Companies need SEO to be able to rank higher on search engines like Google, but many business owners have an inferior experience when they hire someone to do their SEO. Often, they simply don’t know what to look for when shopping around for this essential service. So, what is SEO and what should be included in search engine optimization packages? Read on to learn more about boosting the traffic to your business website.
What is Search Engine Optimization?
Search Engine Optimization is the process of making a website visible to search engines. You type something into the box on a website’s browser, and it brings up content that’s related to the words you entered. For example, if you type “vintage cars” into your browser, you’ll likely see a list of things like articles on classic cars for sale, photographs of cars, the best vintage car models, and local auto body shops near you. This is because the content contains your search words. Otherwise, no one could find anything on the Internet. It would be a mess.
Highly optimized websites can attract organic traffic, which is the best kind of traffic because it’s free, and also because it can be targeted to a specific audience. Optimization can save you a lot of money from your marketing and advertising budget, so SEO is essential for all businesses. Hiring an effective SEO company can help to significantly improve the organic traffic to your website. With that in mind, here are some services to look for when browsing for search engine optimization packages.
1) SEO Website Audit
The first thing that any digital marketing professional should suggest is to conduct an SEO audit. Don’t hire a company that offers you an SEO strategy that isn’t customized to your business. An SEO audit is necessary in order to learn more by analyzing relevant data. This is the most professional approach. Search engine optimization is much more effective when you have data to back it up. Otherwise, you’re really just guessing. A reputable company can show you how they developed your SEO strategy, so make sure to ask.
2) Content Creation
Content is king when it comes to attracting website traffic. No one wants to visit a site that has irrelevant content or poorly crafted material. If you’re busy running your business and have your hands full, it can help to hire a professional copywriter to develop the content for your pages. It should be your goal to have great content that adds value for people, whether it’s informative, instructional, or entertaining. A digital marketing company that provides search engine optimization services can likely also create content for your site. Or, they can add SEO to your current content in order to make it easier to find. Remember, high-quality content attracts web traffic, and more visitors can mean more sales.
3) Competitor Analysis
Improving your site’s search engine ranking can make it more visible than a competitor’s website, which is good for business. After all, when was the last time you scrolled all the way down and clicked the second page to choose a business? Probably never. More likely, you visited one of the first few website options that came up after your search.
Of course, it’s easier to beat the competition if you first know what they’re doing. A competitor analysis reveals details about the SEO strategies your competitors are using. Understanding this data gives you a real advantage.
The research makes it simpler to identify strategies that work within your industry. It also makes it easier to create a plan that ensures your site ranks higher than your competitor’s website. This can make all the difference when potential customers are shopping for products or services in your industry. For this reason, search engine optimization packages should also include a competitor analysis. After all, who doesn’t want to have more web traffic and conversions?
4) Keyword Research
Keywords are essential to attracting traffic to your website. The right keywords can improve the visibility of your website and target your ideal audience. It takes a pro to fine-tune the perfect keywords for your site. The right keywords phrases will ensure that your site appears in all the relevant searches.
Keyword research also comes in handy when you’re considering Google ads. AdWords can help you attract people who are interested in your products or services. Research can also show high-traffic phrases that have low bid costs. What this means is that if you decide to do some paid advertising, you will end up paying less for AdWords to drive a high amount of traffic to your site.
5) Off-Site SEO
Off-site SEO is another essential tool to improve your site’s ranking. Several off-site SEO strategies can boost traffic to your website. Most SEO strategies focus on the website and the user experience. But there are other tools at your disposal. The most popular off-site SEO activity is link building, but there are many more off-site activities that can increase your web traffic.
You can also add videos to your website, link your website to your social media accounts, do guest posts, share your website on relevant forums, and share blog posts to social sites. Off-site SEO activities play a crucial role in increasing your network and gathering followers for a website. It also increases client engagement.
Business owners need search engine optimization packages that include off-site SEO activities. Every type of SEO strategy has the potential to increase your traffic and conversion rates, but the extra exposure can go a long way to improve your brand’s visibility.
6) Link Building
Link building sounds like a simple task, but there is a right way to do link building. It’s a must in order to have authoritative links on your website. Also, you want other sites to link back to your content. Professionals can find reputable sites for you to connect to and vice versa. You don’t want to get link building wrong.
Search engines check the quality of the websites that link back to you. If the links appear on low-ranking sites, it can affect the ranking of your own website. That’s why you need a professional to handle the link building for your website. Search engine optimization packages that include link building fulfill the time-consuming task of finding reputable sites to link back to you.
7) Local SEO
Local SEO is an essential part of marketing for any company that has a physical location. Local SEO improves the visibility of a business in a specific area. You need this service if you have a brick-and-mortar business because customers so often shop online before deciding which products or services to use. Local SEO involves customizing your content to a physical location, ensuring your site ranks for that area.
Also, an SEO company can ensure that all your web pages are registered to the local web directories. You can even add your business information on Google business pages to improve the trustworthiness of your website.
An SEO expert can recommend how to improve your SEO to drive local traffic. You need to find a package that includes local SEO services to help you rank higher in local search results. Attract local customers more quickly by selecting search engine optimization packages that take this into account.
8) Pricing
Most SEO packages provide different services and have their own prices. You may need to shop around to find an SEO package that meets both your needs and your budget. Generally, three factors affect the cost of search engine optimization packages. Basic packages are typically meant for smaller businesses that are looking for professional SEO services. The cost of a basic package tends to be lower because it includes less. You can always try a basic package before you decide to invest more money in your SEO budget.
A standard package usually comes with more keywords and more content creation. It is ideal for companies that are growing, or ready to expand. A growing company needs professional help to keep up with the SEO trends in its industry.
The most comprehensive SEO packages are ideal for websites in a highly competitive market. Reputable websites with many web pages require an SEO agency to help them stay ahead of the competition. Most comprehensive packages are more expensive due to the high amount of work necessary for this kind of intensive optimization.
Finally, you need to agree on monthly or annual payments for whatever SEO package you choose. Yearly fees are typically cheaper than monthly payments. Although, most business owners opt for monthly payments because they’re easier to manage than a lump sum.
9) Customer Support
Google algorithms change frequently, and an unexpected change can lead to a dip in your site’s rankings. You need a company with a highly responsive customer support team for those times when you have an SEO emergency.
10) SEO Strategy Update
Find out whether or not an agency offers regular SEO reports and suggestions for strategy updates. Monitoring the effects of your SEO ensures that you’re getting the best results. Also, you can make tweaks to your plan when you notice a dip in web traffic. Ask how often you’ll receive reports, ideally on a monthly basis.
Bay Area SEO Services
The right search engine optimization packages can take your marketing to the next level. Selecting the right SEO package is cheaper than hiring an in-house team, and less work to maintain. But keep these ten points in mind when you’re ready to get started, and make sure you check out testimonials before signing on with an agency. When you find the right SEO partner, you’ll be grateful that you made such an important investment in your business.
For help with SEO services in the Bay Area, contact us at D-Kode Technology. We’re here to help. If you’re having digital marketing issues, we have solutions. Let’s chat. Email us today by clicking here.
