reputation = trust… we have SECURED this currency in Northern Nevada for 3 years and running. Sandy Rowley, our fearless leader, has brought all of her 23 years experience exploding brands for record companies, celebrities and upper crust of digital society…sharing with the next generation of explosive growth in digital.
Making an Impact Across the Globe
SEO & PR…yeah yeah yeah…
We have awards. but really, who cares? We want to prove our WORTH as your DIGITAL AGENCY. Give us a month, we will give you the WORLD.
DIGITAL Marketing Leader 23 Years In a Row
Rowley has spent the better part of her adult life, creating digital marketing campaigns, web designs, logos, SEO, social marketing and PR for her clients. She LIVES for digital marketing and it shows.
Digital art services provided by some of the industries leading graphic designers. See a sample of some of our leading designers Libby Bryant, Zeka, Steph Mathena, Sandy Rowley….and other talented artists…who inspire us to EVOLVE.
Personal Service and A Smooth Process
Each client is considered part of the EVOLVE AGENCY family. Your wins are our wins… we are here to see you grow.
DIGITAL POWER HOUSE
We work hard to break through the noise for our clients every day. YOUR success matters to our bottom line.
Voted TOP SEO agency in Nevada 23 years in a row.
Webby Award Winning Web and Graphic Designers.
Open 12 hours a day, 6 days a week for our clients.
We demand authenticity and results with every campaign.
Sandy Rowley, is easily the best SEO expert in Reno. She consistently outranks thousands of local, national and global SEO companies for SEO terms in Google and other major search engines.
Her SEO services include reputation management, Google My Business, Google search, Yahoo Search, Bing Search and Social media search services.
Voted best SEO in Reno, 5 years running, Rowley continues to provide quality SEO services to her select clients throughout the country.
Go to Google Maps and search for just the keyword, SEO. Reno SEO, Marketing & Web Design consistently ranks #1 in Google for this very competitive keyword.
Why do business owners trust her SEO services?
Trustworthy and punctual communication.
Affordable SEO services.
SEO Rankings verified.
She includes updates to plugins and website with every SEO package.
Increased traffic.
Increased leads.
Increased sales.
Impressive PR, SEO and Reputation Management are included.
Who is the best SEO company?
There are thousands, if not millions, of companies providing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services to their clients across the USA and globally. With so many players in the business, it may be challenging to ask: Who is the best SEO company, and then point to a single entity or company in answering that question. Before addressing that question categorically, it might be prudent to frame it in its proper context.
What does the best SEO company look like?
When considering an SEO partner to assist your business, the best thing to do is to focus on the value proposition they offer to your business. So, instead of asking: Who is the best SEO company, the more appropriate question might be: What can an SEO company do for me? Ideally, here’s what the best SEO company looks like:
Plenty of Experience: While newcomers to the world of SEO may deliver some great services, it’s only experience – preferably more than five to ten-years of it! – that can add true SEO value to your business
Diversity of Skill Sets: SEO isn’t an individual competition. It’s a team sport. And that means it takes a combination of skill sets – web designing, content creation, website audits, user experience assessments, digital marketing…and much more! – to bring SEO-enabled value to a business. Companies that don’t excel in all those areas, and more, will likely not do much for their client’s SEO profiles
Professionalism: Many SEO “experts” believe they know what ails a businesses’ SEO profile. And the first order of business they execute is a “fix”. True SEO professionals don’t assume anything. They take the time to first understand, from a client’s perspective, what the challenges are, and then propose options to those problems. At the heart of professionalism is the willingness to accept that, while the SEO expert is good at what she/he does, it’s the client that knows her/his business best!
Proven Track record: Words, web profiles, sales pitches – they are all nice and good. But what has your prospective SEO partner accomplished for her/his clients? When you branch out on a quest to find out who is the best SEO company, it’s prudent to also understand what they have done – in terms of results accomplished – for their clients.
Finally, when searching for the best, it’s vital to remember the context in which SEO works. Because SEO also has a local and regional level, one can address that question more appropriately when phrased in a local context.
SEO in a Different Perspective
Most small to medium enterprises think global and act local. The idea behind that philosophy is to use the power of SEO to become a local center of focus and then, using that reputation, to spark global attention. So, in some ways, SEO starts as a homegrown phenomenon.
So, if you ask: Who is the best SEO company in Nevada, the answer would be to identify Nevada’s top SEO expert, Sandy Rowley! The Reno-based Webby Award-winning team has been delivering exceptional SEO services to its clients in Nevada, and even further, since 1999. And the 5-star reviews garnered by sandy and her team serve as a testimony to the success that Sandy’s team has delivered to clients – not just in Reno and the broader area, but also across Nevada and nationwide.
SEO is an acronym for Search Engine Optimization, which is a process that uses certain tools and approaches to optimize the design, structure, content and popularity of a website. The objective of SEO is to attract higher amounts of high-quality traffic to the website.
