While some businesses can manage their SEO campaigns in-house, more than half of businesses work with a digital marketing agency that provides SEO services to help improve their rankings in the search engine result pages (SERPs) and increase their traffic. Professionals who provide SEO services use proven strategies and they have the expertise to tailor an SEO plan to meet your specific marketing goals.
SEO marketing is important, but the concept of SEO maybe be new or abstract to some businesses. In the following FAQ, we’ll answer some common questions about SEO services to explain the principles of SEO marketing and PPC campaigns as well as what you can expect from professional SEO services. You can also consult an SEO professional like Proceed Innovative to learn more about SEO services.
SEO FAQ by Proceed Innovative
What are SEO Services?
SEO services are services provided by a digital marketing agency that help improve the visibility of business websites in search results related to the products, services, or industry of the business. A typical SEO marketing campaign consists of several different strategies that work together to target relevant keywords to improve the online visibility and brand awareness of a business and generate relevant search traffic.
Google determines how to rank websites in the SERPs based on many different factors and these factors may change from time to time and affect the current rankings. SEO professionals have an understanding of how Google and other search engines rank websites and will only implement best practices to rank well in the SERPs and maintain those rankings.
What is Basic SEO?
The basic SEO services consist of the following:
- On-page SEO: This is the optimization of your website with your targeted keywords and phrases including title tags, meta descriptions, and content.
- Off-page SEO: This is the optimization of backlinks, directory listings, Google listings, and other places your business is mentioned online outside of your website.
- Technical SEO: This is the optimization of the technical aspects of your website such as page speed, structure, menus, navigation, etc.
Traditional SEO services consist of on-page, off-page, and technical SEO to put your website in the best position to rank for your targeted keywords and get the most out of your investment. Reputable digital marketing agencies offer SEO services that consist of all three in a full-service plan. You can also get the following specialized SEO services if they are relevant to your business:
- Local SEO: Local SEO is ideal for businesses with a local clientele. Your website will be optimized for your service area as well as your targeted keywords to attract local, relevant search traffic.
- Ecommerce SEO: If your website is an ecommerce website, an SEO agency can optimize your website specifically to attract those shopping for your products.
What is the Cost of SEO Services?
The cost of SEO services depends on how expansive and aggressive you want your digital marketing campaign to be. Agencies often offer several tiers of SEO services that vary in price and the number and type of strategies implemented.
SEO services are typically paid for on a monthly basis and can be anywhere from $750 to $2000 per month. When looking for an SEO service provider, you can request a quote from them to get a more accurate idea of what SEO marketing will cost to reach your specific goals.
What Should SEO Services Include?
Professional SEO services are a package that consists of several strategies that work together to achieve your digital marketing goals. Agencies may differ slightly in exactly what they offer, but all SEO services should include the following:
SEO Audit
Digital marketing agencies should start their services with an SEO audit to analyze your current marketing strategy and evaluate your website. This will help the agency identify what is working well with your current strategy and website and where improvements are needed. After they complete the audit, they will have a much better idea of how they can tailor their services for your business and audience.
If an agency does not include an audit of your current digital marketing strategy, you should move on to the next agency. The lack of an SEO audit shows that the agency is likely to use a template for their SEO services instead of tailoring their services to your specific marketing needs.
Competitor Analysis
In addition to an audit of your current SEO, an agency should also analyze the SEO of your main competitors. This allows them to gain an understanding of what your competitors do well and their weaknesses. In-depth competitor analysis helps agencies identify opportunities for your business and form competitive strategies that give your business an edge.
Custom SEO Strategy
After completing the SEO audit and competitor analysis, the digital marketing agency is prepared to form a custom SEO strategy that will give you the best return on your investment (ROI). The custom plan should be tailored to your brand, industry, and audience to achieve your specific marketing goals.
You should avoid SEO agencies that offer a one-size-fits-all template. While these plans are less expensive, they are also much less effective with a lower ROI. A reputable SEO agency will create a custom plan for your business.
On-Page Optimization
On-page optimization is a major component of SEO services and when done well, it will improve the rankings of your website in the SERPs. An agency that does not provide on-page SEO is not really providing SEO services.
On-page optimization may consist of the following:
- Optimizing title tags, header tags, and meta descriptions
- Evaluating the architecture, redirects, and internal linking of your website
- Optimizing image tags
- Optimizing website content with relevant keywords and phrases
- Creating a sitemap
- Evaluating the design, speed, and user-friendliness of your website
Off-Page Optimization
SEO services should include off-page optimization to optimize off-site factors that can affect your rankings. Off-page optimization may include the following:
- Creating sharable blog content
- Promoting your website to other bloggers to get quality backlinks
- Optimizing your Google Business Profile
- Watching for mentions of your business on social media
- Link building
Monthly Reports
A reputable SEO agency will provide you with monthly reports to keep you updated on the performance of your SEO strategy. These reports may include metrics such as website traffic, rankings, and conversions so you can see what you are getting from your SEO services. It helps to schedule monthly meetings with your account manager from the agency to review the report and ask questions.
Transparency is important. If a digital marketing agency does not offer monthly reports, you could be left in the dark about the performance of your SEO strategies.
Progressive Optimization
Successful SEO requires an ongoing effort. Top rankings in the SERPs are not guaranteed and if your SEO efforts slow down or stop once you reach the top, your competitor will quickly take your place.
The SEO process
An SEO agency should continuously optimize your website and look for ways to improve your SEO strategy to continue to climb in the rankings or maintain your top position. For example, your account manager may find new keywords to target which can lead to the creation of new blogs and web pages that will help you rank for the new keywords. If the SEO efforts stop at any point, you will lose ground. Make sure you work with an agency that provides continuous optimization.
