The Google algorithm is constantly changing, and it’s important to stay on top of things. To do that, you need to hire a company that will work with you to create an SEO strategy for your website that aligns with your business goals.
But how do you choose the right company? And even after hiring one, what can go wrong? In this post, we’ll cover everything from choosing the right SEO partner to making sure they’re doing everything right:
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Proper research on SEO companies is essential. |
| 2. Clear understanding of the company’s approach to inbound marketing. |
| 3. Importance of asking for case studies and client references. |
| 4. Discussing expectations and deliverables upfront. |
| 5. Being aware of the budget and pricing structures. |
| 6. Regular communication and reporting with the SEO company. |
| 7. Evaluating SEO success through KPIs and measurable results. |
| 8. Learning from the experiences of others in the field. |
| 9. Being prepared for algorithm updates and industry changes. |
| 10. Prioritizing a long-term partnership for sustainable results. |
The SEO Strategy Must Align With Your Business Goals
It’s important to remember that SEO is not a magic bullet. It’s not an overnight success, and it will take time for this kind of marketing strategy to work. It can take months or even years for results to be seen in the SERPs (search engine result pages).
So if you’re expecting immediate results from your business after hiring an SEO company for inbound marketing, then you may be disappointed when things don’t happen quickly enough or as fast as you’d like them to happen.
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SEO Is A Long-Term Investment
When I decided to hire an SEO company for my business, I was looking for a quick fix – a way to get more clients in the door and increase sales. However, what I learned from working with them is that SEO is not a one-time thing, nor is it a quick fix.
SEO is not just about placing keywords on your site or writing articles that use those keywords over and over again. It’s about creating quality content that people want to read and share with their communities online through social media channels like Facebook and Twitter (and more!).
The better you do this, the more traffic you will attract organically through search engines like Google.
SEO Is Not Overnight Success
There’s a lot of hype surrounding SEO and the power it has to increase your online presence, but one thing you should know before you hire any company for inbound marketing is that SEO takes time to see results. It doesn’t work overnight it’s a long-term investment.
The key is patience and perseverance because once your site starts ranking on Google for keywords related to what your business does, it will start attracting more organic traffic from search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo!
All Backlinks Are Not Created Equal
All backlinks are not created equal, which means it’s important to know what you’re getting into when you hire an SEO company.
If you’re a small business owner, there’s no doubt that your marketing budget is limited. Because of this, it makes sense that you would want to hire someone who can help increase the number of leads (or sales) your site receives at a low price point.
However, many factors go into ranking in Google search results, and having higher quality backlinks makes a big difference in how high up on page one of Google your site ends up being ranked.
If you don’t have any other options but to work with cheap freelancers or agencies from overseas countries like India or Pakistan, this might be something worth considering before proceeding any further:
- They may not use reliable software tools for link-building purposes
- Their websites aren’t necessarily optimized for mobile yet (this is important because most people now access the internet through their smartphones rather than desktop computers).
Curious about the core concepts of inbound marketing? Explore the detailed explanation of what inbound marketing is and understand its importance in today’s digital landscape.
Technical Issues Can Hinder Marketing Efforts
Technical issues can hinder marketing efforts in several ways. Technical issues can make it difficult to do SEO, which is the process of ensuring that your website is optimized for search engines.
Technical issues can also make it difficult to do marketing, which consists of creating content consumers want and interacting with them through social media and email lists.
Technical issues may also hinder content marketing, customer support, email marketing all types of online activities that require technical expertise.
Local SEO And Mobile Traffic Are Crucial
If you’re a local business, it’s crucial to make sure that your website is optimized for local search.
Local SEO helps your business show up in search results and maps when someone searches for services like yours. This can result in getting more traffic from people who are looking specifically for businesses like yours and not just people searching broadly across the internet.
When it comes to mobile traffic, make sure that any new pages or changes you make are mobile-friendly as well.