The most successful websites are those that rank high when people search for products or services in the websites’ niche. SEO works by enhancing the popularity and visibility of a website, both to human visitors and search engine algorithms, so that the website features higher up than its competitors, in searches, on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS).
In a highly competitive niche, a web search can sometimes deliver thousands of results, spread over scores of SERP. SEO works by prioritizing well optimized web pages, and displaying them earlier on – within the top-3 or top-10 results of page 1. Less optimized pages have less visibility, because they might appear on page 5 or 15, where typical consumers might never venture.
In the above SERP for the query “snow blowers for sale in New York”, SEO works by ranking the best optimized website at the top of the list of results, followed by sites with comparatively less optimized sites. Sites with poor or no SEO follow at the rear.
How do you do SEO?
Because search engine’s like Google constantly evolve their SEO algorithm methodologies, SEO is a relative activity. It depends on what you are optimizing the site for. For example, if a search engine’s algorithm looks for English content with perfect grammar and no spelling mistakes, to rank such sites high up in their SERPs, then one task in “doing SEO” must include fixing the grammar, spelling, punctuations and tenses of all content hosted on the website.
SEO is not about one single thing. In fact, “doing SEO” involves several factors, including:
The quality of content on each page of the site. Higher quality means better SEO ranking
On-Page SEO: This includes actions such as using appropriate and highly popular, keywords within page content; inviting other popular websites to link to your site, and making use of keywords in your title tags, meta descriptions and H1
Effective Keywords: The use of highly relevant keywords
Mobile-Friendliness: Use of responsive page design so the page loads on small-footprint and mobile devices
Useful Backlinks: Linking to credible and high-authority websites
BOT-friendly: Using site design techniques that make it easy for search algorithms to crawl through, index and rank the site
Speed: Building pages that load faster, and having content that refreshes with minimal delay
User Engagement: Having websites that are easy to navigate and user-friendly
Other SEO tactics include promoting the site via guest posts and through social media posts. The use of URLs too, make an impact on SEO. For instance, using URLs with specific (and popular) keywords, having related descriptive URLs, and using secure URL protocols (“https” instead of “http”) also help when doing SEO properly.
What do you mean by SEO?
The acronym “SEO” stands for Search Engine Optimization, and it refers to a process of optimizing a website to attract un-paid (or organic) traffic from web queries. When people want something off the web – for instance some information about an event, or a product or service they wish to purchase – they’ll typically search for it on the web. This process starts by keying-in a search term or a search word. For example, this might be:
“COVID-19”; or
“COVID-19 travel restrictions in New York”
This is a web search query. The web browsers’ search engine (such as Google, Yahoo or Microsoft Edge) takes that query, and uses an algorithm to look for web pages that are a best fit to answer that query, and displays the most appropriate ones in the browsers’ search engine result pages (SERPs). So, the question is: If there are 500-million web pages that can answer the query, are all listed on SERPs?
The answer is: Maybe! However, the algorithm will only look for the most appropriate web sites to display in its SERPs. SEO is a set of strategies and tactics that website owners and online marketers use to ensure their site is one of those displayed higher-up on the SERP.
In the sample screenshot above, there may be several hundred million webpages that address the question “COCID-19 travel restrictions in New York”. However, Google only brings back 348-million results from pages optimized for Google’s search engine. If your browser is configured to display 50-results at a time, you may (hypothetically) have nearly 7-million pages of results to sift through. However, SEO ensures that the most optimized results appear in the top 5 or 10 on page 1.
What is an SEO example?
Browsers display web query results in two segments: Paid and unpaid (or organic). Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a technique that helps website owners and online marketers display their websites higher up on organic website searches than their competitors. Because most consumers only act on web search results from the first few pages of a query, having the best optimized websites appear ahead of lesser-optimized websites makes it more likely for better optimized sites to get more organic (or unpaid) traffic.
A good example of the use of SEO is illustrated in the screen shot below.
The searcher queries Google for “snow blowers for sale in New York”. Google determined that there are 9.28 million webpages that meet the criteria for the query. Of these, the top three results are paid advertisers. These rank high regardless of whether they meet specific SEO criteria – money talks! For most other websites – 9.279 million of them in the above example – SEO matters.
Why? Because only the most well-optimized websites feature high in the search engine results page (SERPs) for the above sample query. In the example above, the website listed as #4 will likely receive more traffic than those appearing below it. Additionally, because of how consumers interact with the SERP listings – they only typically view the first 4 or 5 pages before clicking on a link to buy – a webpage listed high-up on page 1 (as opposed to featured on page 2 or 200!) will receive more organic traffic than those featured as number 20 on page 1 or (ranked 1 on page 2). And that’s just yet another example of SEO done well!
What are SEO tools?
Like any project – for instance a home improvement task – having a good set of tools makes all the difference to how well website owners do SEO. The tools not only help with implementing a good SEO strategy, but, once in place, some tools help monitor the effectiveness and efficiency of the strategy.
