What does an SEO agency do?

The query is entirely valid. While the acronym SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is recognized by many, some might still need to discover its essence.

First, let’s establish a clear definition: SEO is a segment of marketing aimed at enhancing visibility within organic search engine results.

A relatively straightforward concept.

In its early days, success was gauged by improved rankings for pivotal search terms. However, given the evolution of search engine mechanisms, the landscape has grown more intricate. The current objective transcends mere keyword positioning; it encompasses augmenting visibility across diverse devices and target audiences. Furthermore, the focus extends to enhancing user experiences throughout websites, increasing the probability of conversions – transforming prospects into loyal customers.

The term “organic” signifies non-paid efforts, emphasizing sustainable techniques with lasting impact rather than fleeting tactics that fade with the cessation of an advertising budget.

An SEO agency, in essence, is an external entity dedicated to executing these strategies for your enterprise.

Engaging with an SEO agency can foster several benefits for your business:

1. Enhanced Visibility: Amplifying your presence on digital platforms.
2. Elevated Traffic: Attracting a more substantial influx of visitors.
3. Increased Leads: Garnering a larger pool of potential customers.
4. Heightened Conversions: Facilitating the transition from prospects to loyal patrons.
5. Improved ROI (Return on Investment): Generating more value from your marketing endeavors.

But how precisely do they orchestrate these outcomes? In essence, they undertake the following actions:

1. Communication with You 

At the outset, a reputable SEO agency initiates a comprehensive understanding of your business. This encompasses your aspirations, existing assets, ongoing campaigns, prior SEO endeavors (both internal and external), specific challenges, and areas where knowledge is lacking. This comprehensive insight forms the foundation for tailoring a customized campaign for your business. Ongoing communication revolves around result reporting and the refinement of goals and strategies to optimize their relevance. A lack of effort on their part to keep you informed is an unfavorable indicator.

2. Site Audit 

Thoroughly evaluating your site’s current performance and identifying avenues for enhancement is crucial to the onboarding process. A detailed audit serves as the bedrock for a purposeful and continuous SEO campaign. To execute this effectively, the agency might need access to your site, Google Analytics account, and Google Webmaster tools account (if applicable). These digital channels facilitate efficient monitoring of ongoing endeavors.

3. Defining Objectives 

Empowered by the insights acquired earlier, the agency will craft an SEO campaign with objectives aligned with your aspirations. This document will delineate the planned activities in numerous domains, contingent on the campaign’s scope and specific goals. This strategic blueprint provides a reference point as the campaign unfolds, ensuring that intended actions are executed, and objectives met. If the agency hesitates to disclose its campaign strategy and goals, it’s prudent to insist on reviewing these before commencing work and payment.

4. Conducting Keyword Research 

Keywords form a cornerstone of SEO, and meticulous keyword research can be the linchpin of success. Grasping how real users search for products and services empowers you to optimize your messaging, enhancing the likelihood of appearing in relevant searches. As search engines refine their algorithms with machine learning, their understanding of user intent, related terms, and semantics deepens. This underscores the importance of encompassing all conceivable ways prospective customers seek products or services pertinent to your enterprise. If the agency neglects to inquire about keywords during onboarding, ensure they integrate relevant terms and topics that align with potential buyers’ intent.

5. Penalty Analysis 

Search engines routinely update their algorithms, some aimed at penalizing sites that breach guidelines or devaluing outdated SEO tactics. This dynamic mimics a cat-and-mouse game: successful tactics become popular, leading to spammy applications. In response, search engines tweak their algorithms to devalue such spammy tactics, and the cycle repeats. Identifying if your site has incurred penalties is paramount. This could stem from unscrupulous practices by a previous agency or strategies that were acceptable in the past but are now discouraged. Scrutinizing traffic patterns and observing significant declines after past search engine updates enables the agency to pinpoint penalties impacting your site and take corrective measures. An agency’s unfamiliarity with the necessity of investigating penalties might indicate gaps in their expertise.

In summary, these integral activities constitute the comprehensive toolkit that an SEO agency wields to propel your business toward enhanced visibility, engagement, and success.

6. Analyzing Your Current Link Profile 

A significant result of this phase involves identifying low-quality backlinks that might be dragging down your site’s performance. Websites naturally amass links, but not all are beneficial. Previous SEO agencies might have intentionally built detrimental links, and even once-positive links could have been impacted by interim updates. Identifying harmful links empowers an SEO agency to disavow them, effectively notifying Google to disregard them due to your concerted efforts to remove them. Moreover, this analysis reveals gaps where your site should be acquiring links. If you’re the sole absentee from an industry news site within your niche, for instance, this presents an enticing opportunity. Be cautious if an agency does not prioritize quality, as they might inadvertently engage in detrimental link-building practices. When in doubt, inquire about their criteria for distinguishing between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ links.

