SEO
How to Outsource SEO services and Get Results
SEO is absolutely critical for any business to survive today. By now, you already know that digital is the future. Your customers go to the Internet to research on your product, contact your customer service, and even make a purchase. You need a website, but most importantly, you need them to be able to actually find it. That’s why you need to outsource SEO services—and this guide can help you find the best one.
Why SEO is worth the investment
The cost of outsource SEO services is nothing compared to the amount of money and opportunity you lose if you don’t make this important investment. Consider these facts:
SEO improves your Google organic search
While there are many search engines, Google is by far the most popular one. Over 75% searches are done on Google, so it’s important to get an SEO expert who understands how it ranks websites.
Whenever you look for the day’s news, CNN, Time, or your country’s biggest stations or newspapers will likely show up on the top search results. That’s because search engines recognize the site’s credibility. Even if thousands of other sites are reporting the same news, they aren’t an “authority link.”
You want your brand or company to be recognized as an authority for your particular industry—and it will take more than talking about product features or company history. An SEO expert understands the technical factors that search engines use to measure authority. This includes quality back links optimized on-page elements and content, machine learning signals, and more.
SEO can improve localized search
Localized search – or search based on city, country or the terms “near me” – is growing. And since it can be very difficult to rank well in popular keywords, you will get better results from optimizing your website for location-based search terms. Example: “beauty salons in Orchard road” instead of “beauty salons” or “trendy haircuts.” Outsource SEO services to somebody who knows how to help your business rank for your local audience.
SEO can target different stages of a buying cycle
Align your SEO with your marketing and sales strategy. Customers at different stages of the buying cycle – awareness, consideration, purchase, and loyalty – will have their own concerns and needs, and type in web queries.
In SEO terms, that’s search intent. Someone who searches for “signs of hair loss” is asking for information; someone who searches for “best hair loss treatments” is deeper into the buying cycle, and is comparing options and costs.
Ideally, your marketing strategy should have different content for these two kinds of buyers. But what’s really effective is if you work with an SEO consultant who optimizes that content. You can even take it a step further, and invest in a Search Engine Marketing (SEM) strategy, that combines organic search efforts with paid campaigns. When you outsource SEO strategy, ask about the different costs of standard SEO and SEM.
SEO is a science—and a dynamic and detailed one, too!
On the one hand, you can try to do SEO on your own, or train someone in your staff to do it. And, theoretically, there are many free SEO programs: Google Analytics, MozBar and Moz Keyword Explorer, UberSuggest, and more.
But SEO has many elements and factors that you can’t master overnight. And while these programs can generate reports, the biggest question is what to do next. SEO best practices are always being updated. Google makes hundreds of algorithm changes a year!
It pays to hire someone who has the skills, experience and dedication to focus just on optimizing your website. Aside from monitoring your site, he can also track what your competitors are doing, and flag any website issues or errors that are affecting your ranking.
For example, Google has plans of ranking all their sites based on their mobile version by 2021. That update alone can affect your ranking dramatically. Google also penalizes too many intrusive interstitials. While these drive conversion, they can lower your SEO score—and you may not even realize it, unless there’s someone who’s monitoring your pages. Outsource SEO services so you know that someone is helping you plan ahead, and can troubleshoot for you.
Ready to outsource SEO services? Find the best!
What should you consider when you’re looking for an SEO consultant? Should you hire a freelancer, work with an agency, or get someone to work for you full-time? How much do you need to spend when you outsource SEO services?
Option 1: Outsource SEO services to a freelancer
If you go to freelance sites like Upwork, you’ll find many SEO consultants for hire—and many of them offer very affordable rates.
However, don’t be tempted to outsource SEO services simply based on price. Bad SEO is ineffective and wastes your time and money. You may end up having to hire somebody else again to fix the problem—and by that time, your competitor may already be ranking at the keywords you want!Even worse, your SEO freelancer may use blackhat SEO. These are illegal shortcuts that he claims will give you great ranking overnight, but may actually damage your website ranking and reputation.
If you want to hire a freelancer, be prepared to do your background research. Ask for referrals, check the websites that he has worked on before, and interview them well to find out what they can do.
Option 2: Hire a full-time SEO employee
This is the “dream solution” – a full-time employee whose only job Is to help you optimize your content. However, it is also expensive, and likely impractical if you are not planning to create a lot of content or do not own several digital platforms.
Option 3: Outsource SEO services to a digital marketing agency
This is the most cost-effective solution for businesses. The best digital marketing agencies in Singapore offer a full suite of services that can help you grow your online presence. This includes website development, content development, search engine optimization and search engine marketing.
This is what Mapletree Media can do for you! We work with you to create and optimize a website, nurture traffic, and target optimized content to different kinds of customers. All your digital efforts are aligned—and designed according to both SEO and marketing best practices. Contact us and start growing your digital presence today.