Website positioning is an essential element of Internet marketing that allows the company to appear in the search network and Google search engine. Thanks to this, it is possible to acquire new customers by building brand awareness in the local market and on a broader scale. Search engine optimization and SEO are areas that require the development of appropriate action strategies. Still, what is important - in these cases, theoretical knowledge well correlated with practical knowledge is essential. If we do not have experience in the SEO industry, we should cooperate with an SEO agency or an SEO / SEM agency. What does an SEO agency do? Why is it worth combining SEO with SEM?
SEO - Search Engine Optimization - optimizing a website for a search engine. These activities are also called website positioning. Their goal is for the website to achieve the highest possible position in the search results for specific key phrases and thus increase website traffic, which may increase sales of the products or services offered.
SEM - Search Engine Marketing - these are internet marketing activities, a much broader concept that includes SEO. SEM consists of various promotional activities, mainly paid advertisements in Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and other advertising platforms or social media. Thanks to them, our company's promotion reaches potential customers when they are most interested in the offer.
The SEO agency deals with Website positioning and website optimization activities. Thanks to the fact that its team includes specialists such as copywriters, positioners, and programmers, it can provide comprehensive services at the highest level. Their scope includes, among others, local positioning, broad positioning, SEO audits, and off-site and on-site activities. SEO agencies have different prices for such services because they are affected, among others, by the scope of activities, the type and structure of the website for positioning, and the size and popularity of the SEO agency.
The previous headline was written about what SEO agencies do. However, it is worth knowing what precisely these SEO activities consist of, especially if we want to decide to cooperate with professionals. We can often meet with the name SEO / SEM agency. It is also a team of specialists who, however, in addition to activities related to SEO, also offer training in the field of Internet marketing, such as paid advertising on Google, e-mail marketing, or viral marketing. However, let's focus on the SEO agency. What can we usually find in its offer?
SEO copywriting is the art of writing valuable content for websites, i.e., those that will be friendly to search engines and users. Well-written texts help increase the website's visibility with the help of keywords, which are very important in both SEO and SEM nowadays. How
to write such content? As a rule, blog articles or website descriptions reach only regular recipients who constantly follow the activities appearing on them. Text is the essential element of every web page, thanks to which search engines can determine its content. Appropriate website optimization directs Google robots to specific tracks, supports the positioning process, and builds the website's visibility in the search network for questions entered into the search engine by potential customers.
Well-prepared content will be highly rated by Google, allowing it to be ranked high in search results. Every SEO agency has at least one copywriter who can perform several functions simultaneously. Some SEO agencies outsource texts, i.e., to freelance copywriters or cooperate with another agency in the field of writing texts. Then we can also talk about content outsourcing. It is worth remembering that writing content is not everything. It is necessary to choose the right keywords, which are half the success of SEO copywriting. Key phrases are vital in creating the website structure, menu, and content and obtaining links from external websites. Following the proper keyword practices significantly increases your chances of ranking high in search results. Of course, you can rely on something other than it because there are many more ranking factors.
Content marketing, including SEO copywriting, is about creating valuable texts to build customer loyalty, trust, and brand awareness. In addition, content marketing is also an activity that can be based on creating webinars, videos, charts, graphics, and multimedia presentations. However, this does not mean that the strategy adopted by SEO agencies is only for activities performed on the Internet. Content marketing can provide content with the help of leaflets, advertising newsletters, or folders. Therefore, practically every SEO agency focuses on more general SEO activities, such as content marketing, not copywriting. In the case of content distribution, the company must employ employees who can choose the suitable model for it.
Positioning has practically always been associated with obtaining links from external websites to the positioned page. This task was relatively simple in the past because Google mainly cared about the number of links rather than their quality. This trend has changed, and the quality of websites that link to our website is equally important. In addition to well-optimized websites of online stores, companies, or information services, it is essential to take care of outgoing links from pages with a high Page Rank. Bearing this fact in mind, each SEO agency has a specialist who knows what aspects to pay attention to, how to choose the right website, and how to select key phrases that will be used for linking. Links can be obtained from functioning information services, which are a perfect solution for companies offering services or products. In addition to the link leading to the page subject to the positioning process, you can also add contact details, which will undoubtedly interest many customers. Links can also be obtained from blogs, sponsored articles, and social media portals. A good solution will be to cooperate with a blogger with an extensive website.
An audit must precede all SEO activities. Every SEO agency offers such a service. The SEO audit aims to create a document, a report containing several recommendations, comments, and advice for the website subject to the positioning process. The collected data is
used by programmers, editors, and other persons associated with the website, who can make it even more efficient. An SEO agency that performs an SEO audit focuses on several fundamental aspects, the purpose of which is:
· checking all relevant SEO elements on the website,
· optimizing and assessing it and adjusting each SEO element,
· detecting problems in adapting websites to the guidelines for web admins,
Website optimization significantly impacts positioning because meeting Google's requirements allows it to achieve a higher position in search results. Companies that aim to promote their service or product should find an SEO agency to conduct a reliable SEO audit.
