Why You Should Hire an Agency to Handle Your SEO

As a local business owner, whether you're a contractor, doctor, or professional, you probably find yourself splitting time between serving customers, running your business, and marketing it. And, in today's digital world, having a solid online presence is crucial to the success of any business, regardless of size. And, with a never-ending to-do list, it's easy to overlook the importance of digital marketing.

Why Last Year’s Website Isn’t Working Anymore

Having a website is one of the most important things as a small business owner you can do to grow your business. Customers expect to be able to easily find information about businesses online. A website gives a business credibility. It's where your potential customers go to learn more about your business, find your contact information, and ultimately decide whether to do business with you.

But if you're finding that last year's website isn't working anymore, it's time to take a closer look at what might be wrong.

Here are a few reasons why your website might not be working as well as it used to:

1. Your website is outdated: If your website hasn't been updated in a year (or more), it’s most likely not compatible with the latest web technologies or optimized for search engines. This can make it slow to load and difficult to navigate.
2. Your website isn't mobile-friendly: 92.1% of people use their mobile devices to browse the internet. If your website isn't optimized for mobile, you could be missing out on a large pool of potential customers.
3. Your website is hard to find: Search engine algorithms are constantly changing, and if your website isn't optimized for search engines, it may not show up in search results. This means potential customers may not be able to find your website at all.
4. Your website isn't user-friendly: If your website is difficult to navigate, potential customers may become frustrated and leave your site before finding the information they need. This can lead to lost business and a poor reputation.

What can you do to fix these issues and get your website back on track?

Start with a Fully-Optimized Website

If you're like most of our new clients, you have a decent website and some keyword optimization. But it's outdated, underperforming, and in need of professional intervention.

Even if you like your website, if it is more than a year old, or if you aren't working with a digital agency that keeps up with Google’s algorithm updates, then you probably aren't getting the visibility, ranking, or results you need to be in front of the right customers at the right time.

And there's a good reason for it. Google changed the rules - again.

Every year there are thousands of algorithm updates, each one with the purpose of bringing Google closer to understanding the user's intent based on the search query. Two of the most impactful Google algorithm updates have been BERT (2019) which uses AI to understand search intent and MUM (2021) which is capable of understanding the nuance of linguistics and speech.

For the searcher, it means better, more relevant search results tailored to how they consume digital content. For digital marketing experts, it means totally changing the way we approach website design, content planning, and development, and where we focus our optimization efforts.

What is SEO and How Can it Help My Business?

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is a customized strategy used to improve your search engine rankings, get you visibility in the Google Maps Pack, drive qualified traffic to your website, and convert visitors into leads.

For instance, when someone searches “Dentist Near Me,” the businesses that show up first and at the top of Google’s search are organic listings and are a result of an SEO strategy, not paid. (Check out our article on PPC vs. SEO to learn more about the difference and when you should consider paid ads as part of your digital strategy.)

Whether you’re starting a new business or need to get better results online, you know in your gut it's time to invest in search engine optimization.

Why Invest in SEO? And, Can I Do It Myself?

As the preferred marketing company for local small businesses nationwide, we understand search engine optimization can be one of your biggest challenges. You know you need an updated, fast, fully-optimized website and local SEO strategy to rank online and grow your business, but you just can't find the time to learn it, do it, or hire the right person for it.

On-Page and Off-Page Optimization is the Key to Page Ranking

On-Page SEO

The structure (navigation, page UX, linking strategy) and the page content (home page, service pages, case studies, blogs, videos, etc) are all parts of on-page SEO that all work together to create the user experience and also send trust, relevance, and authority signals to Google and other search engines.

Off-Page SEO

When complemented with off-page SEO (backlinks, social media, guest blogging, etc.) you build a powerful foundation for all of your marketing efforts and one that will your business headed in the right direction - and to the top of search results.

SEO Strategy and Content

Writing SEO-friendly content isn’t easy. It takes practice, continual updates, and understanding your customers, your market competition, and Google's natural language API. PLUS SEO is a longer-term digital marketing strategy and investment and requires patience waiting for the work to take hold.

For most small business owners, creating an optimized website is a big ask. Obviously, you are the best person to talk about your business, your services, and why you should be the obvious choice for a customer. Partnering with a team that can shape your words into content that is relevant to customers and ranks well with search engines is a science, a skill, and an art form.

For search engines to rank your websites higher in search results, we take our digital strategies beyond keyword planning, meta tags, and word count. In addition to perfectly optimized page content, our SEO team members are also your subject matter experts, creating content that is relevant to your customers.

If you want to compete in today's online market, be relevant to your customers, and show up where and when they are searching for your services, it's time to up your online presence with a new, fully optimized, updated website.

Running a small business is no easy feat, and it's likely that you already have your hands full with managing day-to-day operations. Hiring a digital marketing agency can help alleviate some of that stress and free up your time to focus on what you do best - providing excellent service to your customers. By delegating your marketing efforts to a team of experts, you'll have more time to concentrate on growing your business.