Here are three great SEO tools to consider:
Google PageSpeed Insights: This is Google’s tool that analyzes the speed of a webpage and then offers recommendations on page speed and how to better improve it.
Google Analytics: This is another one of Google’s tools that helps website owners make useful decisions regarding their SEO strategy. It uses machine learning capabilities to extract data about your webpage, your site, visitors to your site and your competitors. The data is then presented in helpful analytical reports and graphs to aid in prioritizing SEO responses.
Bing Webmaster Tools: This is a Microsoft tool that allows website owners to perform SEO analysis on their websites. The tool helps you optimize your web pages so you rank better on the Microsoft Bing search engine.
Ahrefs Backlink Checker: Backlinks are one element, albeit a very important one, of SEO that all search engines consider when ranking a webpage on their SERPs. This tool analyzes a website and provides invaluable feedback on backlinks, and offers statistics on the Referencing pages’ Domain Rating (DR), URL Rating (UR), the number of links to your site from that page and the monthly organic traffic of that referring page. This data is invaluable to building your own SEO strategy.
How many types of SEO are there?
There are various ways that website owners and webmasters may opt to do SEO. Some of the more popular types of SEO include:
On-Page SEO: This type of SEO deals with features that optimize the page, it’s structure and its content to make it SEO-friendly
Off-Page SEO: This type of SEO focuses on promoting the page/website on external sources (other websites, social media, directory listings)
Technical SEO: This type of SEO focuses on optimizing the technical parameters of a website that impact a search engine’s ability to optimize and rank the page/site
Content SEO: As a sub-set of an on-Page optimization strategy, this SEO tactic concentrates on optimizing site and page using high-quality content
Local SEO: Local SEO is best used to promote a business within a local community or physical distance
Mobile SEO: This SEO focuses on optimizing websites for mobile devices
eCommerce SEO: Online marketers take advantage of eCommerce SEO to popularize their websites on search engines
Not all types of SEO are, however, applicable to every website. For instance, if your website only provides information to your visitors, and does not market or sell any product or service, then there’s no value in doing eCommerce SEO.
Add your Reno or Northern Nevada area business to our local business first directory FREE. (check out some Reno Businesses in our Free Marketing/Networking group here.)
Once we have your information, we will add your business to the Reno Business Resource Directory. A volunteer will call or email you to verify your information.
Need help with anything? Call or text me any time of the day @ 775-870-0488. If I can help right away I will. If not, I will get in touch within 24 hours or less. You can count on it.
Have you ever visited a website you really loved? It was quick, had the right color scheme, a nice layout, and made the overall experience an enjoyable one. We’ve all visited at least one good website throughout our time online. However, have you ever visited a really bad website? Most likely, you might’ve encountered a slow loading site with an outdated interface filled with blocks of text.
What’s the main factor of these two types of sites? Two words— web design.
Despite its name, web design is much more than what a site looks like. Web design does refer to the design of websites but it focuses more on user experience. The goal of good web design is to make the user experience as seamless and enjoyable as possible.
Combined with SEO, web design can become the ultimate tool to help you and your business increase traffic and boost your conversion rates. Although incorporating web design and SEO isn’t an instant job, when done right, it can impact your business greatly.
In this article, we’re going to break down five web design tips you can use to boost your website’s SEO.
Make it mobile-friendly
If you’re familiar with SEO, you might recognize that having a mobile-friendly website is a must. It’s super important these days since most web traffic comes from mobile devices alone. If you haven’t made your site mobile-friendly yet, you’re a few years behind and you should take the time to do so.
Google made mobile-friendliness a ranking factor back in 2015. So, to have a website that’s not mobile-friendly in this day and age is pretty much a crime against SEO. Not to mention, a lack of mobile-friendly elements in your site can increase your bounce rates.
Make sure people can read text easily
No one wants to spend time on a site that’s hard to read. Poor web design can impact how your content is presented. May it be the small text, bad layout, or just strange placement, it can affect your SEO.
When creating content and publishing it on your site, think of the visitors. What will make it easier for them to view your site? This is a chance for you to utilize white space, different fonts, and larger text sizes to accommodate your visitors. A simple change in design can boost your SEO drastically.
Speed is key
A laggy website is never fun. We’ve experienced it before and when we visit a laggy site, we always close it faster than it loads. Take some time to check how your site loads. If it’s slow, chances are that it could be due to bad web design.
Speed up your site by optimizing images, getting rid of unnecessary plugins, and allowing browser caching. Ideally, your site should load in two seconds. Any longer than that, then it’s an issue. The speed of your site doesn’t just matter to visitors. It also matters to Google. The longer it takes to load, the less pages Google will crawl and less chances you have for ranking on the search results.
Simple website architecture
Simple website architecture is another thing you should have. In general, website architecture may sound scary and complicated but it’s not as complex as you think. It simply means how the pages on your site are linked together.
