by Demystifying SEO is no easy task.
Not only do search engine algorithms often change, SEO strategies are incredibly broad. They involve almost every other branch of online marketing!
To stay competitive as an #SEO professional, you must know about all aspects of digital marketing.
Speaking of competitive, SEO can be seen as an “all-or-nothing” market. If you’re not trying to get into the top 3 results, you’re getting it wrong.
According to statistics, over 35% of clicks are earned by the first result alone. Click To Tweet
Image source: Search Engine Watch
SEO’s degree of difficulty is well justified by its benefits. However, we’re not discussing why SEO is important today.
Rather, I want to give you a rundown on what makes SEO management effective, and how to pick the right agency.
Let’s get started!
1. They Adapt and Update Regularly
I can’t stress this enough: effective SEO management needs to be adaptive! To keep your brand relevant you’ll need to keep up with an ever-changing marketplace right? It’s no different for an SEO agency.
Nowadays, any run-of-the-mill agency can compete when it comes to SEO basics. But only the best consistently adapt to the latest industry trends.
How do you know which SEO service providers do this? One clue is a constantly updated blog that has fresh, relevant content.
I hesitate to “toot our own horn” but take a peek at the rest of our blog.
A company’s blog reflects how knowledgeable their staff is. It can often serve as a pretty accurate barometer of competency.
We like to walk the walk and talk the talk. Feel free to subscribe to our blog for regular updates on the SEO space, and if you’re looking for blog management services, we’ve got you covered for that as well.
2. Flexible Services
Too often SEO managers make a lot of assumptions about strategy. It’s one thing to stay up-to-date with the latest info, but another to know how to apply it.
Remember that SEO can mean different things to different brands. For example, one client may need an overhaul of their website’s internal link structure. Another may need more links from authoritative sites.
Different goals call for different solutions.
Every SEO campaign is unique! Click To TweetReal SEO experts come up with action plans that match a brand’s unique needs. This guarantees that clients get the best possible results for their investment.
At RankPay, our performance-based SEO means you’ll never overpay. It also means that we’re incentivized to build custom and effective campaigns for all of our clients.
Having a tailored strategy keeps clients and SEO managers on the same page. This leads to fewer headaches, increased satisfaction, and better results!
3. Comprehensive Reporting and Education
A good SEO management solution will keep clients in the know. Educating business owners about search optimization is part of the process.
Doing so ensures realistic expectations and helps show the efforts that you’ve made on their behalf. There’s any number of ways to do this. Some of the most common are
- reports
- case studies
- data collection
- educational content
In-depth articles are a great way to help teach SEO basics, best practices and terminology.
When providing SEO reports, be careful with how you present the more technical information. Skip the jargon where appropriate, and translate data into metrics that matter.
Rather than assume that everyone wants long-winded droning about more advanced metrics, try to focus on the information relevant to each client’s goals.
It’s also an SEO manager’s job to fill in knowledge gaps internally. Teach your marketing team about terms such as keyword research, content optimization, and market analysis.
4. Understanding Potential Resource Constraints
It’s no secret that SEO costs money. It also takes several weeks, if not months, to show results. And for those reasons, an SEO campaign cut short can be frustrating.
Some SEO services offer discovery forms to gauge a client’s resources. This helps them offer feasible packages and identifies possible budget constraints.
Statistics show that 38% of sales, marketing, and business professionals believe that budget constraints are one of the biggest SEO challenges.
Image courtesy: MarketingProfs
Find an SEO professional that will determine potential constraints ahead of time. A good SEO manager will also provide contingency plans.
Keep in mind that unexpected issues can arise. If an SEO campaign relies heavily on one revenue stream, both the client and SEO manager should devise backup plans.
5. Proactive
An SEO manager must be prepared for unexpected change. In addition to budget constraints, they could face Google updates, website crashes, or changes in management.
Determine how you’re going to communicate with the client throughout the campaign. Are they reachable via phone? Do they use an instant messaging tool? What about response times?
Reliable SEO professionals may also provide their social media accounts or business cards.
Conclusion
In today’s competitive world, SEO professionals often wear many hats. They can be anything from a content marketing consultant to data analysts. At RankPay, we’ve built a unique and efficient strategy that helps us stay nimble for all of our clients.
After all, with our guarantee “if you don’t rank, you don’t pay” we become partners in our clients’ success.
No matter who you choose for your SEO management needs, be sure that they’ll excel in the above departments. If they’re focused on those core competencies, you’ll have a much higher chance of success.
If you’re curious to learn more about our own approach to SEO services, be sure to check them out by clicking that link.
