Introduction
Digital Marketing is becoming more and more important in today’s Digital Age. Large corporations, medium-sized enterprises and small businesses are beginning to understand the importance of having a website and a productive search engine optimization strategy.
Search Engine Optimization is constantly changing and evolving. Staying on top of the Google search rankings can be difficult if you’re not keeping up to date with the latest trends and news.
Many big companies hire in-house SEO specialists and consultants to work full time on the organization’s overall SEO strategy. However, for smaller businesses, it’s not always monetarily feasible to hire an in-house SEO specialist. Many businesses understand the importance of SEO, so they are looking to outsource this work to a freelancer or digital marketing agency.
Why is SEO Important?
Before we get into what a Search Engine Optimization Consultant does, it’s important to briefly go over what SEO is and why it’s still extremely important.
SEO stands for “search engine optimization.” In simple terms, it’s the process of improving your website to increase its visibility when people search for products or services related to your business in Google, Bing, and other search engines.
Google uses an algorithm to decide what is the most appropriate content to show a user for each search. Google prioritises good quality content because they want users to continue using their service. This is why you will typically find what you’re searching for when you search on Google.
From a business perspective, the better visibility/rankings your pages have in search results, the more likely you are to get attention and ultimately, attract prospective and existing customers to your business. The difference between SEO and Paid Advertising is that SEO improves your organic results.
According to a recent study, over 51% of all internet traffic is through organic search. SEO is still one of the greatest tools for your business.
What are the benefits of SEO?
When was the last time you used google? We at VIMAR use Google everyday. Most people very rarely ever go past the first page after starting a search. The statistics show that pages on the first page are way more popular than those on the second page.
Over 1 billion users use Google every month. Additionally, multiple studies report that only 25% of users on Google go past the second page.
It’s extremely important to position your website and business in front of your customers. The better you rank on Google, the better your chances of getting website visits. The statistics don’t lie.
While there are many benefits of SEO, I will quickly mention some of the most significant benefits. You will boost your credibility. A site that ranks high on search engine results pages is typically considered high-quality and trustworthy by search engines, and this, in turn, boosts the credibility of your business.
Your competitors will likely be investing in SEO, which means you should too. Those who invest heavily in SEO often outrank the competition in search engine results and gain market share.
Local searches such as “electricians near me” are becoming more common, And nearly 80% of local searches on mobile lead to conversions. Local SEO strategies can help you attract these searchers who are often ready to buy.
What Does a Search Engine Optimization Consultant Do?
An SEO consultant is essentially a search engine optimization expert who is responsible for creating a website SEO strategy based on search keyword volume and phrases to support your brand and products that customers search.
SEO can be broken down into two separate sections, on-site and off-site SEO. SEO work will include work done both on and off your website. In order for the ‘off-site’ work to be as productive as it can possibly be, the ‘on-site’ work must be done first. In other words, your website must be “search engine friendly”.
No matter what your situation is concerning your website’s rankings, an SEO consultant should be able to advise you on what to do.
On-Page SEO
We won’t go into detail on all the different on-page SEO work, but we will list a few that your SEO consultant should be able to help you with.
- Title Tags
- Description Tags
- Meta Tags
- Quality Content
- Keyword Density
- Headers
- Site Speed
- Mobile Optimization.
Off-Page SEO
Once again, we won’t get into any real detail on the various off-page SEO strategies simply because it just isn’t worthwhile in this blog. There are hundreds of entire courses, ebooks, membership sites, videos, blogs, groups, and all sorts of other educational material devoted strictly to this subject. It genuinely can’t be taught in one post.
This is why hiring an SEO consultant or outsourcing SEO work to a Digital Marketing agency such as VIMAR is becoming more popular. An SEO consultant will spend the majority of their time working on off-page SEO tasks.
Link Building – This is one of the most important parts of SEO. You need to know the difference between simply doing it and doing it right. Only a few things, if any, can boost your rankings more than getting the right backlinks. Nothing can destroy your rankings and the future of your website or business faster than being penalized for using bad link building tactics. It’s absolutely crucial that this is done correctly.
Social Media – This is growing significantly in importance as a ranking factor. It is now one of the most important parts of SEO. Is your content getting posted on social networks? Does it get shared by trusted and respected people in your industry? If not, you’re greatly missing out.
Videos – Videos are continually increasing in popularity and video marketing is the future of SEO. YouTube itself is the second most visited website in the world, as well as the second biggest search engine in the world behind only Google.
Videos that are optimized correctly tend to rank very well, and typically do so much faster than a regular website would. Videos are great for links, exceptional for exposure and branding, and are awesome content all in themselves. They also get shared and re-posted far more than text content does.
Do I Need To Hire A SEO Consultant?
If you’re new to the concept of SEO and its many benefits, you might be wondering if you need to hire an SEO consultant to help you and your business rank better on Google. The truth is, you might not need to hire an SEO consultant. The decision actually depends on your skillset, experience and available time.
SEO is a broad subject and has many different elements involved. SEO is a long-term strategy and there are no easy fixes. For someone who is completely new to SEO, it’s probably a good idea to hire an SEO expert.
Below is a list of reasons why we suggest you hire a Search Engine Optimization consultant.
You Will Have More Time To Spend On Your Business
Hiring an SEO expert has many benefits. As mentioned above, SEO is constantly evolving and changing. To stay on top of all the latest trends in SEO it’s important to constantly learn and read new material. In other words, it’s time-consuming, especially when you’re busy running a business.
If you outsource your SEO services to a professional agency or consultant, you won’t have to worry about training them. You’ll be assured that a group of professionals who are constantly learning and improving their skills are applying all the latest tricks and trends on your website.
You Don’t Have SEO Experience
SEO is a broad subject covering many different subcategories. It’s practically impossible to learn everything in a short amount of time. Even professionals who have 5+ years of experience and focus on SEO every working hour still don’t have all the knowledge. SEO is complicated and time-consuming. If you don’t have the time or are unwilling to make the time to learn SEO, we recommend you hire the services from a professional.
You’re Not Driving Traffic To Your Website
If your website is not receiving much organic traffic, then it’s time to consider hiring a professional SEO consultant. Your website is the heart of your digital campaign. What’s the point in having a physical store if people don’t know the address? That’s what having a website is like when people can’t find it. Placing your website high in Google’s rankings will undoubtedly help increase traffic to your site.
You Will Always Have Someone Monitoring Your SEO Progress
SEO is constantly evolving and changing. Tactics and methods that worked a couple of months ago may not be working as effectively today. Regular updates from Google keep SEO consultants busy learning all the new best ways to improve a website’s rankings.
When you hire an SEO consultant, you can rest assured knowing that someone is constantly making sure that what they are doing behind the scenes on your website is working.
SEO Services At VIMAR
At VIMAR, we have professionals with over 15+ years of experience creating SEO campaigns that drive results. For more information regarding SEO services at VIMAR, you can check out our SEO services page here.
VIMAR is a full-service Digital Marketing Agency based in County Laois, Ireland. We specialise in customized SEO campaigns. If you’re interested in learning more about SEO services at VIMAR and our proven track record of results, contact us at info@vimar.ie to speak with a strategist about how SEO can directly help grow your business.
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