEO support?
There are many benefits to using SEO support if (like many organisations) you don’t have the in-house expertise, just choose carefully. There are agencies out there who will promise you the moon when trying to sell their services but fail at delivering, or even damage your online reputation via practices such as inflating rankings for money.
With a reputable firm, you’ll have a team of experts constantly working behind-the-scenes researching, optimizing those keywords and constantly monitoring the results. They will take the time to understand your growth plans and offer full support and advice. Their long-term goal revolves around helping you reach yours.
The benefits of working with a good agency
Many organisations find that hiring an SEO agency is better than trying to do it on their own, because they get quicker results and more expertise. Plus, its another arm to your business, a good agency will tick away in the background and align the work they do with your campaign focus and close the visibility gaps you have online.
Here are some of the headline benefits you get from working with a good SEO agency…
If your budget doesn’t allow the expense of a full-time digital marketing role, an agency can provide tailored strategies, expertise in different areas like on-page optimization or link building, as well as analytics reports for every project they undertake.
On-Page SEO
On-Page SEO is the most important aspect of an digital marketing strategy. After all, what good is your website if people can’t find it? The content on your site needs to be optimized for keywords and shouldn’t have any typos or errors that would discourage visitors from staying. An expert On-Page SEO specialist will analyze titles, meta descriptions, header tags etc., in order to improve rankings – luckily there are companies like ours who specialise exclusively in this field!
On Page Search Engine Optimization (SEO) describes the ways you can upgrade your page’s rank with search engines by making changes such as optimizing pages for certain key words.
Off-page SEO
Off-Page SEO is an often overlooked aspect of search engine optimization but can have a huge impact on your website rankings. It includes activities such as building links and improving reputation and online branding. Your agency should have SEO copywriters that create blogs, press releases or magazines that make it easy for the engines to understand what you’re about. The advantages don’t stop there; agencies also help their clients carry out link campaigns which are proven time and again in helping websites rank higher than before.
The Importance of having an SEO strategy
An SEO strategy is a plan designed to achieve certain goals over time and it typically consists of three stages: short term, mid-term, and long-term. A good example of this would be planning for an event in 3 months by first setting out the date then deciding on a theme.
SEO Goals
Your goals are the end results that you want to achieve from your SEO. This can be described as specific, measurable, realistic and time-bound (SMART).
The goal will typically relate back to a specified objective for your company’s website in search engines’ organic listings pages or other applicable places like Google Ads. It usually has 2 main parts; keywords you would like your site/page(s) to rank for among search engine users and reporting on how those rankings change over time. Achieving these objectives gives you targeted growth because your products or services will start showing higher up in the rankings.
In order to achieve your SEO goal, you need to be aware of actions that will help you along the way. We provide our clients with a list of tasks or steps they can take in order to reach them. These activities can consist of anything from technical changes on their site to improving content quality for better rankings; an expert would be able to tell which action was best advised depending upon how each individual website performs.
By following these steps and utilizing an agencies expertise, you’ll see tangible results with your website traffic and the conversion through to that all important sale. If you need some help getting started or would like more information about working with an agency, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our friendly team.
