The term “SEO” can be confusing for many people. As a business owner, you may be familiar with the practice, but unsure how to implement the necessary strategies to increase your rankings, traffic, and leads. Search engine optimization is a critical component of your business’s success. However, it can do more harm than good if not done correctly.
Your search presence is everything, and without the proper approach for your industry, you will lose customers to your competitors. That’s where an SEO agency comes into play. The right agency will help boost your visibility in search engines so you can outrank these competitors and take your business to the next level.
First, What is SEO?
Search engine optimization works to increase quality traffic to your website organically. With SEO, you’re not paying Google to show your ads or bidding your money away on highly competitive keyword phrases. Instead, your business will begin to rank at the top of search results naturally through your website’s quality and content.
How? Google “spiders” crawl every single website to gather the information contained on them. The spiders bring all that data back so it can be indexed and fed through an algorithm. This algorithm then matches the most relevant information out in the digital universe with your specific search query.
The goal is to have the information on your website clearly defined and organized, so Google’s algorithm picks it up as the best result for your target audience. This is achieved through optimization, which involves everything from gussying up page titles and descriptions to building offsite authority for your website with backlinks.
Why Hire an Agency?
SEO sounds simple enough, so why should you hire an agency to handle it? Search engine optimization is essential for a website to rank on the first page of Google. It’s also a long-term investment, and it may not be plausible for you to dedicate a full in-house team towards the job.
Partnering with a digital marketing agency allows you to save money long-term while placing your SEO needs in trained experts’ hands. Whether you want to increase your rankings or improve site traffic, they offer a broad range of services to ensure you get the most customized approach for your needs and goals.
Improve Search Rankings
Though it’s not guaranteed, higher rankings often translate to more conversions. When the goal is to improve your rankings on search engines such as Google and Bing, an SEO agency has the expertise to drive your business to the top.
By utilizing the most up-to-date tools, techniques, and strategies, an agency works to increase your chances of ranking highly on search engine results pages (SERPs). The higher you rank for your target keywords and phrases, the better chance you will reach new, quality leads.
Improve Web Traffic
Speaking of leads, how many times have you gotten a prospective customer, only for their request to be irrelevant to what you offer? The SEO experts you hire will know exactly how to draw in quality, relevant traffic from your target audience.
When you tailor your keywords and content towards your products and services, the traffic drawn in by them will be much more willing to convert. This is because those visiting your site are genuinely interested in what you have to offer. An agency will help you identify exactly what these users are searching to bring in these quality leads.
Provide Measurable Results
No matter what your SEO goals are, an agency will work to deliver measurable results. SEO can be tracked and measured during every step of the campaign. Agencies provide insight into traffic volumes, traffic sources, search engine positions, and so much more.
Many agencies offer a detailed breakdown of your campaign to help you better understand how their services provide value for your business. At LSEO, we create an easily digestible, living report in Google Data Studio that can be customized to show all of the most critical data to your goals.
What an SEO Agency Does for You
So, how does an SEO agency actually do all of that? Any agency worth hiring has a calculated approach to what works best for your business. From the initial audit to developing long-term strategies, their experts will implement the SEO services necessary to help you meet your goals.
SEO Analysis
To start, an SEO agency will conduct a thorough analysis and evaluation of your website and its existing SEO. This includes looking at the URL structure and meta data, internal and external links, content quality, and overall visibility on search engines. They also take the time to understand your business, industry, and target audience to help decide which tactics align best with your needs.
The goal of an analysis is to determine the strengths and weaknesses of your digital presence. A specialist will develop an SEO strategy that capitalizes on what’s already working for you while resolving the elements that are not.
Strategy Development
Once your website’s in-depth evaluation is complete, an agency will develop an SEO strategy for your campaign. At LSEO, we provide a full 6-month roadmap for our clients. We continuously reevaluate and update this roadmap as progress is made, and your needs change.
Not everyone is fluent in digital marketing jargon, and any experienced agency should be able to explain their strategy in plain terms. Not only is it essential for the campaign to be successful, but it helps to boost the relationship between you and the agency.
Optimization
Once you agree upon the proposed strategy, a specialist will get to work and execute their action points. One of the first things an agency will do for you is set up various reporting tools. Google Analytics and Search Console, and third-party tools such as SEMrush and Screaming Frog, are essential to analyze and monitor your campaign thoroughly.
After the appropriate tools are in place, the next step is to address your technical on-page SEO concerns. On-page SEO includes optimizing your meta data (page titles, descriptions, and heading tags) and improving your E-A-T (expertise, authority, and trust).
Once all of the primary on-page elements are taken care of, your account manager will turn to off-page SEO strategies. Off-page SEO includes aspects you don’t have as much control over, such as domain authority and building your backlink profile. An agency will know precisely how to tackle these off-page elements, taking much of the guesswork out of the equation.
Ongoing SEO
Google is always reevaluating its algorithm to provide the best results to searchers, making SEO an ongoing process. As the search engine updates, businesses will need to continually review their strategy to keep up. Google is notorious for implementing massive algorithm overhauls with little notice, so working with an agency ensures any changes are quickly resolved.
Ongoing SEO services include long-term content plans, brand and competitor monitoring, link building, and more. An experienced agency will always be up-to-date with the latest changes in the SEO world and will work month after month to ensure your website is designed for success.
How to Find the Right Agency
Not all SEO professionals are created equal. While many follow best practices and work hard to succeed for your business, others may take the easy way out. The last thing you want is to hire an agency that conducts shady “black hat” tactics that tank your site’s reputation. When searching for the right SEO agency for your needs, you want to consider the following:
Past Success
A great way to learn more about an agency is to look at their previous success stories. Skim through their website and check out their case studies and testimonials to see what they’ve done for other businesses. Does the agency have plenty of raving fans, or do the Google reviews say to stay far away?
Custom Services
The success of your business is critical, and you want SEO that is tailored to your needs. For long-term success, you want an agency that can adjust their services based on what’s best for your industry and goals. Take a look at what they have to offer: is it a comprehensive approach, or are you limited to a few strict packages?
In-House Performance
It’s important to know who is doing the work for your website. Check out the agency’s “about our team page” to get an idea of who you could be working with. Do they have the experience necessary for you to be confident in what they provide, or are you left wondering if anyone works there at all?
Boost Your Visibility with LSEO
If you need help with your search engine optimization strategy and implementation, you’re already in the right place. LSEO offers a variety of comprehensive SEO services that will drive your business to the top of the SERPs. We work with companies of all shapes and sizes to boost their digital presence. Our curated team of experienced and passionate professionals strives to turn every client into a raving fan.
At LSEO, client success is our success. Give us a call today at (866) 709-8847 to learn what we can do for you.