When it comes to the world of the web, there’s no off-switch. Things move quickly online and getting traffic requires regular optimisation and constant maintenance. So what’s the best way to ensure that the right people are finding your website? Get the help of a company specialising in search engine optimisation, otherwise known as an SEO company.

The goal of any good SEO company is to help your business grow. Their aim into help drive leads and conversions on your website by properly optimising so that it attracts the right customers and clients. In the same way you would hire an account to help you streamline your business, an SEO company can help to improve the efficiency of your business, by freeing you up to focus on important core functions.

In short an SEO company is a business that works to improve your visibility and ranking on search engines through a number of means. Increased visibility usually means more traffic and therefore conversions on your website, improving results for your business.

Thinking about hiring an agency? Here’s what you should expect.

Services often included

Every agency is different and will offer different services, but typically here’s what you can expect from most.

Research and analysis

The first thing that most agencies will do is perform research and analysis of both your website and target audience to see where your currently sitting and to find opportunities. They will look at how you’re currently performing, what your competitors are doing and what kind of keywords your audience is searching for. They will also be able to identify what kind of budget you will need to expect reasonable results.

Make on-page changes to your website

The next thing that many agencies will tackle is the on-page changes that need to take place to ensure that your website is search engine friendly, these changes often include optimising meta titles and description, ensuring content is clear and using keywords and that there is a good user experience.

Make off-page changes

Following any on-page updates that need to be made, an agency will likely examine the type and volume of the external links that link to your website and will create a strategy to build your web presence. Links show search engine that your website is trustworthy and reputable and can help to improve your websites ranking in the search engine results. They will also check your service configuration, website security and the loading time of your website as this can impact on how well your site ranks.

Provide regular communication

A good SEO company will provide regular updates on how your search engine optimisation is going and how well your website is performing. This often comes in the form of regularly weekly or monthly reports. Their results are often measured against mutually agreed upon campaign goals.

Create content

Many agencies will create content regularly for your website to help it reach its target market, promote search optimisation and to provide strong calls of action to improve conversion.

 Test approaches

Many SEO companies will test different approaches to campaigns, from A/B testing to regular research on different areas of opportunity so that your search engine optimisation is improving all the time.

Finding a good SEO company

Some important tips to keep in mind include looking for firms that have a strong performance record. Make sure you find an agency with plenty of positive customer reviews and references. You should also look for organisations that have experience in your specific industry and that are knowlegable about both search optimisation and your specific business and understand the key performance indicators for showing results.