Mobile users tend to be younger than desktop users, so they may have different expectations of how things should look on their phone or tablet versus on their computer monitor.
Optimizing Page Speed And User Experience Are Important To Google
The second thing I wish I had known is that Google has made page speed a ranking factor.
It’s now a major ranking signal and can be one of the most important factors in determining the position you get on search results pages. If your website is slow to load, then Google will rank other websites higher than yours!
You should also know that optimizing your images can decrease page load time significantly. There are many ways to improve this, but one of my favorite tricks is using image optimization tools like TinyPNG and CompressorHQ to compress images without sacrificing quality.
Additionally, if your website isn’t responsive (i.e., mobile-friendly), then you need to create a mobile version of it quickly and soon! It doesn’t matter if people don’t use their phones for searching for products online; what matters is that Google does!
And if they see a website where they have trouble accessing information because it’s not optimized for different screen sizes…well…you’re probably going to lose traffic
Dive into the insights and experiences of an inbound marketing expert’s personal journey. Discover the valuable lessons learned and how they can shape your own marketing strategy.
Be Sure To Address Duplicate Content Issues
Duplicate content is a huge problem for SEO. Duplicate content means that multiple URLs on your site have the same or similar content and therefore the same meta title tag, meta description, and meta keywords.
To fix duplicate content issues you should implement canonicalization which involves creating 301 redirects to prevent search engines from indexing the duplicate pages.
On top of this, you could also use canonical tags to help search engines determine which page they should be ranking as the main version of a given piece of content (or how they should rank them together).
Finally, each page must have its unique URL so that Google knows what page to send people when they click through on links in SERPs (search engine results pages).
You can do this by either implementing 301 redirects or using hreflang tags (which tell Google which language versions of a given page exist).
If you’re not sure whether or not your site has duplicate content issues then check out this tool from Incapsula called “Duplicate Content Checker.”
Image Optimization Is Essential For Website Performance And User Experience
If you’re not optimizing your images with SEO in mind, you could be missing out on a big opportunity to drive traffic from Google Image search.
HTTPS is no longer an option but a necessity for website security and ranking.
HTTPS is the secure version of HTTP. It encrypts the data that travels between your browser and the server, which means it’s harder for third parties to see what you’re doing online.
HTTPS is a requirement for many websites and services (like Google Analytics), so if you don’t have it, you may get in trouble.
Additionally, HTTPS is now a ranking signal for Google because it helps prevent malicious attacks like man-in-the-middle attacks (when someone intercepts traffic between two parties).
If hackers can’t see what information is being sent from your website to visitors’ browsers, then they can’t alter it or steal any sensitive data from your users!
Overall: HTTPS is no longer an option but a necessity for website security and ranking well in search engines like Google.
Structured Data Markup Can Help Search Engines Better Understand Your Website Content And Improve Rankings In Search Results
Google uses structured data markup to improve the quality of its search results and provide users with a better experience. Structured data helps search engines understand the content of your website so they can provide more relevant information when consumers use their products.
In addition, structured data provides you with an opportunity to add additional information about your business that may not be found elsewhere on the web!
Structured data makes it easier for Googlebot (the name for Google’s main crawler) to index this extra information and return it within search results as part of rich snippets along with some other great benefits such as:
- Improving relevance by providing accurate titles, descriptions, and image thumbnails
- Increasing click-through rates (CTRs) by providing direct links to content pages instead of just showing text descriptions
Are you ready to craft a successful inbound marketing strategy? Discover the essential components with The Inbound Marketing Blueprint to guide you through the process step by step.
Hreflang Provides Information About The Language Or Regional Url Variations For Your Site On A Given Page
Hreflang provides information about the language or regional URL variations for your site on a given page.
If a user who speaks one language visits your website, they’ll see content in their language. If a user who speaks another language visits, they will be shown content in that language instead.
The hreflang tag is used to specify the language or regional URL variations for your site on a given page (e.g., English), as well as an entire website (e.g., Japanese).