In addition to the positioning process, the SEO agency needs to optimize the website. Thanks to the knowledge and professionalism of their employees, agencies can increase the website's visibility in Google and increase sales on it. It is possible thanks to more accessible and faster access to customers on the Internet. When optimizing, SEO companies focus on aspects such as a friendly URL, selecting keywords, and speeding up website loading.
SEO agencies often offer services related to Social Media. Social networking sites are currently the best media that enable interaction with the customer, presenting him with a promotion, service, or product and involving him in building the company's image. When choosing an SEO agency, it is worth paying attention to whether it deals with social media. It is necessary to engage employees who can create attractive posts both in terms of content and graphics. It has been known for a long time that nothing works better for the customer than taking care of good pictures that attract attention and are memorable. The effects of such actions can be noticed quite quickly, for example, after the growing number of users who follow and like posts. Social media allows promotion on the local market and a broader scale.
Positioning is a process of increasing the visibility of a website in search results based on a specific customer query that uses exact words, i.e., key phrases. Keywords make it easier for potential customers to find the website where the company offers services or products. SEO agencies base their functioning on these activities in Google. They employ employees who have up-to-date knowledge and can anticipate trends in various industries. Using appropriate vital phrases ranks the website high in Google, which translates into the company's profits from the sale of products. In the case of many industries, website positioning processes are crucial for many enterprises, an excellent example of which is online stores.
Very similar SEO activities characterize local SEO processes. First of all, the difference is who local SEO is dedicated to. Most often, companies that are thriving and offer their services only on the local market, e.g., in a given city or district, should decide on such activities. In this case, selecting key phrases is essential because it will be easier for customers to find the company. Expressions should consist of the name of the service + the name of the city. In the era of geolocation of search results in Google, the town's name may not be that important, but it certainly affects the positioning and display of the page. In the case of websites of online stores or large companies, SEO activities focus mainly on increasing the visibility of a vast number of phrases from the so-called—long tail. In the case of local positioning, the geolocation of the user and the company offering the service is most important. In an SEO agency, local positioning is often based on optimizing content within the website and link building from local directories of companies and websites. However, you should ensure that phrases with the city's name are also included on the company website.
Most people consider a large SEO agency to have at least a few people selling SEO services. Such an SEO agency may have several dozen employees in other departments who efficiently perform their tasks and thus meet the expectations of their clients. Very often, SEO agencies have a rich package of internet marketing activities. Where does this definition come from? Most large SEO agencies need a sales department, while smaller ones do not. Large companies must acquire large numbers of customers because retention in such companies takes work. And how do such SEO agencies work with clients?
The beginning of cooperation with an SEO agency almost always begins with contacting a seller who offers a wide range of services. Most often, sales are based on generalities, such as selling an SEO audit, improving the website in technical terms, guaranteeing a high position in Google, and increasing traffic. In large companies, sellers do not always have the appropriate knowledge to answer in detail what the agency does, which is why it is sometimes better to use the services of smaller companies or a freelancer.
The SEO agency employs people who can help clients by increasing website traffic, but the question arises, will this traffic translate into profits from our business? If we start selling more products, stand out from the competition in the industry, and gain a good reputation among customers, the effects of SEO activities on the website meet our expectations. However, we must remember that the first effects of these activities may only appear several months later. SEO is about making people who are looking for us find our website. The process of gaining visibility can take up to a year, depending on the competitiveness in a given industry and the difficulty of critical phrases. If we are looking for an SEO agency that will provide comprehensive services, we can also pay attention to who is interested in our business. It is essential because the positioning strategy should also be based on business planning.
The quality of services the company provides also depends on our contact with specialists from the agency. The larger the agency, the more significant the number of people responsible for customer service. Remember that specialists have limited time resources and will only sometimes be available. In large agencies, one SEO specialist has several projects on his mind. So they have a few hours per client and still have to perform analyses and prepare reports. Therefore, sometimes a smaller agency with several projects may be a better choice, but specialists are available to us and can answer any question.
If we decide to use the services of an SEO company, we will most often have to sign a long-term contract for positioning in Google. Few large agencies offer warranties with one month's notice. If we are sure about the SEO company and its activities, we can agree to it; if not - we can use cooperation with a smaller agency or a freelancer. It is worth persuading SEO agencies to a contract for an indefinite period with min. 3-month notice period. Some agencies offer a warranty with one month's notice. The type of contract depends on the agency itself and its business model.