The term SEO or search engine optimisation is an ever-present phenomenon in today’s rapidly digitising business world and this is no different in Brisbane, QLD either. As no surprise, this growing trend has spawned multiple companies and contractors all claiming that they are the best at what they do. So in this ever growing market how do you decide which company is best for you. Well, it’s not simple but by the end of this article, you’ll certainly be equipped with a few crucial tips to keep in mind.
In What Circumstance Is local SEO Important
In a complex process, this step is by far the most simple. It’s easy, local SEO is beneficial for small businesses such as restaurants, shops, beauticians, medical practices, plumbers that operate in a fixed location.This being said it is important to ask your contractor or SEO business what they plan to do with your location. Just because you have the ability to list multiple location sites throughout your website to improve SEO doesn’t mean that you should if it doesn’t relate to your product or service.
Organic SEO
An extremely important concept in local SEO is that of organic or non-paid rankings. The term organic SEO refers to a business’s ability to bring traffic to its website through link building without paid listings, ultimately keeping your costs down. This not only provides your business with an affordable marketing option but additionally a sustainable one as you tend to see more consistent traffic flows from organic rankings especially in relation to small business. You can find out more about Organic SEO on our services page.
Organic is the perfect first step for small businesses that don’t want to commit a vast amount of financial capital towards projects. In this instance it is usually good to start small and then see the effects of expanding your budget after you have built up trust with your contractor.
Don’t Hire Based on Rankings
While the logical thought process many businesses go through when deciding who to hire for SEO is ‘well if they rank highly they probably know what they are doing’ this isn’t always the case. While in some instances this indicator can be accurate in terms of quality there are a few steps you should go through before hiring them on the spot.
- RESEARCH the company and get quotes for the multiple services they offer.
- ASK FOR EXAMPLES (probably the most important step, if you like the website optimisation they have done before for businesses similar to yours this is the biggest indicator that they are probably right for you)
- ASK FOR REFERRALS (Most small Businesses hold animosity towards SEO providers so if they are happy it’s probably genuine)
Mobile vs Desktop
Another import factor to have in mind when choosing your local SEO expert is that of optimisation across platforms. With mobile use expanding at a rapid rate and over 85% of smartphone users accessing a search engine at least once a day optimising across platforms is imperative. To see just how much the mobile revolution is affecting Australia have a look at this consumer survey, https://www2.deloitte.com/au/mobile-consumer-survey
This combined with the fact that this year sees the start of Google’s Mobile First Era as algorithms will become more and more tailored to favour mobile searches. As such websites that are not responsive or not optimized for multiple platforms will fall behind. There is no excuse for an SEO provider trying to optimise for one platform and it is one of the most crucial concepts to have in mind when looking for SEO expertise.
Don’t Forget
ASK, ASK, ASK. Small Businesses that aren’t in competition with each other are in this together so look at previous work and call referrals to see what others think of a business’s service.
The old cliche that there is NO SUCH THING AS A STUPID QUESTION has never been more true than in relation to SEO. Businesses in marketing love to push ideas and products but often steer clear of the practical details. Businesses who are honest and know what they are doing won’t promise the world they will promise growth over time.
DON’T EXPECT TO BE NUMBER 1 OVERNIGHT. While businesses who have SEO horror stories love to brand the whole concept of SEO as a hoax or scam, all SEO takes time. Most SEO campaigns take 2-4 months to reach there potential which makes it even more crucial you find someone you trust before you commit to a plan.
Finally RESEARCH SEO MORE. SEO isn’t rocket science and its something where a little information can go a long way. By watching tutorials, reading blogs & books or simply calling up SEO agencies you can protect yourself from companies that sell generic packages not tailored to your business’s needs.
Well congratulations you’ve made it, if you want to know more about SEO and don’t know where to start have a look some basic content such as:
http://www.seobook.com/learn-seo/seo-basics/
Or have a look at some of our previous blogs on the topic.
https://www.5tales.com.au/blog/