7. Optimizing Existing Content 

This encompasses revamping page copy, blog content, and other site text to align with SEO best practices. While historical practices involved keyword stuffing, contemporary optimization prioritizes user-friendliness, naturalness, and addressing user queries. It also involves the removal of duplicate or thin content that lacks value, as well as rectifying broken pages. SEO-specific elements such as meta titles and descriptions are either optimized or generated if absent. These are the initial cues search engines receive to grasp your site’s context, also serving as previews for human users in search engine results. Choosing an agency that adheres to updated keyword optimization practices is vital; inquire about their approach to well-optimized pages to avoid outdated techniques like ‘keyword stuffing.’

8. Optimizing Site Structure 

Seamless and intuitive navigation is pivotal, with content accessible within minimal clicks from the homepage. Websites developed incrementally by non-specialists can sometimes become disorganized. Hence, an SEO agency conducts an audit of your site’s structure and proposes enhancements. Streamlined navigation not only enhances user experience but also aids search engine crawlers in comprehending your site’s layout. Search engine crawlers typically explore only a few layers deep in your navigational structure, potentially missing valuable content if buried beneath an extended chain of links. Every URL should direct users to active content, an alternative piece of content, or a 404 page, ensuring a smooth user journey. If an agency doesn’t discuss assessing your site structure, seek clarification regarding their approach.

9. Implementing Technical SEO Tweaks 

Technical SEO refinements optimize your site’s functionality, ensuring swift and seamless performance across all devices. An SEO agency examines factors like these, all of which now impact rankings (enhancing your site’s ranking):

• Site Speed: Actions to reduce page load times across all devices.
• Responsiveness: Ensuring content renders correctly and remains user-friendly on all devices.
• HTTPS Implementation: Establishing a secure connection that safeguards users while browsing the internet; sites without HTTPS, especially those where transactions occur, may face significant penalties. An agency’s omission of these considerations may signal a lack of grasp on technical SEO or ranking factors.

10. Create New Content 

This step involves generating content for your website, including service pages, information pages, blog posts, etc., as well as content for external sites such as guest posts, articles, and thought leadership pieces. The importance of guest posting varies within industries, hinging on your goals and the activities best aligned with achieving them. Content creation is guided by trends and industry-relevant topics, informed by effective keyword research. While text-based content dominates SEO efforts, other formats like video, audio, and infographics might also play a role. If an SEO agency’s writing style doesn’t match your brand’s tone, it’s essential to address this.

11. Build Links 

Link building, despite certain negative connotations, remains pivotal in a successful SEO strategy. An SEO agency identifies opportunities to acquire high-quality, relevant links from industry-related sources, reputable directories, and diverse channels. The intention is to drive traffic from these sources by directing links to valuable content. Links also serve as SEO signals, with the underlying assumption that pages with numerous inbound links from reputable websites are of high quality. While search engine algorithms remain cryptic, the correlation between good links and high rankings has endured.

12. Outreach 

Both content creation and link building require proactive outreach for success. An SEO agency may engage in outreach to promote created content and establish links. When outsourcing outreach, ensure clarity on whether the agency is operating as your company or on your company’s behalf. If the former, confirm their grasp of your brand’s tone and guidelines.

13. Monitor Brand Mentions 

SEO agencies might set up alerts for brand-related terms to leverage natural coverage. This could entail requesting links from articles that mention your brand without linking or addressing critical content. While reputation management typically stands apart from SEO, there can be overlap. Monitoring brand mentions helps refine their understanding of your online profile and business positioning.

Also Read-How to Choose the Right Influencer Marketing Agency in the USA?

14. Monitor Results 

Ongoing vigilance is essential for effective SEO. Frequent Google algorithm updates, competitors’ ranking shifts, and evolving business collateral necessitate continuous monitoring. Agencies employ various tools to track rankings, traffic, engagement, user behavior, and conversions. This monitoring confirms the impact of existing efforts and offers insights to enhance future strategies.

15. Report on Results 

Agencies should provide metrics associated with onboarding goals, such as visibility, traffic, leads, conversions, and ROI. Accompanying commentary explains outcomes and insights, informing the campaign’s trajectory.

Finally, here are a few popular SEO tools that agencies might utilize:

• HubSpot: A comprehensive marketing platform for various SEO activities.
• Screaming Frog: A tool analyzing links, images, metadata, and scripts on a website.
• Google Keyword Planner: Provides keyword search volume and suggests related terms.
• Google Analytics: Tracks website engagements, offering detailed insights on user behavior.
• Ahrefs: A link research tool providing backlink profile information. It’s important to note that an SEO agency needn’t employ all these tools. The toolkit varies; not every SEO strategy encompasses all the outlined areas. What remains constant is their ability to deliver results, expertise, and responsiveness to industry shifts and their impact on your website.

Note: Some agencies may not market themselves explicitly as SEO agencies; terms like “digital marketing agency” or even broader “marketing agency” could be used.

In a separate article, we explored signs indicating the need to collaborate with a digital marketing agency. If your business isn’t achieving the five outcomes mentioned earlier (visibility, traffic, leads, conversions, and ROI), it’s time to consider seeking assistance.