Think of it as a family tree. In conclusion, you want to keep your site architecture simple so Google can crawl your site with ease. So, you want to focus on making Google’s job for crawling your site easier.
Use subheaders
Reading blocks and blocks of text is not a good start when it comes to SEO. The truth is, it’s a dread to read long paragraphs since we can’t see the end and the beginning of the sentences. How can you make reading your site easier?
We think subheaders do a great job at separating blocks of text and emphasizing important points. Although Google is super smart, reading a lot of content mushed together can affect its ability to crawl your site. So, make sure you’re using subheaders correctly and effectively.
Wrap Up
Web design and SEO go hand in hand when it comes to boosting your site’s conversion rates and improving your business. From what we discussed in the article, the main points to having excellent web design for SEO begins with knowledge about what factors affect SEO such as mobile friendliness, site speed, and readability.
Once you’ve got the basics covered, you can create a web design for your site that’ll be sure to drive traffic and help Google crawl your pages easily. All in all, you need to be aware of how Google works in terms of crawling and ranking sites.
Now that you have a rough idea of what to do, it’s time to assess your site and see what it needs.
Author Bio
Andre Oentoro is the founder of Breadnbeyond, an award winning explainer video company. He helps business increase conversion rates, close more sales, and get positive ROI from explainer videos (in that order).
SO happy to see you here. Make sure to introduce yourself to the Reno Business Leaders marketing group on Meetup. See link below.
Marketing your business online is crucial to your business success. How to proceed, where to begin?
If you are looking to learn some digital marketing strategies, make sure to join our free Marketing Workshops over Zoom. Make sure to text and/or email me your contact information, so we can add you to the RSVP list.
If you are looking for a local marketing professional to do the heavy lifting for you, reach out to Sandy for a free 15 minute review of your needs, she would be happy to get you an honest quote.
What type of marketing can she help you with?
SEO Search Engine Optimization
Social Media Marketing
Strategy
Web Design
Branding
Social Network Marketing
and Marketing Audits.
You can call or text her directly at 775-870-0488.
For Reno businesses who want to thrive online. No sales pitches, just useful marketing information you need. Call me at 775-870-0488 to RSVP and get your Zoom link. This is going to be a fun filled event. This Zoom call will not have Video, but only AUDIO.
Learn marketing strategies that are working for businesses in Reno…Free.
Honest to goodness, marketing strategies, networking and fun events for Reno area businesses.
Bring your good attitude and desire to learn. Digital business cards, questions and a cup of your favorite drink.. for this fun filled marketing and online networking event.
Are you planning on launching a new website? Whether it is a personal blog, business portfolio, or e-commerce website, you have to know all your options to make a smart decision. One of the most important factors to consider when building a website is: “How much will it cost?”
To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of several ways to get your hands on website design and how much it will typically cost you.
Drag and Drop Website Builders
Drag and drop website builders are developed to streamline the website design process. These tools are designed as online platforms which you can use to create and launch a website without even knowing how to code or how to design a website. The most popular drag and drop website builders include Wix, Weebly, and Squarespace.
Design Cost
Designing a website via a drag and drop website builder won’t break the bank. In fact, if you don’t want to use any of the premium features, you can get your website up and running completely free.
Pros and Cons
The pros of using drag and drop website builders include:
No design skills required
Very cheap
No coding skills required
Get a website up and running in no time
The cons of using drag and drop website builders include:
Generic templates make it hard to achieve a unique look
Bad user experience due to slow loading times
Questionable customer support
Pricey premium features
WordPress Website Design
WordPress is the most popular content management system. Launching a WordPress website is also considered simple, but unlike drag and drop website builders, it requires some technical knowledge.
Design cost
WordPress comes with a completely free theme that users can use to build a website. Apart from the default WordPress theme, users have access to a number of free and paid ones. The design cost depends on your choice. If you go with a free theme, the overall costs will be minimal, but even purchasing premium themes won’t set you back much, as they usually come with an average price tag of $70.
Pros and Cons
The pros of using WordPress include:
WordPress and the majority of themes are free
Complete control over website files and data
Access to free plugins and extensions to enhance the user experience
Easy to customize
The cons of using WordPress include:
Maintenance requires technical knowledge and experience
You need at least some basic coding knowledge
Expensive managed WordPress hosting services for those who want to automate updates
Custom Website Design
Designing a website from scratch is also a viable option.
Design Cost
The design costs depend on the overall functionality and number of elements of a new website. According to the current prices on the market, it’s safe to assume that hiring a web designer will cost you approximately $6,000.
Pros and Cons
The pros of using custom website design services include:
Get the exact design you want to
Achieve a unique design and unique brand experience
The cons of using custom website design services include:
High up-front cost
It’s difficult to find a trustworthy web designer
You’ll need long-term cooperation for updates and maintenance
Hopefully, this information will help you make a better decision and get the website that gives you the biggest bang for your buck.
Meet up with others in the area and have a darn good conversation on pre selected topics!
