seo

SEO Services All Businesses Need

by Josh Biggs in Business on 27th February 2020

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the least glamorous digital marketing tactic, but it is easily one of the most important. SEO involves manipulating the web to improve a webpage’s placement on a search engine’s result pages (SERPs), which increases the likelihood that web users will see and interact with that website. For businesses, a search engine ranking can be make or break — it can mean the difference between connecting with an online audience and failing to find any online consumers.

It should go without saying that businesses need to hire a qualified SEO agency, but what SEO services are necessary for success? Here are a few of the most common SEO services small businesses need help with:

Keyword Research

Keyword research is easily the most important part of any SEO endeavor. Before a business can begin practicing SEO, it needs to understand what types of searches it is trying to improve its ranking for. Those searches will involve search terms, which will function as keywords that get sprinkled into content to attract the attention of search engines’ spiders.

Some keyword research is relatively easy, even intuitive. For instance, a roofing company will likely utilize keywords related to roof types, roofing services and the like. However, other businesses don’t have such obvious search queries. What’s more, for SEO to produce significant results, keywords must balance being exceedingly relevant with being relatively unique. This can be difficult and often requires the knowledge and experience of an expert — not just a free web tool.

Content Creation

Content creation isn’t hard; most businesses can get their staff to produce enough blog posts to fill months’ worth of updates. Plus, freelance writers aren’t expensive, and graphic designers and video producers can also come relatively cheap. The problem most businesses face isn’t generating enough content — it is doing something productive with that content.

Content marketing is much, much more than pumping the web full of branded or linked content. Content marketing must provide a return on investment that drives leads and SEO, and to juggle these responsibilities, businesses should utilize SEO services that understand how to create valuable content, promote it and audit its success.

On- and Off-page SEO

SEO is a small term that describes a huge field. Most businesses that strive to manage their own SEO only manage to control on-page SEO, which is modifying their own website and webpages to improve their search ranking. Unfortunately, few businesses understand the technical requirements of on-page SEO, which go far beyond including keywords and links in content. Professional SEO agency can offer services like improving load speeds, optimizing metadata and facilitating mobile capability, which many businesses struggle to do.

Additionally, SEO consultants understand the importance of off-page SEO, as well. As the name indicates, off-page SEO includes optimization on websites and pages not owned by the business client. Typically, off-page SEO involves backlink-building, which is a critical practice for improving ranking on Google, but social media marketing is also a vital component of off-page SEO.

Pay-per-click

Pay-per-click, or PPC, is a form of paid advertising across the web. Typically, businesses strive to improve their web visibility somewhat organically through content and link-building, but paid advertising is a valuable tool for increasing audience awareness of a brand and its products. Businesses can manage PPC campaigns on their own — but it can be time-consuming, confusing and ultimately unrewarding. Generally, businesses benefit more by outsourcing this service to a qualified SEO company, especially one they know and trust.

Local SEO

The internet is international — but often, businesses don’t profit by ranking in international searches. The vast majority of small businesses operate locally, within a relatively small area, and attracting an audience from outside that area isn’t beneficial. For instance, a boutique clothing store in Phoenix probably doesn’t need to rank for broad searches like “trendy outfits” or “women’s fashion;” instead, it needs to focus on keywords that keep the audience local.

Local SEO is an exceedingly specialized service that certainly requires expertise. Often, local SEO requires optimization of map searches and directory listings, but it should also include a deep understanding of local demographics and culture. Therefore, hiring an SEO agency that operates in the same region as the business is key.

Though SEO isn’t sexy and cool, it is essential. Because all audiences are online, all businesses need to prioritize online marketing in all its forms, to include SEO. Businesses are likely to waste their investment by going SEO alone; by hiring the right SEO agency and acquiring the right SEO services, they can see significant results fast.

Categories: Business

Cart (0)

No products in the cart.