Crevand answers your questions with expert advice.

Q: Why Hire An SEO Expert?

 
Answer:

7 Reasons Why You Need To Hire An SEO Expert

While most people are familiar with the concept of SEO, not quite so many really understand just how search engine optimization actually works. There was a time when optimizing your content for search engines was fairly straightforward and could be mastered by almost anyone. As search engine algorithms grow more and more sophisticated and continually change, it becomes increasingly necessary to hire a professional SEO agency or SEO expert. Increasing search engine visibility can have substantial returns for growing web site traffic, company branding and revenue. Here are 7 reasons why a business should hire a professional SEO export to manage web site optimization and internet marketing.

 

Expert Tip One:

What You Don’t Know About SEO Could Actually Hurt You

At one time, the worst that could happen if you didn’t manage your SEO properly was that you might not climb as high in search rankings. While search engine algorithms essentially rank web sites by on-page (site content, titles, layout, structure, code,…) and off-page (inbound link portfolio, local profiles, brand mentions across the web…) attributes they can also penalize sites for poor SEO, duplicate content and unnatural link building. Failure to understand Google regulations, adhere to white-hat SEO techniques and continually stay up-to-date with how search algorithms change can damage a URL or online brand. Hiring an expert for SEO services that continually studies algorithm changes will keep your company web site safe from Google penalties.

Many of the older SEO methods such as mass back linking or keyword stuffing can actually cause a web site to be dropped by search engines with either an algorithmic or manual penalty. Even smaller and less noticeable infractions can hurt rankings and prevent high ranking and site traffic. An expert optimizer or marketing consultant tests SEO techniques before implementing them to protect a web site an increase visibility and ranking.

 

Professional Tip Two:

What You Read Online Is Not Enough To Rank Well

Many webmasters think they know how how to optimize web sites because they have read industry Blogs, purchased a book or have attended an SEO seminar. SEO agencies have tools that they use or have tested on hundreds of web sites to uncover a tactic for ranking. Many of these techniques are not going to be shared in an open online forum and are kept close to the vest. After all, this tool chest is how a professional expert SEO agency succeeds and separates themselves from other agencies. Meaning, what is read online or in a book are not the key attributes to ranking. They are the very basic ideas behind optimization but the secret methods for truly increasing traffic are not going to be shared.

Think of it like the stock market. By the time a great stock to invest in reaches mainstream media most of the smart investors have already made their money and gotten out. SEO professionals are not going to post or share valuable information online for free. In a fast, ever-changing, market what is read online is typically outdated and obsolete.

 

Authority Tip Three:

Optimize for Search Queries and Not Keywords

Most businesses focus too much on a specific set of keywords rather than focusing on content as a whole and how search words relate to a search query. Understanding the relationship between keywords, search queries and SEO is something of a science unto itself. Not only is it important to find and use exactly the right keywords to optimize for search engines but it is critical to understand what a web searcher is looking for when they enter a search phrase. Consider the problem or issue the web user is trying to solve in their query and write site content with the goal of solving a query with the best information and most targeted solution.

Google wants to return the best result for a specific search query and SEO is about providing keyword rich content that allows Google to understand which site content provides the best solution to a search query. Attempting to rank in a search engine for a single word can be futile without the understanding of how that single word interacts with other key words and phrases to create a solid theme or message. Employing an expert SEO that understands exactly how often to use the main keyword, secondary keywords, where to place them on a site and when to not use them is how a web site can start to rank.

 

Specialist Tip Four:

Search Algorithms Are Continually Changing

Google updates, alters and tests algorithm changes on a daily basis. Most people only hear about the large updates like Panda, Penguin and Hummingbird but SEO experts continually pickup on Google algorithm changes and continually make adjustments to web sites to combat these modifications. Each time a search engine updates its algorithms, it introduces new “rules” that determine how search engines read and value web sites. If you have a business to run, the likelihood is that you are far too busy completing daily tasks to continually test and keep up on optimization changes throughout the day.

Fully understanding changes in search engines and search engine optimization require extensive research. “It is a full time job testing web sites, researching SEO, analyzing data, attending conferences, engaging in mastermind groups, and staying informed about each minor change in online search”, states Dan O’Donnell, Co-Owner and SEO Expert at Crevand, a top SEO agency. “Above office space, employee salaries, and hardware, our biggest company expense is research and data analysis.” Hiring expert SEO services allows insight into valuable data for proper optimization.

 

Skill Tip Five:

Understanding Analytics For Optimal SEO

Analytics provides data that SEO experts use to fine tune their strategies for maximum impact. While you may understand the concept of bounce rate, what you may not understand is how your bounce rate compares to other industry sites, what is normal and just what it takes to decrease your bounce rate. Advanced analytics can give detailed analysis of exactly what is happening with every Blog post, every link and every piece of content on a web site. But in order for it to have any value, you have to understand exactly how to interpret that data correctly and then act accordingly.

Google analytics is just one small tool SEO specialists use. It provides a low-level of analysis and only has value when combined with other analytics software. Knowing which analysis tool to use and how to use it to gain valuable search data is what an expert in search optimization can provide.

 

Expert Tip Six:

Hire A Professional That Understands Link Equity

SEO is really about building web site popularity and authority? Online popularity comes in the form of inbound links, that is, links from other web sites to your web site. The idea follows the logic that if a web site contains valuable content, a great product or really offers something to web users that other web sites will link to it and use it as a resource.  Link building is an SEO strategy but it is far more difficult than most people think. Google has guidelines, regulations and expectations of how links should naturally be created. Some links have more value than others while some links can hurt a web site and penalize ranking. Really good content that provides solutions or that offers industry insight generally receive a lot of links. Links from web sites that are in the same industry and that also have a lot of links leading to them have more value or authority. Links are also created from local business citations, brand mentions and social media channels.

Agencies proficient in SEO know how to write and create content that will increase site links. They know which links they want and which links will hurt a web site. A portfolio of incoming links is continually analyzed and maintaining a steady flow of authority links is a time consuming process. Experienced search optimization professionals are adept at understanding “Link Equity” or the value that certain links have on altering site ranking. Without this portion of SEO, high ranking will not be achieved. Without an expert who has tested specific links and that understands how links are generated, it will be nearly impossible to increase site ranking.

Many agencies focus too highly on building links and miss many On-Page site attributes for ranking. The correct balance between site content, inbound links, relevancy and authority are critical to online success.

 

Key Tip Seven:

Skilled SEO Experts Save Money

On the surface it may seem like SEO is something that is easy to learn.  But experts have spent years perfecting their skills, have worked with hundreds of web sites and have the knowledge and data to support each action they take for optimizing a site. The cost benefit to hiring an SEO expert far outweighs most other marketing expenses. The time and costs necessary to acquire the breadth of knowledge needed to complete search engine optimization tasks correctly far exceeds those of hiring an expert who can do the SEO job properly and efficiently. Additional costs of software, research, attending seminars, expense of links, and many additional items are absorbed by an agency and dispersed through many clients rather than shouldering all of those expenses in-house.

Hiring an SEO Professional

Contracting a search engine optimization professional saves both time and money while giving access to expert date and tested techniques for optimal results.