We have put together a small and friendly group of Reno peeps who are looking to get together and talk about anything interesting and share stories, ideas and inspiration. The goal of this group is to have fun, stimulate ideas and share with others in our community.
I decided to convert our Reno Business Leaders into an open group of free thinkers and intelligent creatives to get together, safely, and enjoy each others company.
If you happen to make a business connection, good for you, but this is not the goal of the group. If you come to “Sell” hard, you will not be invited to the next outing.
What to expect?
Meet up with 3 to 20 other people at a local park, outside, preferably in the daylight Sun. (lots of germ killing UV rays) and Fresh air, space and masks if you so chose.
Bring your own hot beverage and food of your choice.
We will choose a card from the conversation starter deck and pair off into intimate groups to discuss the chosen topic.
We will have about 20 minutes per table or group to discuss the topic, then switch to get a chance to talk with new friends.
The goal of this group is to communicate with others, building a sense of community and friendship. Also to bring wonder, inspiration and thought provoking ideas into your life.
Benefits of this free group
build communication skills
connect with new people
share experiences
learn new things
get inspired
have fun
Add your Name, email and phone number to this list. I will email everyone with date/time/location and possible talking points.
When it comes to capturing life’s most precious moments, finding the right photographer can make all the difference. Whether you’re planning a wedding, a family photoshoot, or a professional portrait session, Reno offers a plethora of talented photographers to choose from. In this guide, we’ll help you navigate the world of photography in Reno and find the perfect photographer for your needs.
Model Photography Shoot $450
Couples Photography Shoot $350
Family Photography Shoot $ 375
Call or text Sandy Rowley at 775-870-0488.
Why Choose a Local Photographer in Reno?
Choosing a local photographer in Reno has its unique advantages. Not only do they have a deep understanding of the area’s best photo spots, but they also bring a personalized touch to their work. Here are some reasons to consider a Reno-based photographer:
1. Local Expertise: Reno photographers know the most scenic locations, from the stunning Lake Tahoe vistas to the vibrant downtown murals. 2. Community Connection: Local photographers often have strong ties to the community, ensuring a more personalized and dedicated service. 3. Support Local Businesses: By choosing a Reno photographer, you’re supporting local talent and contributing to the local economy.
Top Qualities to Look for in a Photographer
When searching for the best photographer in Reno, keep an eye out for these essential qualities:
1. Experience and Portfolio: Review their portfolio to ensure their style aligns with your vision. Experience in the specific type of photography you need (e.g., weddings, portraits, events) is crucial. 2. Customer Reviews: Check online reviews and testimonials to gauge their reputation and customer satisfaction. 3. Professionalism: A good photographer should be professional, punctual, and easy to communicate with. 4. Creativity: Look for a photographer who brings creativity and a unique perspective to their work.
Spotlight on Reno’s Best Photographers
To help you in your search, we’ve highlighted some of the top photographers in Reno known for their exceptional work:
1. Sandy Rowley Specializing in weddings and family portraits, Sandy Rowley is renowned for her artistic eye and ability to capture authentic emotions. Her work is a blend of traditional and contemporary styles, making her a favorite among Reno residents.
2. John Doe Photography John Doe is a versatile photographer with experience in commercial, portrait, and event photography. His attention to detail and technical expertise ensure stunning results every time.
3. Jane Smith Portraits If you’re looking for professional headshots or personal branding photos, Jane Smith’s studio is the place to go. Her modern approach and ability to put clients at ease make her sessions enjoyable and productive.
Tips for a Successful Photoshoot
To make the most of your photoshoot, follow these tips:
1. Communicate Your Vision: Share your ideas and expectations with your photographer to ensure they understand your vision. 2. Choose the Right Location: Discuss location options with your photographer. Reno offers diverse settings, from urban landscapes to natural beauty. 3. Plan Your Outfits: Coordinate outfits that complement each other and the chosen location. Avoid busy patterns and overly bright colors. 4. Relax and Have Fun: The best photos are taken when you’re relaxed and enjoying the moment. Trust your photographer and have fun!
Finding the best photographer in Reno doesn’t have to be a daunting task. By considering local expertise, reviewing portfolios, and focusing on key qualities, you’ll be well on your way to capturing beautiful memories. Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or simply want to document everyday moments, Reno’s talented photographers are ready to help you create lasting memories.
Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words, so choose a photographer who can tell your story in the most beautiful way possible. Happy shooting!
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By following this guide, you’ll be able to find the perfect photographer in Reno to capture your most cherished moments. Don’t forget to share your experience and leave a review to help others in their search!
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For more tips on finding the best local services in Reno, check out our other blog posts and stay tuned for more insights!
All photography and art listed here is copyright protected 2020. Sandy Rowley Landscape Photographer.
Pop Quiz: Why is it that, when you key in a search query into your web browser, some websites appear higher up in the list of sites returned, while others come in way down the pecking order?
The answer: A neat little process called Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
What is SEO?
