by Contributor
(Mar. 8, 2021) — Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most favored digital marketing techniques of this age. When carrying out SEO, you can either start it on your own, put together an SEO team, or outsource the services from an SEO agency. If you’re choosing the third option, you’d first have to identify what search engine optimization services you need. Here are 10 of the most effective and essential services guaranteed to increase your search engine results page rank.
1. SEO audit
If you have an ongoing SEO strategy that seems to be failing at giving you your desired results, an SEO audit can help you determine where you’re going wrong and determine the best course of action.
2. Competitor analysis
This service involves researching your competitors’ keywords, websites, content, etc. to determine what works. Building upon the success of your competitors saves you time from doing trial-and-error because they’ve essentially done the testing for you. All you need to do is to incorporate those techniques into your strategy and put your spin on it to make it more suitable for your business.
3. Link building
Link building is the process of accumulating links to your website from external websites, otherwise known as backlinks. Search algorithms view a large and diverse backlink profile as a positive thing on the principle that website owners wouldn’t lead their users to an external site unless that website was relevant and had high-quality content. Building a backlink profile can be done in numerous ways:
- Collaborations. Partnering with other businesses or influencers can increase your backlink profile because it usually involves you and your partner linking back to each other on your respective websites. If the collaboration garners enough media attention, you can also count on news sites and social media pages to link to your site.
- Hire qualified content creators. Your content carries more weight if the topic being discussed is tackled by someone qualified to write or speak of that topic. If, for example, you want to do a critique on a recently passed legislation, it would be wise to have someone with the right credentials present as the primary author, like a politician or a lawyer.
- Make superior and timely content. It’s not just about who writes your content, but how and when you write it. The better your content is, the more likely other sites will react to it or feature it in their content. Putting out topical content quickly is helpful too as the faster you come out with content on a certain topic, the higher the likelihood that other sites will use your content as a reference and link back to your website.
4. Site optimization
One of the ways search engine algorithms determine your website quality is by observing the overall user experience it provides. If users click away from your site too soon, that tells the algorithm that your site offers a poor experience and will demote your ranking accordingly. One of the fastest ways to improve your rank is by optimizing your website for a good user experience. Some of the ways you can optimize your site include:
- Decreasing loading time
- Ensuring all links are functional
- Improving the visual appeal
- Becoming more accessible to PWDs
5. Keyword research
If your PPC strategy isn’t performing as well as you expected, it’s hard to figure out what’s wrong if you don’t have the technical background nor the experience. Working with an agency means you don’t have to worry about any drawbacks because they will likely know exactly what to do to resolve any issue quickly.
6. Content production
If you’re not careful, you can easily waste lots of money on an ineffective PPC strategy. Working with an agency means they can advise you on how much money you should spend relative to your PPC goals. They can also help you spend money wisely by quickly eliminating underperforming keywords and avoiding keywords that bring in low-quality traffic.
7. Mobile optimization
Mobile devices have long overtaken desktops as the primary medium users use to access the internet. Search engine algorithms have responded to this change by prioritizing mobile-friendly websites. Some agencies cover “mobile version” website development as one of their main search engine optimization services in response to this urgent need to cater to mobile users.
8. Local SEO
Businesses with physical locations need to take advantage of local keyword targeting and Google My Business (GMB) to get ahead in SEO. Local searches involve those that check the user’s location or include location keywords like the name of a city, state, or a nearby landmark. Properly targeting such keywords and keeping your GMB updated and accurate will boost your rank significantly.
9. Internal linking
Internal linking is one way you can ensure that a user spends as much time on your website as possible. Internal linking creates a network of content that a user can browse almost endlessly. You can do this either by adding a short list of recommended articles after a user is finished reading or including in-text links in the article. Exercise caution when using the latter option as too many links in one article can overwhelm the user and cause poor readability.
10. Digital PR management
Online reviews on GMB, Yelp, Trustpilot, etc. impact your SEO efforts more than you think. Search engine algorithms view a high rating as a sign of a site’s trustworthiness and will boost its rankings to reflect that status. PR is one of the lesser-known but more important search engine optimization services because of how it improves not only your ranking but also your brand image and consumer relationship.
SEO offers many great benefits to your business, from boosting organic traffic to increasing conversions and revenue. However, before you can reap the benefits you must educate yourself first on the different SEO services to know which can offer you the best results. Doing your due diligence also saves you from using techniques that violate the terms and conditions of the search engine you’re trying to boost your rank on.