Featured article by Russel Jacobs, Independent Technology Author
It’s hard to overemphasize the importance of search engine optimization. SEO gets you near the top of search engine results pages and discovered by eager customers.
While the fact of customers conducting online searches is hardly recent news, this kind of interaction is not going anywhere any time soon. Internet Live Stats reports that the volume of Google searches is growing by nearly 10% every year.
If you want to get in front of a broad audience, your business will have to implement reliable SEO tactics to stay competitive.
With the importance of SEO in mind, you must assign someone to do it. Should you and your company tackle it yourselves, or should you hire a professional to do it?
There’s no correct answer, and every company will benefit from a different strategy. Here, we’ll offer some considerations for both sides to help you decide on the route that makes the most sense for your business.
Ranking for Difficult Keywords May Require Professional Help
If you are trying to rank for competitive services in a crowded city, you may need professional help.
Before you seek out an SEO company, you can use free keyword research tools to determine your target keywords’ difficulty.
If you do find that ranking for a specific keyword is outside of your skillset, find a local agency. For example, if your business operates in northern New Zealand, you should consider hiring an SEO company in Auckland. This agency will be familiar with your target audience, competitors, and the community.
Going with a local agency will let you meet with an expert in person, discuss your business’s unique approach, and develop an effective long-term strategy.
You May Be Able to Break Up the Work Internally
As we said earlier, we’re covering everything you should consider when choosing an agency or doing your company’s SEO yourself.
In favor of the DIY side, you may be able to break up the work internally. You can make the process simple by handing out tasks to your team members like:
– Eliminating duplicate content
– Fixing broken links
– Writing blog content
– Building the ideal customer persona
– Planning keyword research
– Studying competitors’ tactics
While it may take some trial and error, performing your agency’s SEO is manageable if you have the time and resources to dedicate to it.
SEO Is an On-Going Process, and Your Business May Fall Behind
Performing SEO internally may go successfully at first. Working together, your team may seamlessly manage to make small changes to your website and online presence.
However, your day-to-day operations will likely get in the way over time. As they should, offering your products or services and providing premier customer service will take priority.
If you don’t have someone wholly dedicated to perfecting your company’s SEO, your online presence will suffer.
SEO can take six to nine months of consistent efforts before results become visible. The right agency will perform the on-going work needed to produce desirable results. It will also measure results and make relevant corrections to maximize its efforts.
Doing Your Own SEO Can Make You a Better Business Owner
Search engine optimization is a learning experience. It not only teaches you the technical aspects, but it also reveals facts about your specific industry and company.
When you do your company’s SEO yourself, you will come to understand your business even better than you thought you could. SEO reveals what customers look for and what they need from you. You can use what you’ve learned to improve what your business offers and how it operates.
The Bottom Line
Doing your search engine optimization or hiring an agency are viable choices for a company looking to improve its online presence. Use these considerations to help guide your business’s choice!