As highlighted by our pop quiz question, SEO is what goes on behind the scenes in your webpages and websites. When done right, SEO is responsible for ensuring that your web pages rank higher-up in organic search results than your competitor’s.
Although search engines like Google consider a long list of factors to determine proper site optimization for search, as a website owner, here’s what SEO means to you:
Your site is visible to search engines
It is structurally sound – well laid out, with no broken links or missing pages
It has content that search engines locate quickly when users query for them
Your pages rank higher (for relevant content searches) than your competitors
There’s content that users find useful and informative
The site makes good use of social signals (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc.) to promote it
You have high-quality backlinks that point back to your site
You use optimized images across the site
The most visible SEO sign is that customers, prospects and casual visitors find your website easily and efficiently, giving you the opportunity to sell your products and services to them. These are just a tiny manifestation of what SEO means to you. However, when SEO experts get down to work on site optimization, they’ll consider these, and a list of over 200+ other factors, when creating highly optimized websites.
Why do I need SEO?
Consider the analogy of a bricks and mortar candy store from “back in the day”. Although the shop made the best candies and sweets in town, unless their name appeared in classified ads in newspapers and the TV, few buyers would show up at the store. The same is true with today’s digital storefronts – i.e. your online presences.
Owning and successfully operating an online business requires a website – and other online presences, like social media pages. But it also means you need to promote that site online, so current and prospective clients might find you whenever they have the need for your products or services.
MARKETING YOURSELF
More importantly though, is the marketing aspect of an online business. You don’t just want (current) clients who know your business, or those who are actively considering buying (prospects) your product, to find your website online. It’s important to also “convert” casual visitors – who may not initially want to buy – into paying customers. And that’s where SEO comes in!
As an online business owner operating in a highly competitive marketplace, you need SEO if you:
…want your business to survive and thrive
…are looking to expand in new markets
…care about having more online visibility that your competition
…are looking to increase traffic to your website
…want a consistent stream of leads generated from that traffic
…are always looking to convert many of those leads to paying clients
…also care about generating a lot more local sales from among your city and community
So, what does SEO do to give you all (and more!) of the above? Well, here’s the simple truth about why SEO matters to you. You need SEO because:
68%[1] of all identifiable web traffic happens as a result of web searches
3%[2] of all web traffic come from organic searches
76%[3] of people who searched for a product/service using a smartphone have visited a nearby business within one day of conducting their search
SEO[4] results in 1000% plus more traffic than other strategies, including social media
60% of online businesses say that in-bound SEO delivers them a higher quality of leads tan do other lead generating strategies
SEO results in closing 14.6% of all online deals
As an online business owner, or someone who manages a website, what do all these numbers mean for you? Depending on what business you are in, and what online marketing strategy you pursue, these statistics might mean different things to various businesses. However, the one common take-away from these figures is this:
The world has around 2 billion websites on the internet, of which approximately 400 million are currently active[5]. If you run an online business, then you need your website “found” among the vastness of other websites out there. And for that to happen, you need SEO!
STANDING OUT AMONG THE CROWD
And what’s the most obvious way for anyone to find you in a crowded space? It’s if you step forward right at the front of the crowd and shout “Look at me…I’m here!”. Unless you do that successfully, the thousands of other competing websites in your domain may drown your presence. Your clients and prospects won’t know that you exist!
You need SEO to help you stand out in the crowd. And how does SEO make that happen?
To explain that, lets look at one more piece of statistics:
60% [6]of people looking for products and services, won’t scroll past the first screen of their Search Engine Results Page (SERP).
To put that in perspective, lets assume a search term for your product or service results in 300 listings. Let’s also assume that each page comprises of seven listings. Here’s how the math works out:
There will be 43 web pages that meet the criterion of the searchers query. Depending on the device (desktop, tablet, smartphone) the searcher is using, those pages may span over more than 43 screens.
Assuming the searcher finds content on the page pretty useful, they’ll spend about two minutes (“dwell time”[7]) reading key content on the page. That’ll take him/her 86-minutes (43 pages x 2-minutes per page) to go through all the search results returned. That’s nearly an hour and a half of their time! In today’s busy world, no one has that much time to spend reviewing search results pages!
Typically, searchers will snoop around the first page of the site and, if they can’t find something interesting, they’ll quickly go back to the crowded SERP to sample the next site/page…and so on. This happens for each of the search results listed. And, in 60% of cases, searchers will find what they’re looking for without needing to go to page 2 of the SERP.
The bottom line: If your web site doesn’t appear listed high-er up on page 1 (or at least the first few pages) of an organic search, it’s likely no one will ever find you among a crowd of web sites that’s 300 pages large. And you need SEO to help you rank higher in organic search results so you can stand out amongst the crowd of competitors.
WHY SEO?
SEO is the best way to target specific audiences online, so you can make your pitch directly to them. As a result, a follow-up question is: Do I have to continue doing SEO? The answer is – YES! Doing SEO isn’t easy – given the frequent algorithm updates that search engines like Google continually implement.