Your Website Has To Be Accessible To All Audiences (Including Disabled Users)
One of the first things to consider when choosing an SEO company is whether or not they take accessibility into account. Accessibility means making sure that your website is accessible for everyone, including disabled users.
There are many ways to do this, but one of the most important things you can do is provide alternative text for images. In addition to giving an image a title tag, create alt tags (alternative text) for every image on your site.
This will help individuals who use screen readers like JAWS or NVDA be able to access all of the information on your site without having trouble understanding what’s being said because they can’t “see” it in the same way as sighted users.
You can use tools like Google Webmaster Tools or Your Website Auditor (if you have a subscription) to check how well-optimized and accessible your site is before hiring an SEO agency to make sure they know what they’re doing!
Crawlability Is An Essential Part Of The Ranking Process
Crawlability is an essential part of the ranking process. A good SEO audit will tell you if your site is set up to be crawlable, and how you can improve it.
If a search bot (like Googlebot) cannot access all parts of your website, it won’t be able to identify the content. This means that you won’t show up in search results for certain pages or keywords.
Poorly designed URLs can also affect crawlability, as well as duplicate content and shallow pages which don’t provide readers with anything useful or interesting.
A slow-loading website can make users abandon their visit before they get what they want from it and Googlebot will do the same thing!
You need quality writing that addresses both users and search engines to rank higher in search results and build trust with your audience.
Quality Writing Is Necessary For Search Engines To Understand What Your Website Is About And For Users To Find The Content That Interests Them
The best way to write quality content is to write for both users and search engines (and not just one at the expense of the other). You can’t forget about either side when creating content because they each have different needs.
For example, if you only focus on writing great content that will attract traffic but ignore best practices for SEO, your site may get tons of visits but won’t rank high in search results, or worse yet, it’ll be penalized by Google’s Panda algorithm or Penguin algorithm.
If you don’t bother with any kind of on-page optimization like keywords or meta descriptions, this could also hurt your chances of ranking well on Google’s first page of results.
Looking for effective ways to enhance your inbound marketing knowledge? Learn from others’ experiences on how to prefer learning about inbound marketing and find the methods that resonate with your learning style.
Conclusion
In today’s digital world, a website is no longer just the foundation for your business. It’s also a way for you to reach potential customers, interact with them, and build trust with them.
And if you want to rank higher in search results, then you need quality writing that addresses both users and search engines.
Further Reading
Considerations When Hiring SEO Firms Short Description: Learn about the key factors to consider when selecting an SEO firm for your business.
5 Questions to Ask Before Hiring an SEO Agency Short Description: Discover five essential questions you should pose to an SEO agency before making a hiring decision.
Things I Wish I Knew Before Hiring an SEO Vendor Short Description: Get insights into the lessons and advice from professionals on hiring an SEO vendor effectively.
FAQs
What factors should I consider when hiring an SEO firm?
Hiring an SEO firm requires careful consideration of factors such as their experience, track record, client testimonials, and approach to SEO strategy.
What questions should I ask an SEO agency before hiring them?
Before hiring an SEO agency, ask about their methods for keyword research, on-page optimization, link-building strategies, reporting frequency, and their approach to handling algorithm updates.
How can I ensure effective communication with my chosen SEO agency?
To maintain effective communication with your SEO agency, establish clear goals, expectations, and regular reporting intervals. Make sure you’re both on the same page regarding strategies and progress.
What should I know about budgeting for SEO services?
When budgeting for SEO services, consider the competitiveness of your industry, the scope of work required, and the potential return on investment. Discuss pricing structures and payment terms with the agency.
How do I evaluate the success of the SEO vendor I hire?
Evaluate the success of your chosen SEO vendor by monitoring key performance indicators such as organic traffic growth, keyword rankings, conversion rates, and improvements in search engine visibility. Regular reporting and analysis are crucial.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.