PPC FAQ by Proceed Innovative
What is Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Management?
Pay-Per-Click Marketing, commonly called PPC marketing, is a digital marketing channel, through which marketers deploy keyword-targeted bidding-based campaigns. Based on predetermined bids, marketers can use PPC marketing to control how much they are willing to spend for each ad they serve.
PPC management is the management of your PPC campaign including the creation and optimization of the ads and the budget. You can manage your PPC campaigns in-house or have PPC management as an additional service from your marketing agency.
The goal of SEO services is to improve the visibility and rankings of your website organically in the search engines, but you can provide a boost to your SEO strategy with a pay-per-click campaign.
What is the Importance of PPC Management?
It is important to actively manage PPC campaigns to ensure that you get the most out of your PPC ads and budget. While creating and managing Google Ads campaigns is simple, they require extensive research, knowledge and optimization to see an effective return on investment.
If you do not want to manage your PPC campaign yourself, professionals with experience managing PPC campaigns can work within your budget to manage them effectively.
What Does an Agency Provide with PPC Management?
A professional with expertise in PPC management will provide the following:
- Keyword analysis: PPC ads are based on keywords so it’s important to use the best keywords so that your ads show up in relevant searches. Professionals will provide in-depth keyword research to use the most effective keywords and phrases.
- Channel targeting: The main type of PPC ads used are Google ads that appear in the SERPs, but there are other channels where you can do paid ads. You can run paid ad campaigns on social media platforms like Facebook and in other search engines like Bing. A professional will help advise you on the best channels to run your ads and manage your ads on the different channels.
- Competitive analysis: A professional will do competitive analysis of the PPC ads run by your competitors. Keeping tabs on your competitor’s PPC ads will help the professional identify opportunities to outperform these ads and get higher positioning. PPC competitive analysis includes the following:
- Bid amounts: Knowing what your competition bids on PPC ads can help the professional adjust your bids to get the most out of the investment.
- Keyword selection: Your competition may be using keywords that you haven’t targeted yet. This can give the professional ideas for new keywords to target.
- Ad copy: Checking the copy of your competitor’s ad can help the professional get ideas to make more effective ad copy.
- Landing page creation: Each of your PPC ads will contain a link that brings people to your website. This page is referred to as the landing page. A digital marketing professional can build a landing page that keeps people engaged who have entered your site by clicking on the ad.
- Monitoring and reports: The professionals will monitor the performance of your PPC ads and make updates to the keywords, ad copy, landing pages, and bid amounts as necessary to improve your ROI.
- Testing and optimization: A professional will test your ads to ensure that they are performing well. Google will present multiple versions your PPC ads to users based on their search, and a professional can test your ads to see which ones perform best.
What is the Cost of PPC Management?
If you manage your PPC campaign in-house, your expenses will include the money you put into the ads and the time and resources for your staff to manage the campaign. On average, businesses spend $1,000 to $10,000 per month on PPC ads, but you should make sure that your ad spend is reasonable for your business.
When you have a professional provide PPC management, it can cost anywhere from $350 to $5,000 per month plus ad spend. The fee for the professional largely depends on the expansiveness of your ad campaign.
Are PPC Management Services Worth It?
While it is possible to manage PPC campaigns in-house, there is a benefit to having a professional who specializes in PPC manage your campaign.
At Proceed Innovative, we harness your brand’s unique data set, coupled with our team’s rich digital marketing experience, to craft dynamic PPC campaigns, focused on reaching your target demographics. As a Google Partner, certified in Google Ads and Google Analytics, we closely monitor your campaigns for you, applying our know-how to build you effective bidding structures that generate positive ROI.
Proceed Innovative can manage your entire Pay-Per-Click (PPC) process for you, ensuring that your budget will be used effectively for the best possible results. We have many PPC tools available that are likely not available to your business. Further, we have significant experience in the area of optimizing PPC campaigns for clients across many vertical markets. We replace the guesswork with proven methodology.
Why Should I Work with an SEO Professional?
A good SEO strategy will greatly benefit your business by improving online visibility and brand awareness and increasing traffic, but it takes time and resources to effectively manage an SEO campaign. By working with an SEO agency, you will have SEO experts providing on and off-page SEO, managing the ongoing aspects of the campaign, and actively tracking the results so they can make adjustments to get the most out of your SEO.
With professionals managing your SEO marketing, you will get the best possible ROI and your staff will be free to focus on other aspects of your business.
How do I Choose a Digital Marketing Agency?
When you work with an SEO professional, they become your marketing department so it’s important to choose the right agency that will work in your best interests. Start by making a short list of SEO agencies and talk to each one about your business and how they can tailor their services to your business. If an agency does not show an interest in your business or does not offer customized SEO plans, move on to the next one.
You should also discuss possible strategies to help improve your digital marketing as well as pricing. It helps to review their portfolio and to reach out to their current clients for a reference.
SEO Marketing Services from Proceed Innovative
Effective SEO is important for businesses to increase their online visibility and brand awareness and rank well in the SERPs to drive more traffic and improve conversions and sales. Working with an experienced professional like Proceed Innovative will help ensure that you get the most out of your investment.
Proceed Innovative is a full-service digital marketing agency that provides complete SEO marketing services. We will take the time to understand your business and marketing needs so we can create and implement a customized SEO strategy. Our SEO experts will manage and monitor your SEO campaign and provide monthly reports so you can keep track of the performance of your campaign.
You can call our professionals at Proceed Innovative at (800) 933-2402 for more information about our SEO services.