If you want your site to continuously rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), and are interested in a constant flow of traffic, then you need SEO. Not just a one-time SEO effort, but one that keeps up with search engine updates, and with your competitors!
How to hire an SEO expert
Hiring the right candidates (contractors, service providers, agencies) for any role is a daunting task, and it’s no easier when it comes to hiring an SEO expert. But when it comes to all things SEO, the hiring decisions are a lot more critical than say, hiring a tradesperson or a graphics designer. Here’s why you need extra diligence when partnering with an SEO expert:
SEO impacts your bottom line – the fewer leads you convert the less revenue you’ll earn
SEO speaks directly to your customer base – if your website isn’t targeting the right clients, you’ll likely not get as many leads as you’d like
SEO impacts your websites’ standings with search engines – SEO-gone-wrong can easily get your website on a “black list” and cripple your online marketing operations for a significant time
To avoid these, and many other challenges that we’ll highlight shortly, your decision to hire an SEO expert requires a significant amount of extra diligence – more so than you exercise for other roles.
ASSESSING THE EXPERTS
Here are 3 questions to ask and 6 additional skills to inquire about, to ascertain whether the SEO expert is right for you:
How do you keep abreast of SEO changes, trends and developments?
When you hire an expert, you want someone who always stays current with all thing’s SEO – not someone that read a few books a long time ago and only applies that knowledge to all her/his projects. Take note of news sites, journals, podcasts and tech review forums they talk about, and check those sources out (at your convenience) to validate what they said
Look at these 3 pages on our website. They currently rank #45 and #65 for their respective keywords. Can you provide us 2 onsite-optimization suggestions that’ll help improve our ranking/visibility?
This is a trick question, because there’ll likely be a different answer offered by every SEO expert that you speak to. However, look for some generic tips that any SEO-savvy professional should offer. These include:
Ensuring your URLs are meaningful, readable and succinct
Removing elements from the page that slows it down – especially on mobile devices – like heavy graphics, large videos and unnecessary bells and whistles
Adding links to external websites with content relevant to your domain/niche
Re-writing content for human consumption, not for BOTS and algorithms
Inviting other trustworthy partner websites to link to your content
Checking to ensure all your meta data (tags, descriptions) is in order
Can you provide me 3 URLs of websites you assisted with SEO, and what were the outcomes of your efforts?
The objective of this evaluation exercise is to establish what the expert has done for other online marketers. Ideally (but not necessarily) the examples offered should be in your marketing niche.
Look for information that indicates trends that a clients’ website went from #30 to #7 in 9 days; or that the site saw 56% traffic increase in 2-weeks; or that sales shot up by 110% within 2-months of the engagement concluding.
Now that you are convinced, through performance-based metrics, that the expert knows what she/he is talking about, it’s time to assess whether they have other skills that’ll help them fit-in with your team.
SKILLS TO LOOK FOR
A good SEO expert is not necessarily one that can only code like a nerd! There are other soft skills that are required to make the expert (or the SEO agency) work well with you and your team. Without these additional skills, it’s highly likely that your relationship with any SEO expert you hire will be short-lived.
To avoid mis-communication, misunderstandings and unintended consequences of any future business collaboration, verify that the expert has:
Demonstrable knowledge of SEO principles and practices
Excellent copy-writing
Exceptional communications skills
Good project management abilities
The ability to work with cross-functional teams within your organization (Marketing, Sales, Finance, Senior management)
Strong reporting and analytical skills (to monitor, measure, track and report SEO metrics)
Often, when interviewing an SEO agency, you’ll be speaking with a single person – not an entire organization. It’s important to therefore remember: When embarking on your hiring initiative, don’t forget that SEO is typically a team effort – it often requires skills that more than a single person may have.
Therefore, when assessing the talents and capabilities of your SEO expert, don’t focus on the individual, but also on the team behind them. It is the collective skills and experience of the combined team that you’ll be hiring, and not just the individual you are speaking to. On that note, if the agency is not a one-person-entity, it may not be out of bounds to ask to speak with key individuals who will be involved with you and your team.
DON’T FORGET…
Before casting a wide net to seek SEO candidates, ask around among your network of peers and business contacts to see if they can recommend some names
Give local SEO experts greater weightage in your decision-making criteria. Why? Because it’s always more convenient to meet, communicate and coordinate with them as opposed to someone that’s on a different continent or different time zone
Check if your SEO prospects offer freebees – like Lunch-and-Learn sessions, free initial consultations and mini website audits. Taking advantage of these offers is a great first step in getting to know your future SEO expert more closely
As you map your online marketing strategy, hiring not just any SEO expert, but the right one, is a key milestone for your company. Using a written test to select an SEO expert is not a good idea. Because of what’s at stake, ask for practical, verifiable demonstration of their accomplishments.
More importantly, ensure that the agency’s team and yours are a good fit. If they can’t deliver what you are looking for, or if their team and yours can’t produce synergies, then they’re probably not the right fit for your company.
