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There are several SEO companies in Miami but do most of them know what they’re talking about? In a world that bombards us with so much information on a daily basis, how do you sort out the true Miami SEO experts from the imposters?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has long been an important part of online marketing, but has now become a crucial business strategy and is more significant than ever. It doesn’t matter what size your business is or what industry you’re in — SEO will help you effectively promote your business organically.
There are two ways to make your website stand out online: paid ads and SEO. But as the number of internet users that use ad blockers increase, SEO seems like the more feasible strategy in the long run.
Add to that the fact that 93% of all online experiences begin with search and more than half of content consumption in the past year was driven by SEO, and there you have your case.
As convinced as you may be to try SEO for your business, there may be a few things holding you back. Maybe you don’t have the background or knowledge to carry out SEO campaigns yourself or you can’t afford to hire a digital marketing manager. The easiest way is by hiring a reliable SEO company that’ll walk you through every step of the way.
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Benefits of Hiring a Reliable SEO Company
Before hiring the right SEO company in Miami, you first have to know what you’re getting by investing in SEO. Some benefits of picking the right Miami SEO experts include:
- Increased rankings, which brings in more organic search traffic
- More organic search traffic, which brings in more targeted leads (phone calls, texts, web form fills, live chat requests, etc.)
- More leads, which brings in more sales
- And more sales, which brings in more revenue and income for you and your business
Other than that, outsourcing this aspect of your business gives you more time to focus on running your business, a better website and user experience, and improved rankings on the other search engine rankings (not just Google).
Others would advise you not to choose a company based on proximity or location since SEO can be done from anywhere in the world, but choosing an SEO company in Miami also gives you an added advantage. If you’re trying to rank for local SEO, they’ll be familiar with the target demographic and area.
Some Miami SEO experts can help you with more than just SEO: they can also help you with your pay-per-click campaigns, content marketing, social media marketing, email marketing and much more.
Here are some tips you can follow before choosing the right SEO company to hire:
Tips for Choosing the Right SEO Company
1.) Have a clearly defined set of goals. What do you want to get out of hiring an SEO company? Before hiring, you first need to figure out which areas of your online presence you want to improve.
If you’re not sure, have your site analyzed. A good agency will have the data to prove which areas are the most beneficial to focus on.
2.) Hire from good word of mouth. Most websites would advise you to hire based on online reviews, but here’s a case for why shouldn’t you hire an SEO company based solely on how well they do on the search engines.
SEO specialists know that 84% of customers trust peer reviews, so they spend a good portion of their time actively promoting their business. The real experts can be found generating positive results for their clients and honing their skills in their off-time.
It would be helpful to ask people in your professional circle or industry as the companies they’d recommend already have experience in your field. That being said, you shouldn’t completely ignore a company’s online presence. Once you have a list of names to choose from, visit their website to see their list of clients, testimonials or published case studies.
3.) Choose an SEO company that doesn’t promise you the world. Wouldn’t it freak you out if someone you’ve dated only a few times asked for your hand in marriage? If you answered yes, then why would you believe a company that does the same?
SEO results don’t happen overnight no matter what anyone tells you; SEO takes time. Avoid anyone that tries to sell you on the fact that they have “special connections with Google insiders” or “special insight into Google’s algorithms.” These people are lying to you, plain and simple.
SEO requires a deep understanding of how search engines work, strict attention to detail and constant optimization since Google’s algorithms are ever-changing and evolving.
Companies that promise quick results are usually engaging in “black hat SEO,” or using shortcuts that violate search engine rules. Black hat tactics like keyword stuffing, link spamming and cloaking may work for the time being, but once Google catches on they’ll demote or even blacklist your website!
4.) Find a company that communicates effectively. SEO takes time to build and you have to think long term for the future. You’ll likely be working with them for years to come since SEO is something that needs to be continually worked on, so it’s important to establish a good, honest working relationship right from the start.