What I can expect with good SEO services?
Earlier-on in this eBook, we spoke about everything you might expect from SEO. That might include, but not be limited to, higher SERP rankings and more traffic to your website. But what can one expect of a good SEO service provider, in terms of the value-for-money proposition to you?
Well, here are six things that most professionals deliver as part of a well-rounded SEO offering:
A better understanding of your target audience
To provide the best SEO service applicable to your business, the agency you choose to work with must first understand who your audience is. They do this by talking to you to get a sense of what your products or services are, and whom you market them to.
A clear sense of your business objectives and goals
The type of SEO strategy that’s best for you depends on what you are trying to accomplish through your online presence. You should therefore expect your SEO partner to help you understand what your business objectives are:
Are you looking to get more traffic?
Do you want to rank higher than a specific competitor?
Should your SEO efforts result in x% increase in revenue?
Is it your desire for your website to become an “authority site” within your niche/domain?
Together with you and your team, the chosen SEO expert will help you get a clear sense of these and other similar questions.
A deeper appreciation for your competition
Most experienced practitioners won’t offer specific SEO advice until they have a clear idea of who your competition is, and what SEO tactics and strategies they (the competition) employ. Expect your SEO service provider to work with you to draw a clear profile of the competition, and map your current online ranking against the competition, so they can identify gaps between you and your industry peers.
A comprehensive deep dive into your existing website
In preparation to take on the competition – now that you and your SEO partners have a clear idea of who they are and what they’re doing – the SEO expert conducts an exhaustive site audit. This exercise gives them a sense of where your website stands in terms of various factors, some of which include:
Layout
Construction
Ease of navigation
Messaging
Trust-worthiness
Professionalism
Page load times
Accessibility
Responsive design
Social media-friendliness
They’ll also take a close look at the advantages (competitive edge) you enjoy over the competition, and specific shortcomings (e.g. content deficiencies) in your current website. This process gives your SEO expert an insight into what specific SEO strategies and tactics they’ll need to implement to accomplish the goals and objectives set out for the project.
Preliminary recommendations and suggestions
Before the expert knits together a comprehensive SEO strategy, they will likely discuss their preliminary recommendations and suggestions with you. Since they now know your business environment, your website and your competition in intimate detail, they’re able to offer concrete recommendations on what you need to do to win the online marketing battle.
At this stage, however, many clients might disagree with some suggestions, or consider other suggestions (e.g. revamp the entire website) too expensive and time consuming. A good SEP professional will, therefore, take that feedback into consideration when putting the final strategy into place.
A comprehensive SEO strategy
The most important deliverable you should expect of a good SEO service provider is a comprehensive SEO strategy, and the tactics to be employed when implementing that strategy. This is the overarching document that’ll take your online marketing businesses’ goals and objectives, and transform them into reality.
While each SEO agency might have different templates of their strategy, three most common components you must expect to see include:
On-site Optimization: This focuses on optimizing the content, layout and structure of your site. Because of how SEO works – by having search engines crawl and sniff through your website – you don’t want any SEO-unfriendly characteristics in your site.
Elements covered in this part of the strategy include Title Tags, Meta descriptions, Navigation, Internal links, Unique and relevant content, Speed and security – amongst other factors.
Off-site optimization: This part of the strategy covers factors that help you establish your site as an authority on external platforms and online presences (Blogs, websites, social media forums). For SEO purposes, search engines like Google give great weight to authoritative inbound links into your site, from other respectable, credible websites in your niche.
The more credible inbound links you receive from external sources, the more authoritative your site appears to BOTS, Spiders, Creepers and Crawlers – search engine algorithms. Influencer marketing, guest posting and syndication are some tactics that a good SEO expert may propose.
Ongoing SEO measures: This part of the SEO strategy will contain other relevant steps, such as continually refreshing your content, necessary to stay on top of the SEO list. It may also propose constantly working with other sites (credible ones!) to guest post or host unique and informative content and links
The strategy will include all relevant steps, implementation timelines, and metrics to accomplish and measure success. Expect most professional SEO experts to offer FREE (though not exhaustive or comprehensive) site audits. They’ll also offer limited-time FREE initial consultations, and may even periodically host FREE lunch-and-learn sessions.
At the end of your SEO project, what should you expect success to look like? Well, you should expect better organic traffic, more leads, more conversion, higher page/site ranking and, most importantly, improved revenue from sales.
Then what?
Your SEO initiative will likely not push you up to #1 in SERPs for your specific keywords and search queries (unless you are already at #2!). SEO takes time to bear fruit – sometimes as much as three to six months. Then what? Then, there’s no letting up! The best SEO strategy is a continuous one. Even if you reach #1, without ongoing SEO efforts, someone else could well knock you off your high ranking!
Hello there! Have questions? Call or text me anytime Monday through Saturday 8 am to 8 pm PST. I can be reached at 775-870-0488.
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