A reputable SEO company will have nothing to hide from you. Once they know what your company needs, they’ll outline a strategy, be upfront with all the tools they’ll be using, give you access to the metrics so you can monitor, track and check the results for yourself, and always offer their best advice and guidance.
5.) Define your SEO budget. Before you sign up for a service that you may not be able to afford, don’t forget to define your budget ahead of time. When looking for a company, it may be good to see whether it fits your budget to avoid wasting precious time. Some SEO companies will include some extras such as an allowance for things like ad spend in their quoted price while others don’t, so it’s best to check during the pre-sales process.
Questions to Ask When Choosing the Right SEO Company
Now that you know what to look for in an SEO company and defined your budget, it’s important to ask the following questions:
What’s included in the contract? What should you expect each month? Will there be custom monthly reports?
Some SEO companies only show you results and not how they achieved them. Legitimate SEO companies will provide you with a detailed month-end report so you can track and measure your progress.
What is their cancellation policy and what happens if an agreement is terminated prematurely?
Some companies charge a cancellation fee and include other hidden penalties, so make sure to carefully review the agreement before signing.
How often will we communicate?
Determine what their schedule is and the most effective way to reach them (usually email or support ticket). Set communication expectations early on and respect boundaries.
Who will be working on my website?
The way some agencies choose who to assign website work to isn’t based on experience but rather on availability. Some agencies will assign the work to a junior web designer to keep costs low, which isn’t an inherently bad thing but something to keep in mind.
Have you done work for companies similar to mine?
It’s important for your SEO provider to know your industry (and location) like the back of his or her hand, and be familiarized with the little details you and your customers would expect to see.
How will you improve our search engine rankings?
Asking this question will reveal a lot about the company’s SEO strategy. Having a solid strategy in place means the company has taken the time to develop a customized plan for growing your website traffic.
Will I own my website?
Most SEO companies have website ownership clauses built into their contracts. For example, some companies will offer to build your website for free but once you terminate your agreement with them you lose all rights to the site.
What tools do you use?
You want to make sure the SEO tools they use are legitimate and won’t penalize your website.
Any mention of tools like Xrumer, SE Nuke or Bookmarking Demon is a clear red flag to stay away! These tools are used for spam commenting and building low quality links.
What KPIs do you measure?
Some key metrics to watch out for include:
1.) Organic sessions. This refers to the number of people that visit your website via organic search and is considered the most important KPI in SEO metrics. Other metrics like page views, unique visitors, visit duration, and bounce rate are important as well.
2.) Conversion rate. This refers to the percentage of visitors that perform the action you intended (e.g. signing up for your newsletter, engaging with your content or buying your product/service). Naturally, the higher the conversion rate, the better.
3.) Keyword ranking. One of the things you and the SEO firm you hire will need to decide on is which keywords you want to target and rank for. Your monthly report should show your keyword ranking increases over time.
4.) Page load time. Page load time is another important metric to watch out for as this correlates to how quickly people leave your site. Most people expect a site to load in 3 seconds or less, so page load time definitely ties in with your website’s bounce rate.
Do you offer performance guarantees?
This is a tricky question but ultimately the answer should be NO. It’s impossible to guarantee results and if you come across a company making these kinds of claims, that’s usually a good sign to stay away!
Conclusion
With the knowledge that 90% of all internet users only look at the first page of the search engine results, there are several SEO companies in Miami that claim to be experts in their field.
That’s why finding the best Miami SEO experts is crucially important since it can make or break your business.
When hiring an SEO company, make sure to use this important information to eliminate the imposters and avoid potential trouble for your business website.
Lastly, always keep in mind that SEO is a long-term investment and depending on the age of your site, it can take several months before any meaningful results show.
If you come away with anything from this article, it’s to be patient and manage your expectations when it comes to SEO. The payoff is well worth it.
We hope you learned something today about choosing the right Miami SEO experts. Visit our blog for more articles and subscribe to learn more about search engine marketing!